In order to successfully blend the fruit of Philip's labor, Jesus' metaphor of the vine, and the process of formation in this parish, we need to start with a short lesson on winemaking that comes from Wikipedia, the free internet encyclopedia.

The quality of the grapes determines the quality of the wine more than any other factor. Grape quality is affected by variety as well as weather during the growing season, soil minerals and acidity, time of harvest, and pruning method…The decision to harvest grapes is typically made by the winemaker… Overall disposition of the grapevine and weather forecasts are taken into account….Grapes are either harvested mechanically or by hand…Mechanical harvesters have the advantage of being able to cover a large area of vineyard land in a relatively short period of time, and with a minimum investment of manpower per harvested ton. A disadvantage of mechanical harvesting is the indiscriminate inclusion of foreign non-grape material in the product, especially leaf stems and leaves, but also, depending on the trellis system and grapevine canopy management, may include moldy grapes, canes, metal debris, rocks and even small animals and bird nests…Manual harvesting has the advantage of using knowledgeable labor to not only pick the ripe clusters but also to leave behind the clusters that are not ripe or contain bunch rot or other defects….Different batches of wine can be mixed before bottling in order to achieve the desired taste. The winemaker can correct perceived inadequacies by mixing wines from different grapes and batches that were produced under different conditions. These adjustments can be as simple as adjusting acid or tannin levels, to as complex as blending different varieties or vintages to achieve a consistent taste.

Now, let's backtrack the Scripture we have heard - point by point. The best grapes come from those clusters closest to the vine. If, as Jesus says, He is the vine and we are the branches, it holds that the sweetest fruit forms in us when we abide in Him. And it is "we" collectively, not a gaggle of individual "me"s. For as Jesus points out branches do not live apart from the vine, and we will not thrive apart from community and Christ.

Is this a true statement? Let's test my hypothesis. We all know perfectly lovely people who do not belong to any faith community. But neither they, nor we, can realize what they might become if they were grafted onto the vine unless someone guides them as Philip did for the official of Candice's court. Do we share the truth that is in us? Do we trace, as Philip did, the Good News about Jesus by opening the Scriptures and walking them to the point of discovery? The court official in the Book of Acts was already most of the way there. He was what was called a God-fearer. The Official had begun to read the Scriptures, felt drawn to something more, and had even driven to the temple to see what the next step might be. The official was rather like those folks who show up at St. James one Sunday looking- looking for something more - even if they can't quite put into words what they are seeking.

Do we help them find their way? What abundance of fruit - what juicy sweetness - might be added to the their lives, might be added to our common cup, if we listened when God whispers "go over that chariot, lean over into that Toyota, and ask 'so, what did you squeeze out of that bunch of readings?" then shared our own experience of coming to live in faith and in community?

On the wall in the parish library above the table at which the vestry, and various study groups, sit are a series of small frames that hold several words. The first frame is the first step- "evangelism". This makes sense, for how can a new grape be introduced to the mix unless it is gathered in?

But there are different ways of gathering grapes. Wikipedia told us that attempts at mechanical harvesting gathers rocks, bird's nests and moldy grapes. This is why televangelism can never produce fine wine, it is indiscriminate, impersonal, and more interested in full baskets than full incorporation. Philip did not stand on a street corner in a shiny black suit haranguing disinterested and distracted strangers from the elevated anonymity of a wooden platform. No, Philip ran along side the path of one who was already interested, a man already pointed in the right general direction and Philip helped the official find his way.

That's how a harvest is lovingly picked- with intention by the laborer, love for the grapes and an understanding of the process required to make fine wine. Knowledge of good process is the reason why the second framed word in the parish library is "Welcome." First we notice that a person is seeking. Then we welcome them as a companion on the way.

After Philip opened the Scripture and the light had gone on for the official, it was the official who took the initiative. It was the official who asked "what is to prevent me from being baptized?" When people are ready they asked to join the faith community. Baptism was the way in which the official moved from seeker to companion - from stranger to one who would be recognized as part of the group. This is order of things is why the next two framed sets of words on the parish library wall are "record and recognize" and "begin incorporation". As seekers arriving at St. James voice the desire to come closer to the vine one of our priests sits with them and asked them to write down appropriate information so that we can begin to know them and are able to communicate with them. We do this to assist such seekers in the next step of their journey. We give then a nametag as a token of our intention to come to know them better and as an invitation to walk with this community. Then we invite them to the Inquirers' Class so that we might begin the process of incorporating them into the mix- blending what they offer with the grapes already in the vat.

Philip baptized the official and then disappeared. Philip was called away form the scene because there was other work to be done in other parts of the vineyard. Jesus spoke of the necessity of pruning and of clearing away branches that had withered and fallen on the ground. Both of these aspects are stewardship. We are called to be mindful of time and space, thoughtful about the labor, and laborers, needed to tend the grapes and to bring in the harvest. There is work that stretches from dawn to past dark, from tilling the soil to pouring the wine at the Sabbath feast.

Good stewardship requires not only willingness but wages, not only showing up but some specialized skills. Vintners and packers are both important. Pickers and sales people serve the same vineyard. Ask the Bucks and the Defords about how many people it takes to have a single bottle of wine show up on your dinner table. You can see why in this parish of abundant harvest the next sign on the parish wall had to be "Stewardship."

I teach about Stewardship in the Inquirers' Class. It is one of the first things we teach to newcomers- I talk about proportional giving and I model how a person grows into tithing. I relate the fact that all relationships that mean something to us require much from us. Many, many, many grapes are required to make good wine. Labor and talent are needed but also much capital- for vats need to be cleaned, equipment replaced and good vintners deserve their wages.

But nothing set in motion remains in motion without the input of additional energy. Inertia sets in. Newton came to know this when the apple bounced off his head, landed on the ground and cane to rest. Grapes fall too and will rot on the earth if we do not tend the vineyard- both the one around us and the one within us. Hence the final sign on the parish library wall- "Ongoing Christian Formation."

We have all changed since the day we first went to Sunday School. While God is unchanging, our understanding of God needs to grow up along with our bodies. Those of us who are adults still need instruction in our faith because life keeps presenting things that are new - at least to us. We all have questions that cannot be answered out of the things we thought we knew when we were eight years old. Our bodies, brains and faith all change over time. Every year a winery makes new wine even if there are hundreds of older bottles in the warehouse. We need to gather new grapes as we move through the seasons too. We need to ferment new thoughts, to bottle new wisdom, and to notice afresh the interplay between the current weather and the progress of the Risen Son over the fields in which we work. Ongoing formation is a sign of life and health in the vineyard, in a person and in a congregation.

This journey from evangelism to ongoing Christian formation is not something we invented at St. James, nor is it a new practice. The Apostle Philip did it. Thousands of others across the centuries have done so as well. But now it is we who labor in God's vineyard.

And Jesus says: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."