[Propertalk] Fw: Luke 13:1-9, Lent 3c

[Joe Parrish]

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: LKraft 
To: SERMONSHOP_SERMONS.topic at ecunet.org 
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 4:02 PM
Subject: Luke 13:1-9, Lent 3c


LENT 3c                                                         March 7, 2010

Luke 13:1-9                                                   Holy Trinity ELCA

                                                                        Trumbull, CT

 

            'Imagine for a moment that Jesus is watching television with his twelve disciples. They're on furlough from teaching and healing, taking it easy in the living room of Peter's mother-in-law, doing a little mindless channel surfing. Maybe they catch a little of an NCAA Tournament game, March Madness. These are guys, you know, just relaxing from a demanding schedule.  

            But eventually the evening news comes on. They put down the popcorn and listen intently to the day's tragedies. One disciple says, "Hey, Jesus, that horrible bombing over in Pakistan, where that guy drove a bus into a crowd of people. Do you think that because the Pakistanis suffered in this way they were worse sinners than the rest?" It was a popular question in Jesus' day. Still is. If something bad happened, it must have been for a reason. Jesus scratches his beard for a moment. "No, they didn't die because of anything they did. It was a purely random thing. But let me tell you something. Unless you guys clean up your acts, you'll die just as tragically."  

            There is a low murmur in the room. The disciples look at each other like Jesus has missed his morning medication. As two begin to leave to find a bathroom, the newscaster reports another catastrophe, this one halfway across the world. Jesus pipes up this time. "Hey, guys," he says, "those people over in Chile. What about them? The earthquake that hit there killed hundreds of people. Does that mean that these Chileans were worse sinners than their neighbors in Peru?" Jesus waits for his question to sink in. "No, the tragedy had nothing to do with their morals. Those people just got in the way." The disciples breathe a sigh of relief, gladdened to know that God doesn't work that way. But then Jesus looks at them all. "Let me tell you something, though. Unless you people start going in the right direction, you will share a similar fate as those Chileans and it will seem like a building falling on your head to crush the life out of you." I believe somebody got up and changed the channel after that.' (1)  

 

            I know you're aware of what's been going on in the world lately.  There were the two major earthquakes - Haiti's and Chile's.  There's the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.  There's genocide and mutilation in the Sudan. There are millions of workers seeking employment in many nations around the world.  There are families facing bankruptcy, foreclosure and divorce, even among our members here.  Today's world, at times, seems to be a terrible place to be.

            From our gospel reading for today we discover that the world has always had its challenges.  The daily lives of Jesus and his disciples included crises and tragedies.  We come together in places like this church to hear words of hope, to offer assistance and to comfort each other in grief.

            But sometimes, on days like today, we look at other ideas that need to be lifted up.  Here's why.

            We can tell from our gospel reading that Jesus knew his disciples had the idea that bad things happened to bad people.  Or at least they thought the victims of the temple massacre and the collapsing tower must have done something wrong in their lives to "deserve" to die.  They couldn't make sense out of such a tragedy otherwise.  Pain and suffering couldn't just be a random occurrence in their experience.

            Surprisingly, this attitude toward pain and suffering hasn't changed much in the course of history.  A plane crashes, a baby needs a heart transplant, a church closes its doors and we begin looking for reasons why God must have abandoned those people or that place.  Then come the platitudes:  

            God will never give you more than you can handle.

            God needed a new angel.

            God decided the time was right.

            God is in charge; it's not our place to question.

            You've heard them all.  You may have offered some of these platitudes as you try to make sense out of a senseless situation.  Jesus says, "Stop it.  Stop looking at the other guy and begin to look at yourself.  You are no different than the other guy.  What happened to him could happen to you at any moment."

            But Jesus doesn't leave it at that.  Jesus doesn't leave us alone to stew in the reality of our own sinfulness.  He doesn't chop us down and leave us to die.  Jesus continues teaching with the parable of the fig tree.  Basically, Jesus says, while we may look at that other guy and somehow come to the conclusion that his life isn't worth living, God looks at that same person and offers support, nurturing and tender compassion.  God chooses to give that one another chance so that he or she can bear good fruit.

            Think of it this way: A man goes to his doctor because he just doesn't feel right.  The doctor finishes the exam and tells him, "I have bad news and good news. You have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an enlarged prostrate, and your constant cough could be an early sign of emphysema."

            The man asks the doctor, "So, what's the good news?"

            The doctor says, "Well, I can help you reduce your salt intake, cut down on red meat and fatty foods, exercise regularly and give up smoking, so your health can improve."  

            The man stomps out of the exam room, grumbling: "I've never liked that doctor.  He's SO negative about everything."

 

            You and I react to Jesus request to repent in much the same way.  We journey together toward the cross of Good Friday, knowing that we need to examine our lives so we can better appreciate Jesus' sacrifice.  But we don't really want to look within ourselves and discover our failures.  We don't really want to make fundamental changes in the way we treat our bodies, treat other people and treat the world in which we live.  We're pretty comfortable being just who we are.  After all, haven't we heard, somewhere, that God loves us "just as I am"?

            It's true.  God DOES love each of us "just as I am."  But that doesn't mean we don't need to shape up and take responsibility for our failures.  It is BECAUSE God loves us just as we are that we can face this scrutiny without fear.  We need not be afraid of digging deeply into our personalities, our attitudes and our works.  We go into those darkest corners with Jesus at our side.

            Look at how the gardener responded to the landowner in our parable today.  When the landowner (the world) wanted the rotten tree cut down, the gardener (Jesus) convinced him to let it try again.  "Let me dig around it and put manure on it."  Let me love and tend and nourish it.  Let me express my support and encouragement.  Let me nurture it and give it hope.

            God's grace is promised to us in our baptism.  We are refreshed with forgiveness each time we share Holy Communion.  Instead of looking at the other guy and wondering why God doesn't just take that one away or chop him down to size, you and I need to look within ourselves.  We can do that because we are accompanied by the one who gave himself for us.  

            When bad things happen around us or to us, we don't have to wonder if it's some sort of judgment that was deserved for wrong-doing.  Bad things DO happen to good people.  Many of us know that through personal experience.  There's not much we can do about that.  What we CAN do is to be the best people we can be.  Be the people Jesus knows we can be.  Love and nourish each other, support and encourage each other and live in hope.

            You and I can bear the fruit our Gardener knows is possible, for we are not alone in the effort.  Do not be afraid to examine your soul this Lent.  Remember, change is what happened on the third day.  Good Friday wasn't the end.  Amen

 

(1)  The Evening News. Frank G. Honeycutt, Sermons on the Gospel Reading, Cycle C, CSS Publishing Company. Found on eSermons.com, March 2010.

 

Rev. Linda J. Kraft

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Trumbull  CT   06611

office p/f 203-372-8844

home 203-881-5997

 
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