[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 3C

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Mar 2, 2013 8:42 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 3C


Dear Friends,

In our gospel reading for today, we heard Jesus tell the following
story (Luke 13: 6-9 CEV):  “A man had a fig tree growing in his
vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find
any.   7 So he said to the gardener, ‘For three years I have come
looking for figs on this tree, and I haven't found any yet. Chop it
down! Why should it take up space?’  8 The gardener answered, ‘Master,
leave it for another year. I'll dig around it and put some manure on
it to make it grow.   9 Maybe it will have figs on it next year. If it
doesn't, you can have it cut down.’”  Have you ever gone to the
refrigerator looking for that piece of leftover cake or the rest of
the ice-cream in the freezer and found that someone else had beaten
you to it?  You can almost taste that cake or ice cream, but it isn’t
there, so you’re left to satisfy your craving with an apple or some
leftover chicken.  That’s how the owner of the vineyard felt!  He had
repeatedly (three years!) gone to that tree- hungry, mouth watering-
almost able to taste those figs- looking, expecting, hoping, but
nothing was there.  You KNOW he was frustrated!  Not only that, he was
watching his money trickling away in taxes, because in those days
people were taxed for every tree they owned.  Here he was paying taxes
on that useless tree.  You can see why he told the gardener in no
uncertain terms to cut that stupid tree down!  The gardener begged for
time for the tree, and promised to give it some TLC for the next year.

That’s the story Jesus told.  What’s in it for us in the twenty-first
century?  To find out, we’ll have to dig a little (like that
gardener).  The first life-lesson is in the answer to this question:
what was the sin of the tree?  If you are a parent, grandparent,
Godparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, or anybody connected with children, a
familiar episode from your own life will tell you right away.  You
hear a loud crash, so you hurry into the room to find all the children
looking like angels.  When you ask what happened, you get the answer,
“Nothing- I/we didn’t do anything.”  That’s what the tree did-
nothing.  It wasn’t doing anything.  It was just sitting there taking
up valuable space, money, fertilizer, etc., and it wasn’t producing.
It was NOT doing what fig trees are called to do- produce fruit.  Have
you heard that every church has four kinds of bones: wishbones,
jawbones, knucklebones, and backbones?  The wishbone is made up of
those who wish somebody would do something; the jawbone- all talk and
no action; the knucklebone- knock everything; the backbone- those who
carry the load and do most of the work.  When God looks at the
wishbones, jawbones, and knuckle bones in churches, God must think
about that fig tree.  Thank God we’ve got lots of backbones at St.
Paul’s!

The second life-lesson is that God expects us to produce fruit- just
like that fig tree; but what fruit are we supposed to produce? Try
Galatians 5: 22-23a- “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-
control.”  How are you doing in bearing fruit, and what’s getting in
the way of you bearing even more fruit for the Lord?  As you know, Dr.
Caroline Scott really works hard on our gorgeous meditation garden on
the south side of our church building.  It was really getting nice by
the end of the summer the last few years.  The flowers were blooming
and the pond with the water lilies and other water plants was so very
relaxing.  In a word- the entire garden was beginning to show huge
promise EXCEPT for about 20 feet toward the parking lot.  Anything she
planted there seemed to struggle and not really do well.  You know
what she discovered- there is thick, tough builders’ plastic covering
that area, so anything planted over the plastic can’t get its roots
deep into the earth for moisture and fertilizer.  I’m not sure exactly
how she’s going to solve this latest challenge (although I know she
will), but that area of the garden is a lot like us at points in our
lives.  We don’t bear the fruits God desires because the cares of this
world, our busyness, our unconfessed sins, our negligence of Bible
reading, worship, and prayer all form a barrier to the spiritual power
God is longing to give us.  In other words, we don’t get our spiritual
roots down deeply enough to absorb the power God is waiting to give
us.  Then we wonder why we’re so tired all the time and why our lives
seem so meaningless.

In closing, I’d like us to read the story part of the gospel again
with the following interpretation: The man is God; the fig tree is us;
the vineyard is the world (our city, neighborhood, family, church);
and the gardener is Jesus.  As we read, watch for the changes I make,
and listen with your heart.  (Luke 13: 6-9 CEV):  “GOD had US growing
in his WORLD. One day GOD went out to ENJOY OUR FRUITS- LOVE, JOY,
PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND
SELF-CONTROL, but he didn't find any.   7 So GOD said to JESUS, ‘For
three years I have come looking for LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE,
KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL on
THOSE PEOPLE, and I haven't found any yet. Chop THEM down! Why should
they take up space?’  8 JESUS answered, ‘FATHER, leave THEM ALONE for
another year. I'll dig around THEM and put some manure on THEM to make
THEM grow.   9 Maybe THEY will have LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE,
KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL on
THEM next year. If THEY DON’T, THEN you can have THEM cut down.’”  The
gospel of the Lord.

May God bless us as we rid our lives of all that blocks us from God’s
power and joy; and may we show forth the spiritual fruits God longs to
see.


For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church

 
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