“You did not choose me but I chose you.” Jn 15

Arash and Vahid, you’ve asked to be baptised; to become Christians. We honour you for that.Most of us born in Australia don’t understand what a huge decision that is for a person from Iran.

We don’t understand how it can make life very difficult and dangerous. Because becoming a Christian in Australia doesn’t mean our family throws us out. It doesn’t mean police come and take us to gaol, whip us or even hang us. Becoming a Christian here doesn’t cut the rest of our family out of normal job opportunities. It doesn’t stop our children being allowed to go to school or university.

Becoming a Christian here doesn’t have to cost us anything really. Not unless we take it really seriously. But we should, because being a Christian means we follow Jesus—who gave up everything for us.

Becoming a Christian seems like a simple choice to us Australians; but it’s much more than that. Today’s Gospel remind us of something very important. Jesus said that we didn’t choose him; he chose us. ^{Jn 15.16} He chose you and me before we even knew about him. The Gospel also says that God loves us, and we can live in that love together as God’s friends.

This means our Christian faith is about saying yes to God—answering God’s invitation; taking hold of God’s hand which is already stretched out to us. It also means that even if we walk out on the Church for a time—as I once did—it doesn’t mean Jesus will give up on you or me—remember, he chose us!

And the good things we do for Jesus won’t push him to suddenly love us more; he loves us absolutely anyway. Whatever we do, for good or evil, his love for us is never taken back. It never grows smaller. It’s just there; the strength to grow you and me into people who are his blessing to the world.

The other thing today’s readings tell us is that we are a family—right across the world, even if we come from different countries, different cultures, different languages. Today’s story from the book of Acts shows Peter and others in the earliest Church discovering that Jesus chooses people they never expected. They’re amazed as people who weren’t Jewish were given the Holy Spirit; chosen by God.

Jesus said, ‘You didn’t choose me; I chose you.’

Jesus gave his disciples a message of joyful love and friendship. When he talks of commandments, the command is to love. And when he talks about his master-servant relationship with his disciples, it’s laid aside; instead he says we are his friends.

He’s telling us about building a community of love, where the only law is love. Keeping that law will create a community where it’s safe for us, and safe for anyone we invite into it.

We believe only Jesus can create something so wonderful, yet today we hear him asking us to live like that—to become like him. So when Jesus talks about us asking something in his name (v.16 c), he believes we will ask what he would ask—that we will be loving the way he is loving.

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus said he is the vine and we are the branches. It’s a great image—particularly for people who come from Shiraz! As his branches, it’s natural that we will genuinely express his care—particularly for the frail, the frightened and the needy.

He has chosen these ones. And we are to be his representatives, expressing his care for these.

How?

Like branches, we are to reach out and provide hope and shelter and sweet refreshment in their season. Just as he reached out to us and grafted us onto him, we are to offer this belonging to others too—to offer without condition a connection, through Christ the vine, with the true source of their being, and with a true purpose in life. But like any branch, we can only draw the strength to do all of that from the true vine, Jesus.