Which?

 Tommy's house is packed with relatives for family reunion. Grandpa calls 6 year old Tommy and starts asking about school, girlfriends and anything else he can think of. After a while, grandpa notices that Tommy is losing interest in the conversation so he pulls out two bills from his wallet to see if he can keep him interested, a ten and a twenty-dollar bill. He shows both bills to Tommy and tells him that he can keep any one he chooses. Tommy reaches over and grabs the ten-dollar bill. Grandpa was pretty surprised and upset about the unwise decision his grandchild made, so he pulls out another ten-dollar bill to see if it was a mistake. Again, he tells Tommy to take one of the bills and keep it. Tommy grabs the other ten. Grandpa again is surprised and upset. He takes Tommy over to one of the uncles and shows him how dumb Tommy is in choosing the ten over the twenty. Grandpa goes on and on showing every uncle and cousin and each time Tommy chooses the ten over the twenty. Grandpa finally shows the stunt to Tommy 's dad. Dad's quite surprised but seems to not pay too much attention at the moment. A few hours later, Dad, who is very concerned about Tommy's poor decision, walks up to him and asks him if he knows the difference between a ten-dollar bill and a twenty. "Of course," answers Tommy. "So why did you always choose the ten over the twenty?" asks Dad. Tommy, with a wide smile answers, "Well Dad, if I would have chosen the first twenty dollar bill, do you think grandpa would have played the game fifteen more times?" We find ourselves today at the Fourth Sunday of Lent. These forty days are symbolic of Christ's forty days in the wilderness. These are the days in which those in the Church have traditionally prepared themselves for the celebration of Holy Communion on Easter Sunday by reflecting on their lives, repenting of their sins, and seeking to get their lives back on track with God. We began the first Sunday of Lent asking the question "Who?" and remembering that we are those created in the Image of God. Last week we asked the question "Where?" and focused in on the fact that we are to be "citizens of heaven" and live focused on living as aliens in this world. Today we ask the question, "Which?" Some may ask whether or not our passage today is about choices our not. Luke seems to be a discussion between Jesus and the Disciples on current events, followed by some gardening tips from Jesus. It begins with the Disciples running to Jesus and saying, "Hey Jesus, did you hear about those heathen Galileans? They were worshipping their idols, and Pilate sent some soldiers in and had everyone of them killed. God got those sinners didn't He?" This comment by the Disciples had come right after someone had come running to him and said, "Those sinners in Siloam got there reward. They were standing nearby that tower, drunk as usual, when it fell on them and killed them. God sure knows how to get a sinner doesn't He?" Jesus was shocked. He was outraged. Here he'd been telling them of God's love and the promise of eternal life, and then teaching them to spread that Word to everyone, and they are rejoicing over the fact that some sinners have been killed. Jesus said, "No, my brothers and sisters. God doesn't work that way. Those were just things that happened. God didn't cause them to happen, but they did happen, and some sinners died. However, they weren't any worse a sinner than anyone else living in Jerusalem." All too often, my brothers and sisters, our society thinks of things in the same way. A hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruption, terrorist attacks, or virus outbreak happen happens and someone one will say, "God took care of those sinners." My brothers and sisters, the God we worship is a God of love. Our God doesn't work like that. What is God's response to our sin? It is not disaster, it is not disease, it is with the cross of Christ! Our God is the one that, as 2nd Peter tells us: "The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance."i Jesus tells the Disciples, that though God doesn't work like that, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." This is where the question of choice comes in, my brothers and sisters. Jesus tells the Disciples that they have a choice, the same choice that we have: either "repent" or "perish as those sinners perished." "Since we are all sinners though, doesn't that mean that we will all perish?" The answer to that is a resounding "No!" That's why Jesus follows this up with the gardening tips. You see, my brothers and sisters, we are the barren fig tree. We are the ones that God planted and are bearing no fruit because we are lost in sin. However, as I mentioned before, God doesn't want any to perish, He wants us to thrive in His garden, this earth. So God decides to give us one more chance, but He realizes that we can't bear fruit if just left to ourselves. So God counters the poisoning of our sin-sick soul with the life-giving, purifying Blood of Christ. God, knowing that we cannot stand alone against the winds of temptation, braces us with the Holy Spirit. He then watches to see if we will receive the nourishment and strength He offers and begin producing fruit, or if we will resist what He offers and die as barren trees. We can choose to accept God's grace, repent of our sins, and live out our lives according to the will of God, or we can resist God's grace and continue to live our lives in sin, doing what we want to do. It's our decision. If we choose the way of God, though, we can expect criticism. Why? Because choosing God's grace means we are going to act differently than those who resist it. It means if we hear folks telling racist joke or simply talking down about someone because of the color of their skin, we are going to stop them and remind them those folks are created in the same Image of God we are. Those who are elite supremacists will laugh at us. If we see someone or a group of folks in need, we will sacrifice our time, talents, and resources to help them. Those who like to put themselves first will criticize us. It means giving time to God, not just for Sunday morning or Wednesday Night Worship, but all through the week-and there will be those that scoff telling us we should be using the time to make money or to enjoy ourselves. However, my brothers and sisters, those who chose to remain in their sin, and laugh, criticize, or scoff at us, are just as short-sighted as that grandpa with the ten and twenty dollar bills. They are only looking at the immediate situation and not at the long term consequences. To them the twenty makes more sense, because they can't see the hundred and sixty in the long run. However, the choice we have with God is not a financial choice. This decision is a matter of life or death. Do we want to die and perish like the Galileans or those under the tower of Siloam? "But if we all die, what's the difference?" someone may ask. The big difference is, my friends, that Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, though they may die, yet shall they live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."ii Isaiah puts it this way, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live."iii We can spend our efforts on the bread of this world that will never satisfy us and then we will die, or we can feast on the Bread of Life-the Word of God, and live. Which will we choose, death or life? My brothers and sisters, as we share Christ's sacred meal in just a few moments, choose...chose to surrender for the first time, choose to repent, choose God, choose life. If you have been choosing other than life this day, during our time of reflection, I invite you to come forward and I will join you in prayer. In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. i 2nd Peter 3:9 ii John 11:25-26 iii Isaiah 55:2-3 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Which ? Luke 13:1-9