Sermon Preview for August 30th August 26, 2026 Ru-Lee Weller Passman August 30, 2026 - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Preacher: Rev. Anne J. Scalfaro Sermon Title: God’s Community Garden Final Sermon in the Series: Abide & Grow: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit Sermon Blurb: For our final week in our year-long theme—Abide & Grow: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit—we return to our theme texts of John 15 and Galatians 5. Sunday’s sermon will focus on: our rootedness in God’s love, the gift of each of the nine Fruit of the Spirit that grow from within (Love, Peace, Goodness, Self-Control, Patience, Faithfulness, Joy, Kindness, Gentleness), and how, together as a group of faithfully rooted and fruit-full people, we become a nourishing Community Garden for the world. Don’t miss this sweet, juicy conclusion to a wonderful year of spiritual growth together! Scriptures: New Testament Reading Galatians 5: 22-23, 25 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. + Gospel Reading John 15: 1, 4-5, 8-9, 11, 16 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 4Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.