Please pray with me,
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable and suitable in your sight, O God, our rock, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
When I was in seminary in Philadelphia, Dr. Timothy Wengert taught the Lutheran Confessions class. As the incoming class, we had a heads up that he would know everyone’s name on the first day. That was true. He had printed out all of our photos and memorized our faces and names. As if that didn’t leave an impression, he was known much more for how he answered questions in class.
A hand would shoot up, a student would ask a question and 99% of the time, Dr. Wengert would respond with, “Why do you ask that question?”
Clever, right?
I’m not sure how what works with a 2- or 3-year-old going through the phase of ‘why’ questions, but for seminarians, it was effective.
It helped us to pause in our current thought and often times shift the direction of our thinking to dig deeper into the topic, into our thoughts, into our hearts and really decipher what it was we were longing to know.
Dr.
Wengert, drew us out of the superficial questions – or questions that maybe
wouldn’t get us as far or as deep as he wanted us to go, and challenged us to
go in different directions, to questions that would result in more meaningful
answers.
While we were searching for answers, Dr. Wengert helped us ask more meaningful questions.
Now, I would never equate any seminary professor to Jesus, but, I see the same process happening in our gospel lesson today.
Some
folks come to Jesus with news of horror and tragedy.
Pontius Pilate has slaughtered a group of Galilean Jews, and mingled their blood with the blood of sacrificial lambs. Meanwhile, the tower of Siloam has collapsed, crushing and killing eighteen people.
These
folks bring these brutal stories to Jesus with a question, or should I say the
question we know so well… “Why?”
Why
did these terrible things happen?
Why
is there so much pain in the world?
Why does a good God allow human suffering?
Jesus does not respond with, “Why do you ask that question?” but instead responds with a parable to help them ask more meaningful questions.
The parable of the fig tree. One that invites his listeners to into so many more questions. Questions that push beyond the simplicity of asking why…and into the realm of not just why…but how am I part of this? What role do I play? Where is God at work in this? How does the situation call me to be an active part of what is happening here and now?
If you’ve noticed anything about those questions, they are not only redirected at the one who has asked the initial questions, but also they are questions that call for a deeper response, and a much more personal response.
I believe this is why Jesus tells this parable. It’s like in that episode of the TV show Friends, when they are trying to move the sofa and all Ross can shout is, PIVOT!
But instead of shouting PIVOT! Jesus redirects his listeners with a parable, to see the world and the actions that are causing them worry in a new way and to truly ask them, how they are called to be part of the world – the good and the bad – in a way that makes a difference.
So
the parable is a huge shift…in thinking, in question asking and in
responding.
Too
many questions to tackle together but here are a few of them for you to think
about…
Here are some questions asked by Debi Thomas as she reflected on this week's gospel.
In
what ways am I like the absentee landowner, standing apart from where life and
death actually happen? How am I refusing to get my hands dirty?
Where
in my life — or in the lives of others — have I prematurely called it quits,
saying, “There’s no life here worth cultivating. Cut it down.”
In
what ways am I like the fig tree? Un-enlivened? Un-nourished? Unable or
unwilling to nourish others? In what ways do I feel helpless or
hopeless? Have I forgotten that the same patient God who gives me another
year to thrive will also someday call me to account?
In
what ways am I like the gardener? Where in my life am I willing to accept
Jesus’s invitation to go elbow-deep into the muck and manure? Am I brave
enough to sacrifice time, effort, love, and hope into this tree — this
relationship, this cause, this tragedy, this injustice — with no
guarantee of a fruitful outcome?
The series of why questions that we have heard over the past few years have been nearly endless...
Why
can’t we worship inside?
Why
do we have to wear masks outside?
Why
has it taken so song to come up with a Covid policy?
Why
didn’t we have a task force from the beginning?
Why
do we still have guidelines when other churches are back to ‘normal’?
Why
don’t we just let people make decisions for themselves?
Why
aren’t people coming back now that masks aren’t required?
Why
are we still seeing stories of school violence – in our local communities?
Why
did Russia invade Ukraine?
Why
does my loved one have cancer?
Why
did the death of my cat completely knock me down for several days?
Why can’t things just be normal?
I think we ask these questions because we want an explanation…one that just gives us simple and clear answers.
But
this world we live in…is anything but simple and clear.
And this God who loves us and calls us to be part of this world – calls us into a life that is not simple or clear and is often downright messy, confusing, tricky, troublesome and real – a fine mix of beautiful and brutal…it’s a brutiful life….sprinkled with joy and sorrow…it’s anything but simple and clear.
But, big BUT, this is truly the depth in which Jesus wants us to live out our lives.
To
dig deeper.
To
live more fully.
To love more wholeheartedly.
Oof…no wonder why we ask the simpler questions….it can be hard and scary to dig deeper. But dear ones, it can open us up to so much more when we are willing to dig deeper.
So, in response to a world that seems to draw us into a series of why questions, I invite you to dig deeper. To ask more meaningful questions and discover how you are called to answer them…
So
instead of the whys…maybe ask the hows…
How
is God calling you to be an active part of healing and recovery in a world that
has been deeply impacted by a pandemic?
How
are we living out our call to work for peace in the world when Russia is at war
with Ukraine?
How
are we lifting up all members of the body of Christ when transgendered young
people are being kept from living fully into playing sports and receiving the
health care they need?
How are we actively inviting and reconnecting with people in and beyond this place as we come together in new ways transformed by a pandemic?
So
many questions…
So
many answers…
But together…we have a place to ask these questions, wrestle with answers, ask deeper questions, and continue to discover who God has created us and continues to call us to be each and every day.
And
now may the peace, which surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus, and let all God’s people say, amen.
I'm over halfway through the 100 Day Dress Challenge.
It seems wild that I've spend the last 55 days wearing this dress. Good times.
It's still crazy comfortable and quite versatile.
First time in the new and incredibly soft sweatpants from Sarah Marie Design Studio
