Having just observed Good Friday and Easter, I remember weaving a tapestry illustrating these verses. I was a member of the Creative Weavers Guild of Walnut Creek, California.

At that time, the Conference of Northern California Handweavers (CNCH) had an annual conference which featured displays by all the weaving guilds. It was a big deal. Many guilds selected a theme for their display.

In 1982, my guild decided to have a wine theme, so if we wanted to participate, we had to make something related to wine, or use the colors associated with wine. I was in the middle of a series of weavings based on verses of scripture and had no interest in things related to wine, so I didn’t particularly like the theme, but I wanted to show my work at the conference.

Then, I remembered these verses where Jesus uses the grape vine as a metaphor for how His kingdom functions. He said His Father, God, owned the vineyard. Jesus said He was the vine which provides resources to the branches that will bear the fruit. He points out that the branches cannot bear fruit if they become separated from the main vine, and if the branches do not bear fruit they are pruned back or cut off.

I designed a stylized grape vine where one side is flourishing with fruit, and a small, broken, and withered vine is dying on the other side. In the shading on the trunk of the vine is the crucifix which some people will recognize and others won’t notice. I was able to use the many colors associated with wine.

Today, this tapestry looks down on my studio work table. It blends in nicely with the cream-color, textured wall, and picks up the colors of the stones in the fireplace and the red tile floor. And it reminds me that I need to produce some fruit with the supplies and resources I have available to me.