The Gazebo Vineyard

As we were praying on the Saturday morning before the Vine in July we felt God gave us a picture of Leeds Vineyard as a gazebo not a tent. This was probably influenced by forthcoming camping holidays and the recent Revive weekend. Nevertheless I think the Lord was speaking to us as He often does through normal things. What we see in the natural speaks to us of the supernatural.

The point of the gazebo is that it provides shelter and a place to gather people together but that at the same time it is easy to see into and out of; it invites you in but sends you out too. In fact it isn’t always obvious when you are in or when you are out. Isn’t that a great way to think of the Vineyard?

As we have seen in John’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that people will know we are His disciples by the way we love one another. If people are going to be able to see that we need to ensure two things:

1. That people can see and can know what we are up to. What happens in our community of faith needs to be visible and welcoming. We also need to be facing outward, sending each other out of the gazebo from time to time to invite others and to share our lives (do you remember the stages of the flight path sequence? Intercede, Involve, Inspire, Invite, Introduce, Inform and Integrate). Rather than shout to people across the camp site, let’s walk over to them and chat.
2. That we love one another! That’s what He said, several times, “Love one another … love one another … love one another…” In John 13 Jesus shows what love means by washing the disciples’ feet before he goes out to die for them. And then as He explains that they should wash each other’s feet he says again and again, “Love one another”. 13:34, 35; 14:12, 17.