March 7, 2010
Saint Paul’s Cambria
Father Fred Heard
Every month, most of us receive a telephone bill in the mail or on the internet. In these days, they might even be bundled with your computer and your TV cable statements. If you miss just one payment, your next bill might include a disconnection warning! This is your Last Chance to pay up or be disconnected! No kidding! It is important to pay attention when you are on your last chance! Kind of like a cat on its “ninth life.”
Jesus told a parable about Last Chances. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was traveling from Galilee up north to Jerusalem down south. It was an eighty-mile journey. In those days when a journey of only two or three miles was a major undertaking, eighty miles is indeed significant. While on the journey, Jesus learned about two really difficult disasters.
Pontius Pilate, a name very familiar to us, had been ruling Israel for four years and had been a cruel ruler beyond belief. He had put down riots viciously. Pontius Pilate had mixed the blood of Galileans that he had executed with the blood of their Jewish sacrifices. This was offensive, disgusting and revolting. Appalling as this was, Pilate also mixed human blood with the animal blood of sacrifices.
Jesus could read minds. He said to them: “I know that some of you are thinking that these Galileans were killed and then their blood mixed with the blood of sacrifices because they were worse sinners than others…Aren’t some of you thinking that way? But I want it to be clear to you, that is not true. Just because people suffer a horrible death, does not mean that they are bigger sinners than everybody else. That is just NOT true. So many people have surmised and made up stories about why people have died over the years. In fact, more people have probably made up sins than there are sins. I am sure that when we all die, we will be greatly surprised that what we considered (past tense) sin to be and what God considers (present tense) it to be.
When someone dies suddenly and without notice, this gives us pause to reflect on how we are living our own lives. This is an occasion for us to come to grips with our own mortality, with our own unexpected end and abrupt death. What is our own relationship with our Lord God? Are we ready to die suddenly like the Galileans? Are we ready to die? Are we ready to meet God face to face? How are we with our neighbors and our families and our friends? Have we taken care of our legal obligations following our death? Do we have a will and is it up to date? Have we a signed Advance Directive? Have we legally made our wishes known about how we might be treated during our last weeks or months if we are unable to communicate?
People speak to me often about what they might prefer at their funerals or memorial services: “I want this hymn” or “I want this scripture” or “I don’t want this…” Even the other day, someone indicated a preference for the funeral service from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. My question is, “Have you planned your own funeral service?” For ever so many funerals, when I have met with families, they really aren’t sure about Grandma’s favorite hymns or scriptures. It does make a difference when I can say, “These were Grandma’s favorite words.” It is very comforting to the family…to have Grandma’s plan for her funeral service.
While there is time, we need to make sure we are right with our Lord. There is time right now. Jesus said, “…unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
Jesus continued with the second disaster. “You heard about the tragic news of eighteen people being killed when a tower fell over near Siloam, just south of Jerusalem.” That was awful. Eighteen people…men, women, and children. How do we explain that? How do we explain any disaster…Haiti…Chili? Were those eighteen people who died so tragically any worse than the rest of the folks who lived in Jerusalem? Is that why the eighteen died? Were those people worse sinners than the rest of the town? No,of course not. They died in a moment, died in a blink, died so unexpectedly. We are to be ready at all times to meet our God face to face. Are you ready to meet your Lord God for all eternity? Are you ready? There is still time to change our lives and become ready to meet God in a moment.
Teaching, as he often did by parable Jesus explained himself more clearly. He said, "A man planted a fig tree in his garden. The man came looking for fruit on that fig tree. For three years, he came looking for fruit. He finally became frustrated and said to his gardener in exasperation, “I have been coming here for three years and that tree does not produce any figs. Cut the thing down.”
The gardener replied, “No, sir, give it another year to produce figs. One more year. Some more time. Some more space. Let me dig around the roots and put good manure on it. If after a year, it still does not produce figs, then let’s cut it down.”
What does this gospel mean for our lives? You ALL know that…
If you own an apple tree, you expect it to produce apples.
If you own a pear tree, you expect it to produce pears.
If you own a cherry tree, you expect it to produce cherries.
We all know that the unproductive tree is a waste of time, space and energy.
How many times have we owned a plant and threatened to cut it down if it doesn’t produce and then BINGO…one more year after resolving to remove it, it produces or blooms? And so, the gardener reasons, “Hang on there a moment. Let’s give this tree one more chance. More time. More space. One more year. New manure. Good water. Let’s give this tree one more chance.”
That is what the parable is about for us today. The Lord God wants to give us another chance, one more chance, another season, another year, some more space to begin living our lives in ways that the Lord God expects. We have another chance, another moment, another space, another period of grace that begins now…to change…to live the quality of lives that God wants from us…to produce the life of love that the Lord God expects from us. The Lord God gives us more time to shape up, to live life as God wants us to.
The Lord God created apple trees and expects those apple trees to produce apples. The Lord God created cherry trees and expects those cherry trees to produce cherries. The Lord God created pear trees, and expects those pear trees to produce pears. The Lord God created you and me to be loving people, and expects us to live lives of love for God and our neighbors. That is what the Lord expects of us. The Lord God has legitimate expectations of us: to produce fruits of love, for God and neighbor. It is all so very simple.
The Lord God created us for another purpose, a primary purpose, to produce the fruit of love for the Almighty God of creation who fashioned us in the first place and wants our love and adoration. The Lord God created us to love God and our neighbor with all our hearts and all our mind and all our soul. At this moment, we still have more time, one more day, one day more, one hour more. The Lord God is giving us another chance to live the way He would have us live now and through all eternity. Amen
Jesus told a parable about Last Chances. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was traveling from Galilee up north to Jerusalem down south. It was an eighty-mile journey. In those days when a journey of only two or three miles was a major undertaking, eighty miles is indeed significant. While on the journey, Jesus learned about two really difficult disasters.
Pontius Pilate, a name very familiar to us, had been ruling Israel for four years and had been a cruel ruler beyond belief. He had put down riots viciously. Pontius Pilate had mixed the blood of Galileans that he had executed with the blood of their Jewish sacrifices. This was offensive, disgusting and revolting. Appalling as this was, Pilate also mixed human blood with the animal blood of sacrifices.
Jesus could read minds. He said to them: “I know that some of you are thinking that these Galileans were killed and then their blood mixed with the blood of sacrifices because they were worse sinners than others…Aren’t some of you thinking that way? But I want it to be clear to you, that is not true. Just because people suffer a horrible death, does not mean that they are bigger sinners than everybody else. That is just NOT true. So many people have surmised and made up stories about why people have died over the years. In fact, more people have probably made up sins than there are sins. I am sure that when we all die, we will be greatly surprised that what we considered (past tense) sin to be and what God considers (present tense) it to be.
When someone dies suddenly and without notice, this gives us pause to reflect on how we are living our own lives. This is an occasion for us to come to grips with our own mortality, with our own unexpected end and abrupt death. What is our own relationship with our Lord God? Are we ready to die suddenly like the Galileans? Are we ready to die? Are we ready to meet God face to face? How are we with our neighbors and our families and our friends? Have we taken care of our legal obligations following our death? Do we have a will and is it up to date? Have we a signed Advance Directive? Have we legally made our wishes known about how we might be treated during our last weeks or months if we are unable to communicate?
People speak to me often about what they might prefer at their funerals or memorial services: “I want this hymn” or “I want this scripture” or “I don’t want this…” Even the other day, someone indicated a preference for the funeral service from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. My question is, “Have you planned your own funeral service?” For ever so many funerals, when I have met with families, they really aren’t sure about Grandma’s favorite hymns or scriptures. It does make a difference when I can say, “These were Grandma’s favorite words.” It is very comforting to the family…to have Grandma’s plan for her funeral service.
While there is time, we need to make sure we are right with our Lord. There is time right now. Jesus said, “…unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
Jesus continued with the second disaster. “You heard about the tragic news of eighteen people being killed when a tower fell over near Siloam, just south of Jerusalem.” That was awful. Eighteen people…men, women, and children. How do we explain that? How do we explain any disaster…Haiti…Chili? Were those eighteen people who died so tragically any worse than the rest of the folks who lived in Jerusalem? Is that why the eighteen died? Were those people worse sinners than the rest of the town? No,of course not. They died in a moment, died in a blink, died so unexpectedly. We are to be ready at all times to meet our God face to face. Are you ready to meet your Lord God for all eternity? Are you ready? There is still time to change our lives and become ready to meet God in a moment.
Teaching, as he often did by parable Jesus explained himself more clearly. He said, "A man planted a fig tree in his garden. The man came looking for fruit on that fig tree. For three years, he came looking for fruit. He finally became frustrated and said to his gardener in exasperation, “I have been coming here for three years and that tree does not produce any figs. Cut the thing down.”
The gardener replied, “No, sir, give it another year to produce figs. One more year. Some more time. Some more space. Let me dig around the roots and put good manure on it. If after a year, it still does not produce figs, then let’s cut it down.”
What does this gospel mean for our lives? You ALL know that…
If you own an apple tree, you expect it to produce apples.
If you own a pear tree, you expect it to produce pears.
If you own a cherry tree, you expect it to produce cherries.
We all know that the unproductive tree is a waste of time, space and energy.
How many times have we owned a plant and threatened to cut it down if it doesn’t produce and then BINGO…one more year after resolving to remove it, it produces or blooms? And so, the gardener reasons, “Hang on there a moment. Let’s give this tree one more chance. More time. More space. One more year. New manure. Good water. Let’s give this tree one more chance.”
That is what the parable is about for us today. The Lord God wants to give us another chance, one more chance, another season, another year, some more space to begin living our lives in ways that the Lord God expects. We have another chance, another moment, another space, another period of grace that begins now…to change…to live the quality of lives that God wants from us…to produce the life of love that the Lord God expects from us. The Lord God gives us more time to shape up, to live life as God wants us to.
The Lord God created apple trees and expects those apple trees to produce apples. The Lord God created cherry trees and expects those cherry trees to produce cherries. The Lord God created pear trees, and expects those pear trees to produce pears. The Lord God created you and me to be loving people, and expects us to live lives of love for God and our neighbors. That is what the Lord expects of us. The Lord God has legitimate expectations of us: to produce fruits of love, for God and neighbor. It is all so very simple.
The Lord God created us for another purpose, a primary purpose, to produce the fruit of love for the Almighty God of creation who fashioned us in the first place and wants our love and adoration. The Lord God created us to love God and our neighbor with all our hearts and all our mind and all our soul. At this moment, we still have more time, one more day, one day more, one hour more. The Lord God is giving us another chance to live the way He would have us live now and through all eternity. Amen