SERMON, LENT 3C, LUKE 13:1-9

Delivered by the Sr. Warden while I was out of town.

Two weeks ago, we heard the story of Jesus being led out into the wilderness to be tempted. Those temptations, if you recall, were to turn stones into bread (asked after he had fasted forty days), authority over all the kingdoms of the earth, and to prove he was God's chosen Son by leaping off the pinnacle of the temple. All of these temptations, while in and of themselves not particularly enticing, had the added twist of appealing to short-term gain for the overall good: turn stones into bread and feed the hungry, take authority over all the kingdoms and bring peace on earth, leap off the top of the temple and use that act to bring people back to worshiping God.

Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet did not sin. He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, yes; but he was not abandoned out there. The Holy Spirit did not leave Jesus alone; unlike the devil who "departed from him until an opportune time." Whereas the devil leaves us when things aren't going his way, the Holy Spirit will never abandon us.

The gospel passage for last week was rather long, but the sermon focused on the image of Jesus as the mother hen. The fox is in the hen house and Jesus, our mother hen, gathers his brood under her wings. This feminine image of Jesus is important because it allows us to see God in a new way. It allows us to see a God who is bigger than our preconceived notions or ideas that God has to be, or must be, male. God is neither female nor male; God simply IS.

So the feminine imagery here is important, but what's more important is the image of Jesus as our protector. The hen gathers her brood under her outstretched wings in order to protect them from the fox. The hen is willing to die so that her brood may live. In the same way, Jesus stretched out his arms of love on the hard wood of the cross so that everyone might come within the reach of his saving embarace. Jesus gathers us in under his wings and was willing to die so that his brood may live.

Today, the gospel gives us two stories that, while seemingly to be very different, are really closely related. Some Galileans have their blood mingled with their sacrifices, a tower falls and kills 18 people, and a gardener persuades a landowner to keep an unproductive fig tree for another year.

In the first instance, one note reads that some Jews who were making their sacrifices at the temple were murdered by Roman soldiers; hence the comment about their blood being mingled with their sacrifices. And in the second instance, the tower of Siloam apparently didn't meet the building codes, fell and killed 18 innocent bystanders. In both cases, Jesus says that unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.

It's important to note that Jesus isn't saying that God killed these people because they were sinners. Nor is he saying that if you don't repent and continue to sin, God will kill you. Although that might be the easy reading of this passage, that would be an incorrect and very simplistic reading.

"Unless you repent, you will all perish just they did."

In the rite of reconciliation, the penitent says in part, ". . . you formed me from dust in your image and likeness, and redeemed me from sin and death . . ."

And in the rite of baptism it is said, "we pray you . . . that those who here are cleansed from sin and born again may continue for ever in the risen life of Jesus Christ our Savior," and,". . . we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon these your servants the forgiveness of sin, and have raised them to the new life of grace."

Through baptism we are given a new life in Christ. Through the act of repentance and reconciliation, we are restored to that life. The life that Jesus is talking about in this gospel passage isn't our short lived, physical, earthly life; the life that Jesus is talking about is our life in the kingdom of God.

Life is short. We never know when we might be attacked by Roman soldiers and killed, or when a building might collapse on us and kill us, or when we might go around a corner and meet head on with someone who was in too much of a hurry to wait to pass safely. Take the opportunity to repent now while you have the chance so that, should you die unexpectedly, you won't perish but you will continue in right relationship with God and have life.

This brings us to the fig tree. A man had a fig tree that was barren for three years. Upset that it was simply wasting nutrients and not producing, he orders the tree cut down. But the gardener begs him to leave it for one more year, during which time he will tend it and nurture it. And then, if it still doesn't produce after all that attention, it will be cut down.

God wants us in the kingdom. God wants us at his banquet. God wants to us live. God is patient, slow to anger and abounding in love. Rather than cut us down for not producing, God is giving us a second chance; another chance to produce fruit for the kingdom and to be in right relationship with God. Jesus is the gardener who intercedes on our behalf for one more year. He is willing to work with us, to tend to us and to nurture us. During that time it is hoped that we will respond to his loving care and begin to produce fruit. As opposed to selfishly sucking up nutrients for ourselves without producing fruit that others can benefit from. We are, in essence, being given a second chance.

Those chances, by the way, are finite. We might get murdered. We might be killed accidentally. We might simply run out of time; but knowing that that gift of life will expire at some future time makes it all that much more precious. A gift certificate with no expiration date is just as likely to disappear under a pile of paperwork as it is to get used; a gift certificate with a "use by" statement almost always ensures it will be used.

As we make our journey through the wilderness of Lent, with the cross and crucifixion and death of Jesus looming on the horizon, we are being shown the many aspects of God. Yes, this can be a difficult time, but God the Holy Spirit will lead us through the wilderness and will not abandon us. God the Son is our protector. Like a mother hen, he will spread his wings in order to protect his brood; he will die in our place so that we might live. God the Son is also our nurturer. He wants us to live. He wants us to produce fruit so that others can enjoy what we have.

Leader, protector, nurturer -- this is what God is telling us about himself. May we all come to understand God more deeply this Lent and may we move into a closer relationship with him; a relationship that leads to life.

Amen.