Fertilizer for Repentance

 The burning bush – isn’t that a good story?

I have seen the burning bush – confirmed from at the least the time of Helena,

                        mother of Constantine, in the 4^th Century.

            It is at St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai.

            A unique bush, none like it anywhere near.

            Related to the blackberry, having bright red flowers.

            now preserved within the monastery walls

            (with a fire extinguisher attached to the wall beside it!)

 

Well, whatever bush it was, I think the bush that got Moses’ attention

            was reflecting the Uncreated Light of God;

            it was aflame with God’s radiance

                        in the same way that later Moses’ face would shine

                        when he came down from that same mountain

                        with the two stone tablets of the Law of the Covenant.

 

And then what? after Moses approached the bush

 

Ex. 3:7 ¶ Then the LORD said, 

“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; 

I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. 

Indeed, I know their sufferings.”

 

God says to Moses, 

             “I have seen their suffering.

               I have heard their cry.  

     I know their suffering.”

 

The God who says “I am” as the Name God wants to be known by,

            is the One who sees and hears and knows,

            who is, therefore, the One who is with you.

Do you see that?

            That is how God sees and hears and knows, by being with you.

 

This is not only a declaration of who God is, 

but also a promise to be with you

            in an intimacy of love with the people who are suffering.

 

So this passage was intentionally picked to go with the Gospel for today.

            That might not have been obvious at first reading.

 

Suffering, as it is addressed in the Gospel for today,

can been seen as a tremendous motivation 

for engaging in the process of repentance.

 

The context for the Exodus reading is the suffering in Egypt, 

            the crying out to God 

                        which resulted in liberation and a journey into the desert

                        where they encountered God at Mount Sinai.

 

In the Gospel reading there is the suffering of those killed by Pilate

                        and those killed by the collapsing tower

            representing suffering caused by natural disaster 

            and suffering caused by people perpetrating suffering upon one another.

 

And then there is the suffering currently reflected globally:

            the war in Ukraine, the refugees from Afghanistan, 

             the prolonged fighting in Yemen, refugees at the southern borders,

            not to mention the pandemic and climate-related disasters.

 

And we just heard Jesus say, “Repent, or you too will perish.”

 

Any suffering is a call to self-examination and repentance

                        which is, as Jesus was using it, a turning from death to life.

A turning from death to life.

 

Now that means we had better look at what we mean by repentance.

 

Repent, in Greek metanoia, means change your mind. 

 

Certainly that includes the usual understanding that we have of the word            

    from our more Latin orientation of the western world:

                        quit sinning,

                        stop doing what is wrong.

 

But in Greek change your mind means reorient you thinking,

                        change your perception, 

                        change how you see and understand things.

It is more than feeling remorse for what hasn’t worked in your life.

A real change of mind requires a radical shift in perception 

            in which what we used to think about something can no longer hold.

 

The process to repentance is another way of talking about 

            the spiritual process of awakening, realization.

 

But we don’t just change our minds at will.

It takes something dramatic, mind-boggling to bring us into a space 

            where we would even consider thinking about things differently.

 

Hence Jesus uses extreme examples.

 

Hence the fact that repentance is something God does in us,

            a spiritual process initiated by God and facilitated by the Holy Spirit.

 

To illustrate this Jesus next tells the story

                        of the fig tree that is not producing figs.

Did you wonder what the connection was with the fig tree?

 

It’s in its genes to produce figs, but that’s not happening,

            so the fig tree is not acting according to a fig tree.

Does it think it’s something else? 

                        a grapevine, perhaps, since it’s in a vineyard.

Does it have aspirations to being a date palm?

 

Well, it needs a little help in repenting, one might say.

Give it some fertilizer, something to stimulate its roots,

            something to help it grow enough, to mature enough

                        so that it starts being who it’s supposed to be: a fig tree.

 

The repentance is not self generated, you will notice.

            The tree is given something by the gardener to stimulate the process 

                        which leads to producing fruit.

 

And Jesus leaves the story open ended.

            We don’t know what ultimately happened to the fig tree.

 

And we are given opportunities to stimulate the process of repentance in us.

 

It doesn’t always take great suffering to bring us to repentance, thankfully.

            There’s Lent, a liturgical observance 

                                                that fosters the spiritual process of repentance.

 

And you may notice that each Sunday we come to the Eucharist

and as we do so

            we come to a sacrament specifically created as a reminder

                                    of Christ’s love for us

            a reminder that this is his Body and Blood, the sacrifice of his death.

 

Each Sunday we are given the opportunity to come to a greater recognition

                        of our identity in him

            being made one in him and members one of another

                        as we eat the bread and share the cup.

 

A change in perception about self identity is being cultivated 

            - metanoia, repentance.

 

Romans 12:2

            “Do not be conformed to this world

            but be transformed” 

            “by the renewal of your minds” – 

            “so that you may prove what is the will of God,

                                                            what is good and acceptable and perfect” – 

that is, so that good fruit will be produced in your life,

                        fruit derived from a systemic change of mind.

 

We do this sharing in communion

            out of utmost love for him and the sacrifice he made for us

            and out of obedience to him

                        because he said to do it.

 

And this transforming of the mind

            that enables our part to be effective,

            is by the grace of God, the working of the Holy Spirit.

(As the Collect for today reminds us,

            “we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves.”)

 

We honor our Lord and express our love for him

            by cooperating with this grace, which acts like fertilizer, 

                        that is available for working in our lives

 

And so the idea came to me

that the Eucharist can work in us 

            like fertilizer around the base of the tree

                        bringing nutrients for life

                                    so that the tree can bring forth the fruit of life,

                                    so that we can bring forth in our lives fruits of life

                                                which is the product/the outcome of repentance.

 

Repentance – change of mind, awakening to a new realization of life,

            a repentance which brings fruit, 

                                                usefulness to the glory of God in our lives.

Destination: Holy Week

 Jesus went through one town and village after another, 

teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem…

And he said to the Pharisees who seemed genuinely concerned for him

                        and who warned him about Herod,

“Go and tell that fox for me, … I must be on my way …

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 

the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!…

I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 

‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

 

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem

He is going there on purpose, intentionally

            bringing to fullness 

what all his preaching and teaching and healing has been about

Everything he does and says is leading to this

 

We see this message in the readings all through Lent

This is to prepare us for Holy Week

We are being brought to Palm Sunday along with him

            when we will join our voices to those in the Story and say,

‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

 

But what was it that Jesus said?

            “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 

            the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  

            How often have I desired to gather your children together 

            as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,   and you were not willing!”

 

What a heart breaking statement!

 

Jesus reaching out with love and life and freedom and joy 

            to those who are at the heart, the center of their religion,

                        in Jerusalem where the Temple was,

                                    where the priests were,

                                    where the nation’s leaders were,

            and ironically the very place where God’s true messengers 

                                    bearing revelations of God

                        are met with staunch opposition.

 

Why such resistance?

            Why such resistance to being gathered together under the wings of Jesus?

            Why such resistance to Jesus himself?

 

One would think that those at the heart of the religion 

            would be the ones who should most welcome God’s messengers.

But no.

There is a difference between being at the spiritual heart of one’s religion

            and being at the heart of the institutional church.

 

Let me give you an example of this difference.

            

This summer there will be two significant gatherings of church leaders, 

            both delayed by COVID, but now finally occurring:

The first is the 80^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church 

            usually held every three years since 1785,

            now a year late, July 7-14 in Baltimore.

            There will be important issues to address.

The other is the Lambeth Conference consisting of 

            all the bishops from every diocese

            in every country where there are churches in the Anglican Communion,

            usually held every ten years, and was to have occurred in 2018.

 

Mammoth gatherings of the institutional church.

            gathered together and, we would pray, 

            coming within the motherly and inclusive embrace of our Lord Jesus,

            instead of for the purpose of  holding tenaciously to defined limits.

 

Lambeth is particularly difficult in attempts to work out 

            step by step a painful dance between groups of church leaders 

                        caught in the very public place of leadership 

                        committed to positions of belief that have no common ground,

            yet trying desperately to solve the issues and bridge chasms

                        by means of careful navigation 

                                    through church polity and theology

                                    and, at times, by the merest lip service to mutual respect,

while those most affected stand at the sidelines watching and largely unheard.

 

We have a way of getting ourselves into a real pickle.

And one distressing example of pickle juice

            is the mistake of trying to make a universal statement on an issue

                        despite what impact that has at the level of the local congregation.

 

In the past during some of the polarizing issues 

            parishioners wanting to withhold pledges, for example, 

            because of some issue that may or may not be connected to

                                                 the life of the parish,

even though withholding a pledge makes a much bigger impact negatively 

            on the local faith community than it does on the whole denomination,

even leaving friends and fellow parishioners with hard feelings,

                        too often leading to bitter splits,

            while the issue remains unresolved.

 

One such issue: 

Some dioceses in the Anglican Communion have difficulty accepting 

            that someone could be a bishop 

            if their sexual identity is other than the standard binary,

                        let alone whom they may marry and bring with them to Lambeth.

 

While here in this country we have worked through this theological conundrum 

            it will take a while, years, globally for it all to finally resolve,

            and my guess is that the resolution won’t come through 

                        what bishops decide when they meet together,

            but by what happens ultimately in the congregations

                        where the issues of inclusion and exclusion get worked out

                                    according to the spiritual awareness and wisdom

                                    of people in actual, living relationships.

 

In other words, time and actual practice will be the deciding factors,

            and the ecclesiastical authorities will then write the theology

                     that matches what the Holy Spirit has revealed in the Body of Christ.

 

Do you see this? 

The Holy Spirit blows like a wind in some pretty unpredictable ways,

                        always has.

 

That’s how the gentiles got brought into that gathering embrace of Jesus,

                                                the One who is like the mother hen and her chicks.

 

The Council in Jerusalem in Acts 15 had to deal with 

            Peter’s unusual and unprecedented case 

                        of baptizing a Roman centurion and his household.

 

What if Peter had gone to Jerusalem first for permission

            before going to Cornelius’ house?

What do you think would have happened?

            How long would it have been before that baptism could take place?

Jump a couple of millennia.

            Many of you here can recall a lot of the 45 years of history in the Church

                                    sing the first ordinations of women.

 

For me personally, 

            the Holy Spirit had the audacity to call me to the priesthood 

                        some 14 years prior to that actually becoming a possibility 

                                                                        via the institutional church.

 

For some the way that they hold their theology, their belief system,

            does not allow for women to be included 

                                    in this aspect of the life of the Church,

but the de facto reality is that women’s ordination 

                        has contributed so much to the Church,

                        and it sure looks like it’s here to stay.

 

Jesus is already way ahead of us on that score,

            and HE initiates that inclusive embrace.

And we come to see that we have been resisting, even refusing 

                        that loving and gathering embrace from our Savior.

Whether the issue that divides the institutional Church

                        is sexual identity, color of skin or political party,

                                    or what color candles we use on the Advent wreath,

            taking sides over what we think is right or wrong gets us nowhere.

The Holy Spirit, usually working through all sorts of prophets,

                                    leads the way into totally new perspectives.

 

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 

            the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  

            How often have I desired to gather your children together 

            as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, 

                                                                                    and you were not willing!”

 

Why does a hen seek to gather her brood under her wings?

                        Because of impending danger.

The mother bird offers protection to her babies

            even if she herself remains exposed to the disaster coming upon her.

 

Jesus comes to Jerusalem

            and stretches wide his arms on the hard wood of the cross,

                                    the worst of all suffering ways to die,

            and his arms embrace the whole world.

 

In surrendering himself to death, he becomes the source of new life.

Lifted from the earth on the cross, he draws all people to himself.

 

This is the message of today’s Gospel reading.

This is the ultimate prophetic statement from Jesus

            matched with his ultimate prophetic action that saves the world.

 

We are on the way to Jerusalem with Jesus during Lent – Destination: Holy Week

Today as we hear these words of Jesus,

            may we recognize that we here are like 

                        small, fluffy, delicate, vulnerable Easter chicks.

May we, not resisting, dash quickly under the wings of Mother Jesus.

Put to the Test

Here we are at the beginning of Lent,

                        a season of intensified spiritual discipline

            in preparation for the celebration of the Resurrection.

 

Lent serves the purpose of addressing and meeting 

            our core need as human beings to draw near to and encounter God.

Lent is a valuable gift the Church gives us

            for addressing this innate inner longing.

 

And as always for the 1^st Sunday in Lent the Gospel

            is about the 40 days fast in the wilderness and the temptations.

Why?  

            Is the lesson for us about temptations and falling into sin,

            so repent and don’t sin anymore?

What really are these temptations all about?

 

The purpose of the temptations in the wilderness is to show 

that Jesus is ready for and has the authority for leadership in ministry.  

 

Now, Jesus wasn’t the only one who spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness.              

            Moses did that going up Mount Sinai 

                        and came back with the Law carved in stone tablets.  

            Elijah did that and came back with a clear mandate 

                        about who would be ruling what kingdom.

 

When Jesus comes back from his fasting,

            he doesn’t bring back anything             except himself,             

and he begins to proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come, is at hand.

 

This Gospel reading is a demonstration for us of

Jesus’ alignment with the will of God,

            and this indicates his capacity to rule. 

The role of the devil is to test Jesus’ readiness and reliability, 

                                                to test his authenticity.

 

After Jesus has finished his fast, when he was hungry,

            then the devil says to him:

So you’re the Son of God – a God-realized person, eh?, totally enlightened,

            then you certainly can change stone into bread

                                    and take care of that hunger for yourself.

 

But Jesus replies, quoting from Deut. 8:3, which reads:

“He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, 

in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

 

Turn stones to bread?  No need for that

The Gospels record 6 times when Jesus took a small amount of bread,

            blessed and broke it,                        and then fed THOUSANDS.

Test #1            Check.

 

Test #2

            Then the devil led him up 

            and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 

            And the devil said to him, 

            “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; 

            for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 

            If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”

 

Notice - The devil is claiming all authority.  Interesting.

I think the devil is lying.              He’s been known to do that.

            After all that’s what the name Satan means: liar.

 

But what he is presenting to Jesus is not the plan for Jesus, 

not the kind of Messiah he is to be

in this invitation to buy into a messianic kingship 

over all the temporal nations.

 

Rather – we read at the end of Matthew’s Gospel:

 

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, 

            “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them             in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…

 

Do you see how this is different from ruling all the nations?

            instead of baptize and make disciples

The test or temptation is around 

            moving from one orientation of reality to another, 

moving from what is centered in the self and brings power to the self

            to what transcends self and serves self-emptying instead.

 

The devil says,

            If you, [then,] will worship me, it will all be yours.” 

            Jesus answered him, “It is written,  

                        ‘Worship the Lord your God, 

                        and serve only him.’” 

 

Worship expresses the relationship of serving, not ruling.

In worship we are not feeding our ego, but acknowledging another as Lord.

            Right?  

            Isn’t that what we are about when we come here for a worship service?

Test #2            Check.

 

Temptation #3

            Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, 

            and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, 

            “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here…”

 

Well, Jesus was continuously at risk for his life, 

                        in fact, from the time he was born!

            Someone was usually out to get him, and he did not ask to be spared.

In the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed:

Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; 

            yet, not my will but yours be done.”

 

If he is going to fall and die in the falling, then so be it.

In fact, THAT would be the plan – the Cross.

 

The temptation was to see whether God is present or not.

            To test God’s presence is to doubt God’s presence.

But Jesus was utterly integrated in conscious awareness 

with the divine presence.

 

You can’t put God to the test if you are AWARE that God is always with you.

            Well, so much for tempting Jesus!

 

So Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every test, 

            he departed from him until an opportune time.

 

That opportune time comes much later in Jerusalem.

Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, 

            who was one of the twelve;

 

And Jesus at that time, at the Last Supper, 

                                                                        also tells  Peter and the disciples:

            “Simon, Simon, listen! 

            Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,

            but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you,             

            when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Simon Peter has had some sort of idea 

            about preserving Jesus from crucifixion.

And he follows him into the courtyard of the high priest, 

where he then fails miserably as he ends up denying our Lord 3 times.

 

Two who would resist Jesus’ plan of complete self-emptying on the cross:                                     Judas and Simon Peter

How do we also resist Jesus?            and where he seems to be taking us?

                   Think about it.  This is a good Lenten question to engage.

How do we resist Jesus?

And so that takes care of the temptations – 

Jesus expresses perfect self-emptied clarity about his mission and ministry.

 

Then if we were to go on with the next verse after the Gospel reading for today,

                        we would read:

Luke 4:14 ¶ … Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, 

            returned to Galilee,

            and … to his home town…

 

Luke 4:21 Then (in the synagogue) he began to say to them, 

            “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

The truth of the writing of old is now being lived in your presence.

 

This is the outcome of the 40 days’ fast in the desert for Jesus.

 

Now we are entering another Lent, another 40 days in the desert,

            a spiritual desert this time,

            a spiritual space for encounter with God’s revelation,

                        and discernment regarding our own clarity

                                                for mission and ministry.

Let us make good use of this opportunity of Lent. 

 

For Nativity I am thinking that this 3^rd test is important for us to consider here

            not that we would be tempted to leap off the church steeple

                                    as a test of faith,

            but for us to check our trust level with God,

                                                our awareness of God’s Presence.

For Nativity, do we trust that God hears what we are praying?

            Can we trust God with the future of this parish?

                                                for the future clergy leadership?

 

Are we willing and able to trust God individually 

                                                with our deepest desires, hopes, longings?

40 days to pour out our hearts to God,

            not hesitating to ask for help in being faithful in trust.

 

Are you up for it?            Do I hear an Amen?

 

Now is the opportune time.

MAKE GOOD USE OF IT.