3rd Sunday in Lent, 2010
Exodus 1-8a, 13-15
Ps 103:1-4, 6-8,11
1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-11
Luke 13:1-9
When I was in high school many of us became little lawyers.
Sin and punishment excited us, like crime and legal consequences excites the lawyer.
When mortal sin was at stake we rivaled the best of attorneys on Law & Order.
“Sister, if I am eating a ham sandwich for lunch,
and I realize it is Friday, and I just keep eating it.
But want to go to confession
and I’m hit by a car crossing Main Street
What’s going to happen to me?”
The downside to this legal jockeying was the image of God many of us internalized.
The image some of us carry with us is that of God, the Almighty Judge.
Or perhaps, since baseball season is upon us, the Almighty Umpire.
Our spiritual lives move from base to base,
hoping by blood, sweat and tears to cross home plate safely.
This image from childhood can haunt our adult spiritual life:
This image of God as eagle-eyed umpire—waiting for the too cocky leadoff
And snap “you’re out!”.
The Christian life becomes one of avoiding sin—not taking too long of a leadoff. Not taking the risk. We never get around to doing good, because we are too preoccupied with avoiding sin.
The disciples carry the same image with them.
When evil happens to people— they automatically think that God is punishing that person.
Jesus sets them straight. In the parable of the fig tree—
Jesus readjusts the disciples’ image of God.
If we listen carefully, our image of God gets readjusted as well.
In this parable Jesus Is the patient vinedresser—the worker who trusts that our souls will blossom in time. The patient God who Trusts even when we lose confidence in ourselves.
God is patient.
What appears to the world as dried up and useless—
God sees as being on the brink of brilliant blossoms—
If we are honest, we can get down on ourselves and our loved ones quite easily—
There’s a little hardnosed vineyard owner in each of us.
The truth is that we can still carry a childhood notion of God, wanting to catch us and call us “out”. But Jesus tells us that God patiently nurtures the struggling fig tree in each of us.
We thank God for His patience—
We thank God for Lent after Lent that calls each of us to deeper relationship with our Patient Lord.
Jesus speaks to us as the vineyard dresser speaks to the vineyard owner-Jesus tells each of us that God is patient.
God is patient with us— are we patient with ourselves is the tougher question.
When I’m dry and lifeless,
I need to trust God who is patient—
Not the mighty umpire,
But the loving Father who stirs new life in us
even before we can see the first green shoots.
And , equally importantly, we need to be patient with each other.
And treat each other with the tenderness that Jesus does.
To trust that beneath the lifeless exterior lives a green shoot – Even when the wait takes every ounce of patience, even when we’re ready to rev up the chainsaw and cut them down.
God is patient—and trusting
We are patient –and trusting with ourselves and with others.
In the end, Lent challenges each of us to ask ourselves - What is my image of God?
A cosmic umpire? Or a patient loving Father—who trusts that Spring lies just beneath the soil?
Who offers to save us and show us the way to come home.
Rev. Everett Hemann
RevEv@SaintPatrickcf.org
Father Hemann relied heavily on a reflection written by Michael Seger, professor at the Aethenium in Ohio.