In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola produced a coming of age movie called “The Outsiders.” It was a movie, based on S.E. Hinton’s book, about some boys growing up on the outskirts of society - not looking for a fight, just looking to belong. I don’t remember much about the movie, but I have never forgotten one of its most enduring and lovely themes – stay gold. Stay innocent. Stay excited, optimistic and engaged with life. Stay young, stay fresh. Stay gold in spite of all the truly crummy things we’ve already been through; stay golden in spite of all the stuff this world will inevitably throw at you. Stay gold! I love the Stevie Wonder theme...Seize upon the moment long ago
One breath away and there you will be
So young and carefree again you will see
That place in time...so gold
Steal away into that way back when
You thought that all would last forever
But like the weather nothing can ever
and be in time…stay gold
But can it be when we can see
So vividly a memory
And yes you say
So must the day too, fade away
And leave a ray of sun - so gold
Life is but a twinkling of an eye
Yet filled with sorrow and compassion
Though not imagined
All things that happen will age too old
Though gold
Stay gold, Ponyboy; stay gold!
Is that possible? Is it possible to stay young, to stay fresh, to stay optimistic and engaged with the world in spite of everything that comes our way? Or is all this just a nice, dreamy song in a movie – just a sweet memory we learn to politely chase until the sun behind our eyes finally goes dim and we can’t chase anything anymore?
Toward the end of Jesus earthly ministry, he took his disciples aside to share some truly “stay gold” instructions with them. The disciples were confused by much of what Jesus was telling them and, in just a few days, they were about to be traumatized in a way they weren’t ready for. And so Jesus sought to prepare them. He comforted them, he reminded them to follow only him, he promised them the Holy Spirit and then, in John 15, he explained to them how to stay gold – how to stay fresh, powerful and engaged with life come whatever may.
We’ve been talking about “being the surprise” in the world around us – how might God use us as instruments of peace, joy and hope in a world with precious little of all three. And yet if we have any hope at all of doing so, if we have any hope at all of being useful in the world, we must ourselves first remain golden. We must remain connected. Listen to Jesus…
I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.
If any of us long to “stay golden,” Jesus has a simple, one point sermon for us all this morning. Remain in me and I will remain in you - stay connected and I will stay connected. We stay golden and wonderfully surprising in the world around us when we stay connected to Jesus, the one true vine. And if we do that, we’ll see five wonderfully golden things in our lives.
The Power
We’ll see power operating in and through us beyond all we can ask or imagine. Jesus says we will ask whatever we wish and it will be given to us. We will start getting what we ask for simply because, slowly but surely, we will only ask for what we know God wants to give us. If we are connected to the Vine, we’re supposed to be seeing power. There is supposed to be stuff happening through our lives we can’t explain but for the power of God.
The Fruit
We’ll see fruit growing everywhere. While every tree and its branches go through varied seasons of fruitfulness, if we’re connected to the apple tree, sooner or later, we will see apples hanging from our lives. We will bring fruit to the world and to ourselves. Fruit just happens!
The Love
And if we’re connected to the Lover of all souls, we will know and happily share with others the love of that Lover. We will love others, not only because we’re commanded to love (as Jesus clearly does here), but because, increasingly, it will be in our nature to love. We will not be able to stop loving others around us, because God’s golden love will be constantly flowing into us. Slowly but surely, almost inevitably, we will love as we have been loved.
The Obedience
We will be obedient. As we remain in the Vine, we will do what we know we are supposed to do. We won’t argue or look to sneak around the rules. We will demonstrate our golden connection to Jesus by studying and doing whatever it seems Jesus would have us do. We will be absolutely and ravenously hungry to obey. We will be known not only by our love, but by our stunning, joyous obedience! Our obedience will lead us to joy. We will increasingly discover obedience is not only morally correct, it is always the very best, most joyous, most carefree and absolutely golden way to live. Obedience is the golden way to live.
The Friendship
And at the end of the day, we will know truly golden friendship with God. We will fully come to understand what it means that we have not been treated as slaves and servants, but as friends of God. We will understand more and more of what God is doing in the world around us because God will be able to trust us with more and more. He has not treated us as our sins deserve – he has called us friends. We will enjoy this golden friendship and quite naturally introduce others into this friendship as well. We will know true friendship with God – we will once again find ourselves walking through the Garden with him in the cool of the day!
This morning as I was preparing for my Sunday School class, I couldn’t get the projection system to work. Since my class was very important and very content heavy, I really needed that system. I rebooted the computer, I reinstalled the file – I did all sorts of things. Finally, as I was using the function keys to see where the images were being sent, my laptop told me “no external display found.” It was only then I discovered the projection system cable was not connected to the laptop. Duh!
We can’t accomplish anything in this world on our own. Apart from him, we can do nothing! Apart from him, we are dry and dead branches destined only for the fire. And as for surprise, well…I suspect there is nothing less surprising or useful in this world than dull religiosity and disconnected church folks. So stay golden, Elim! Stay young, stay fresh, stay connected! Remain in him and he will remain in you.
You all know I love teaching. I love studying and sharing whatever I learn with others. I have a thing for books and solitude that might not even be healthy – I love connecting with people intellectually and academically. As much as I adore and find value in my study, what we all need most this morning is not something all my books are ever going to give us. We need gold that only God can give. We need gold refined in the fire – true vine gold that will not fade or disappear. We need gold with surprising staying power.
May God meet us in our weakness and reconnect with each one of us in lovely ways.
Amen.
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