Experiencing Second Chances
Sermon
Experiencing Easter
The Lenten Journey of Death to Life
Why is it that if someone says there are a billion stars out, we never question the accuracy? But if there is a sign that says "Wet Paint," we just have to touch it to see if it's true?
Why is it that we drive on parkways and park on driveways? And why do we call a road a "highway" when it is on ground level?
Why is it that when someone says, "A penny for your thoughts," we never get paid? Instead, we insist on getting in "our two-cents worth" and then never pay anyone to listen to us. And shouldn't have inflation changed the going rate of thoughts by now?
Some questions are simply not intended to be answered. Some are irrelevant or not worth the time to ponder -- like the ones I've already asked, but others are beyond our knowledge -- too tough to answer. If you could ask God one question, you wouldn't waste it on something fluffy and frivolous. Instead, wouldn't you search the depths of your soul and find a deep, philosophical question?
The little book, Children's Letters to God, is filled with deep theological questions as asked by children -- in the form of letters to God. Children are so inquisitive and completely uninhibited in asking. They ask questions that we adults haven't wrestled with in some time. They openly ponder the great mysteries of the universe. Well, at least mysteries in their world.
Lucy asks, "Are you really invisible or is that just a trick?"
Nan wonders, "Who draws the lines around the countries?"
Nell says, "I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay?"
And Jane inquires, "Instead of letting people die and making new ones, why not keep the ones you got now?"1
Good question. It's one we all ask in various ways. Why do people die? Why is there suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Are bad things caused by our sins and failures?
In the movie, Oh, God, Book II, God, portrayed by George Burns, is asked by a little girl why bad things happen. Burns replies, "That's the way the system works. Have you ever seen an up, without a down? A front, without a back? A top, without a bottom? You can't have one without the other. If I take away sad, then I take away happy, too. They go together."
Then Burns adds with a smile, "If somebody has a better idea, I hope they put it in the suggestion box."2
Obviously, none of the Oh, God movies were meant to be great theological works. But the movie shows that we have more questions than we do answers in life. Part of the reason for that is because we can't stand face-to-face with God like in Oh, God and have our questions directly answered. We can't exactly write a letter to God and receive a written reply.
In today's scripture lesson when Jesus is asked similar questions about suffering, he doesn't directly deal with the "why." This is the scenario: Apparently as the crowd was listening to Jesus teach, they were also passing along the news of a recent religiously related "hate crime." Pilate's soldiers had murdered some Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices. The fact that human blood was mixed with animal blood in the slaughter made the deaths all the worse. Mixing blood was atrocious in Jewish culture.
The crowd wondered why these Galileans had to suffer in such a way. Then they tried to answer their own question. They assumed that such a horrible and disgraceful death could only mean one thing. These Galileans were major sinners who deserved God's wrath and punishment.
Jesus makes one thing perfectly clear to the crowd. They were wrong. Their belief simply is not true. God does not harm people as punishment. Jesus even recalls a tragic accident in Jerusalem where a wall near the pool of Siloam fell and crushed eighteen people. By doing so, Jesus essentially says, "Accidents happen and people are evil of their own free will, but God does not send calamities to punish people."
Jesus' response also says we're asking the wrong question. We're worried about the wrong things. We shouldn't wonder about the cause of the calamity. Instead, we should use the tragedy as a wake-up call to repent and draw closer to God. Life is fragile, and any of us could stand before our Maker in a moment's notice. Trials and tragedies are reminders that we have another chance to make up with God after we have failed in the human-divine relationship.
Twice in the scripture, Jesus calls us to "repent" which literally means "to turn around" or "to turn your back." When Jesus calls for us to repent, he means that we turn around from the wrong way and turn our back on sin. This is not a minor change, but a transformation of character.
When my children hurt or offend each other, they have to say "I'm sorry." But often their words are not heartfelt. So, we tell them, "I'm sorry" means that they will do their absolute very best to not repeat the mistake. That should be their intentions when they say "I'm sorry" to someone.
In simple terms, that's what repentance means. We will do our absolute very best to stop offending God -- to stop our failure. We intend to end our sinful ways and to better live within God's will. We stop running away from God and start running to God.
At 33, Gary Hawkins had lived outside God's will. He had a fast, hard life filled with drugs, parties, and sexual promiscuity. But his life changed with a visit to his doctor and a discovery that he was HIV positive. He had no signs of sickness, but the virus lay dormant in his system.
With the news, Gary crashed.
He moved in with his parents and did little else other than watch television, eat pizza, and drink beer. He would die of AIDS, so why should he take care of himself? He sunk deeper and deeper into depression until he rarely left the house.
Finally, Gary's father had enough. He couldn't stand to see his son stop living before he died. Gary's father started leaving him "to-do lists" -- things like shopping and cleaning. He also took away Gary's car keys and gave him a bike for transportation.
Tough love -- but Gary gradually began to reenter the world. By riding his bike, he starting shaping up -- both physically and mentally. He started swimming, jogging, and eating right. After six months, he entered his first triathlon.
On a visit to his doctor before the race, Gary received some good news. There was almost no trace of HIV in his system. His doctor cautioned him that he was not cured, but it was amazing that hardly any trace of the virus could be found in his blood.
Gary had a complete turnaround. First, he turned his back on partying and then he turned his back on giving up on life. He was on a path to destruction, but he turned around and took a path to wholeness and healing.3
God wants a better and healthier life for us. This is why Jesus balances the warnings of God's judgment with promises of God's mercy. There is an opportunity to experience second chances. He tells the parable of the fig tree to say that God would even give a fig tree a second chance. A fig tree normally takes three years to reach maturity. If it does not produce fruit by that time, it is not likely to produce fruit at all. But this fig tree was given another chance. If God would give a fig tree the gift of another year of life, then God will give us the same chance to bear fruit.
Dennis Becker is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Oshawa, Ontario. He was coaching his daughter's softball team when he had the unenviable task of having to cut a young lady from the team. Brenda couldn't hit, catch fly balls, or run the bases. Cutting her would simply save Brenda a lot of wasted time.
During the final practice before the team was announced, Becker's daughter suggested he try Brenda at first base. The two had played catch and Brenda caught everything thrown her way -- even the wild ones.
Becker was skeptical, but tried her anyway. It was her last chance to make the team. He was pleasantly surprised. She struggled with the fly balls, but could catch all the infield throws. As the season progressed, Brenda's confidence grew and she improved on catching the fly balls. If Becker's daughter hadn't recognized Brenda's potential, she wouldn't have made the cut.4
In the same way Becker's daughter interceded for a second chance for Brenda, God's Son intercedes for a second chance for us -- to show our potential. To repent and bear fruit. Through Jesus Christ, God keeps on forgiving us.
One rainy afternoon, a woman was driving along one of the main streets of town. Suddenly, her seven-year-old son, Matthew, spoke up: "Mom, I'm thinking of something."
She eagerly asked, "What are you thinking?"
He said, "The rain is like sin and the windshield wipers are like God, wiping our sins away."
Chill bumps raced up her arms at his innocent wisdom, in awe she replied, "That's really good, Matthew." Her curiosity pushed her to press his revelation. She asked, "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"
Matthew didn't hesitate a moment to answer, "We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."
Isn't it comforting to know that God shows mercy and keeps offering forgiveness? Within our humanity, we continue to sin. We may move beyond one form of sin only to discover a new failure, but God is standing ready to forgive us of that, as well. We continue to repent, and God continues to forgive. We continue to turn our back on sin while turning toward God, and God continues to wash our sins away.
Imagine that you had only one year left to live. You had only a short time to make up for wrong doings, failures, and missed opportunities. How important that year would be! The lesson of the fig tree is a challenge to live each day as a gift from God.
We have no need to ask God why bad things happen. Or even why we have been kept from tragedy. Instead we should take the tragedy as a reminder of the gift God has given us. We have a gift of time to repent -- to turn away from evil and turn back to God. We have the gift of forgiveness once we repent.
Lent reminds us that even in the midst of our failures, God has given us an opportunity to experience a second chance. What we do with that opportunity is up to us. May we celebrate that gift by continuing to seek to grow as individuals and as Christians. May we live as changed and forgiven people. Amen.
____________
1. Stuart Hample and Eric Marshall, Children's Letters to God (New York: Workman Publishing Co., 1991).
2. Tim Hansel, Keep On Dancing (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 1995), p. 43.
3. Emphasis (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 2001), March-April issue, p. 31.
4. Ibid.
Why is it that we drive on parkways and park on driveways? And why do we call a road a "highway" when it is on ground level?
Why is it that when someone says, "A penny for your thoughts," we never get paid? Instead, we insist on getting in "our two-cents worth" and then never pay anyone to listen to us. And shouldn't have inflation changed the going rate of thoughts by now?
Some questions are simply not intended to be answered. Some are irrelevant or not worth the time to ponder -- like the ones I've already asked, but others are beyond our knowledge -- too tough to answer. If you could ask God one question, you wouldn't waste it on something fluffy and frivolous. Instead, wouldn't you search the depths of your soul and find a deep, philosophical question?
The little book, Children's Letters to God, is filled with deep theological questions as asked by children -- in the form of letters to God. Children are so inquisitive and completely uninhibited in asking. They ask questions that we adults haven't wrestled with in some time. They openly ponder the great mysteries of the universe. Well, at least mysteries in their world.
Lucy asks, "Are you really invisible or is that just a trick?"
Nan wonders, "Who draws the lines around the countries?"
Nell says, "I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay?"
And Jane inquires, "Instead of letting people die and making new ones, why not keep the ones you got now?"1
Good question. It's one we all ask in various ways. Why do people die? Why is there suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Are bad things caused by our sins and failures?
In the movie, Oh, God, Book II, God, portrayed by George Burns, is asked by a little girl why bad things happen. Burns replies, "That's the way the system works. Have you ever seen an up, without a down? A front, without a back? A top, without a bottom? You can't have one without the other. If I take away sad, then I take away happy, too. They go together."
Then Burns adds with a smile, "If somebody has a better idea, I hope they put it in the suggestion box."2
Obviously, none of the Oh, God movies were meant to be great theological works. But the movie shows that we have more questions than we do answers in life. Part of the reason for that is because we can't stand face-to-face with God like in Oh, God and have our questions directly answered. We can't exactly write a letter to God and receive a written reply.
In today's scripture lesson when Jesus is asked similar questions about suffering, he doesn't directly deal with the "why." This is the scenario: Apparently as the crowd was listening to Jesus teach, they were also passing along the news of a recent religiously related "hate crime." Pilate's soldiers had murdered some Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices. The fact that human blood was mixed with animal blood in the slaughter made the deaths all the worse. Mixing blood was atrocious in Jewish culture.
The crowd wondered why these Galileans had to suffer in such a way. Then they tried to answer their own question. They assumed that such a horrible and disgraceful death could only mean one thing. These Galileans were major sinners who deserved God's wrath and punishment.
Jesus makes one thing perfectly clear to the crowd. They were wrong. Their belief simply is not true. God does not harm people as punishment. Jesus even recalls a tragic accident in Jerusalem where a wall near the pool of Siloam fell and crushed eighteen people. By doing so, Jesus essentially says, "Accidents happen and people are evil of their own free will, but God does not send calamities to punish people."
Jesus' response also says we're asking the wrong question. We're worried about the wrong things. We shouldn't wonder about the cause of the calamity. Instead, we should use the tragedy as a wake-up call to repent and draw closer to God. Life is fragile, and any of us could stand before our Maker in a moment's notice. Trials and tragedies are reminders that we have another chance to make up with God after we have failed in the human-divine relationship.
Twice in the scripture, Jesus calls us to "repent" which literally means "to turn around" or "to turn your back." When Jesus calls for us to repent, he means that we turn around from the wrong way and turn our back on sin. This is not a minor change, but a transformation of character.
When my children hurt or offend each other, they have to say "I'm sorry." But often their words are not heartfelt. So, we tell them, "I'm sorry" means that they will do their absolute very best to not repeat the mistake. That should be their intentions when they say "I'm sorry" to someone.
In simple terms, that's what repentance means. We will do our absolute very best to stop offending God -- to stop our failure. We intend to end our sinful ways and to better live within God's will. We stop running away from God and start running to God.
At 33, Gary Hawkins had lived outside God's will. He had a fast, hard life filled with drugs, parties, and sexual promiscuity. But his life changed with a visit to his doctor and a discovery that he was HIV positive. He had no signs of sickness, but the virus lay dormant in his system.
With the news, Gary crashed.
He moved in with his parents and did little else other than watch television, eat pizza, and drink beer. He would die of AIDS, so why should he take care of himself? He sunk deeper and deeper into depression until he rarely left the house.
Finally, Gary's father had enough. He couldn't stand to see his son stop living before he died. Gary's father started leaving him "to-do lists" -- things like shopping and cleaning. He also took away Gary's car keys and gave him a bike for transportation.
Tough love -- but Gary gradually began to reenter the world. By riding his bike, he starting shaping up -- both physically and mentally. He started swimming, jogging, and eating right. After six months, he entered his first triathlon.
On a visit to his doctor before the race, Gary received some good news. There was almost no trace of HIV in his system. His doctor cautioned him that he was not cured, but it was amazing that hardly any trace of the virus could be found in his blood.
Gary had a complete turnaround. First, he turned his back on partying and then he turned his back on giving up on life. He was on a path to destruction, but he turned around and took a path to wholeness and healing.3
God wants a better and healthier life for us. This is why Jesus balances the warnings of God's judgment with promises of God's mercy. There is an opportunity to experience second chances. He tells the parable of the fig tree to say that God would even give a fig tree a second chance. A fig tree normally takes three years to reach maturity. If it does not produce fruit by that time, it is not likely to produce fruit at all. But this fig tree was given another chance. If God would give a fig tree the gift of another year of life, then God will give us the same chance to bear fruit.
Dennis Becker is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Oshawa, Ontario. He was coaching his daughter's softball team when he had the unenviable task of having to cut a young lady from the team. Brenda couldn't hit, catch fly balls, or run the bases. Cutting her would simply save Brenda a lot of wasted time.
During the final practice before the team was announced, Becker's daughter suggested he try Brenda at first base. The two had played catch and Brenda caught everything thrown her way -- even the wild ones.
Becker was skeptical, but tried her anyway. It was her last chance to make the team. He was pleasantly surprised. She struggled with the fly balls, but could catch all the infield throws. As the season progressed, Brenda's confidence grew and she improved on catching the fly balls. If Becker's daughter hadn't recognized Brenda's potential, she wouldn't have made the cut.4
In the same way Becker's daughter interceded for a second chance for Brenda, God's Son intercedes for a second chance for us -- to show our potential. To repent and bear fruit. Through Jesus Christ, God keeps on forgiving us.
One rainy afternoon, a woman was driving along one of the main streets of town. Suddenly, her seven-year-old son, Matthew, spoke up: "Mom, I'm thinking of something."
She eagerly asked, "What are you thinking?"
He said, "The rain is like sin and the windshield wipers are like God, wiping our sins away."
Chill bumps raced up her arms at his innocent wisdom, in awe she replied, "That's really good, Matthew." Her curiosity pushed her to press his revelation. She asked, "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"
Matthew didn't hesitate a moment to answer, "We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."
Isn't it comforting to know that God shows mercy and keeps offering forgiveness? Within our humanity, we continue to sin. We may move beyond one form of sin only to discover a new failure, but God is standing ready to forgive us of that, as well. We continue to repent, and God continues to forgive. We continue to turn our back on sin while turning toward God, and God continues to wash our sins away.
Imagine that you had only one year left to live. You had only a short time to make up for wrong doings, failures, and missed opportunities. How important that year would be! The lesson of the fig tree is a challenge to live each day as a gift from God.
We have no need to ask God why bad things happen. Or even why we have been kept from tragedy. Instead we should take the tragedy as a reminder of the gift God has given us. We have a gift of time to repent -- to turn away from evil and turn back to God. We have the gift of forgiveness once we repent.
Lent reminds us that even in the midst of our failures, God has given us an opportunity to experience a second chance. What we do with that opportunity is up to us. May we celebrate that gift by continuing to seek to grow as individuals and as Christians. May we live as changed and forgiven people. Amen.
____________
1. Stuart Hample and Eric Marshall, Children's Letters to God (New York: Workman Publishing Co., 1991).
2. Tim Hansel, Keep On Dancing (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 1995), p. 43.
3. Emphasis (Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 2001), March-April issue, p. 31.
4. Ibid.
