Sunday Worship – 23rd March 2025 – Lent 3

(All our songs this morning are from Hymns & Psalms (H&P) numbers will be given where available)

Call to Worship

Come and seek the Lord wherever you are. Let go of your unkind ways of thinking and acting. God will cleanse us of all our wrongdoing.
We call upon God, he always gives new life.

Song – H&P 274 – Saviour, Blessed Saviour

Prayers

Creator God, as we gather today, We know we have often failed to choose well.

Be with us, as we hear again the stories of your limitless love and measureless grace.

Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Are your pockets empty? Come, eat, drink and be satisfied.

For money cannot buy such soul-enriching fare as you will find in the presence of our holy, merciful God.

Merciful God, who directs our life, Faithful God, who never changes, Glorious God of forgiveness and second chances, God of all nourishment, All powerful, abundant God,

We adore you.

Father God, you give us the gift of abundant life, providing for our physical and spiritual needs. We are sorry for taking your provision for granted. We are sorry: when we lose sight of your loving mercy and get wrapped up in our own self-indulgent desires; For failing to rejoice and sing your praises; For focusing on the negatives instead of the positives;

For being judgemental and not giving others a second chance. We repent, Father God:

Help us to turn around and to bear good fruit.

God has mercy on all who turn to him. He freely pardons and forgives our sins.

We are free to begin anew.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, entwined as One, we give you thanks and praise.

Our deepest longings are satisfied in you. You allow us second chances, never giving up on us. Repentance changes our life and shapes our future, one that you tend and nurture, day by day. You help us endure trials and temptations, ensuring we are never pushed beyond our boundary of endurance. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, entwined as One, We give you thanks and praise for satisfying our souls. All thanks and praise to you. Amen.

Song – H&P 230 – There’s a wideness in God’s mercy

Reading

Luke 13: 1-9

Meditation

Be careful you don’t fall Standing on high moral ground is not necessarily an achievement; more like providing a target to be knocked over by personal self-righteous pomposity. Time after time, those who have claimed to be above God’s law, or to have no recognition of its existence, have fallen over their own hypocrisy and found themselves brought down by their self-deception. We all suffer from the temptation to justify our own behaviour. God knows the true nature of the ground on which we stand and offers the help we need to keep our balance and to stand firm without falling.

©Marjorie Dobson

Song – H&P 536 – O for a heart to praise my God

Sermon

Jesus is questioned about some terrible events and whether those involved perished because of their sinfulness. Jesus refutes this and tells a parable that offers hope of a second chance to grow and produce good fruit. We may be quick to condemn others, yet slow to forgive and offer a second chance. We may make snap decisions about a person’s behaviour, while making little effort to understand what’s behind their actions. But there is much to be gained through understanding, contrition, forgiveness and giving someone another shot.

This passage comes just ahead of last week’s reading in which Jesus speaks openly about his identity and coming death. Ahead of that exchange, Luke records for us some teaching about the kingdom of God, and the ‘narrow door’ by which it is entered. That set of teachings is introduced by today’s passage. Jesus picks up on some current ‘news stories’ of the time: people who died in a building collapse and the mistreatment of some pilgrims who have come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple. Pilate was known for his ruthless behaviour and inflammatory treatment of the Jewish people, including massacres, the raiding of the Temple treasury and the bringing to Jerusalem of Roman flags bearing the image of Caesar. The question being addressed, however, is whether these people suffering at the hands of Pilate or in the ruined building were being punished for their sin. Jesus is clear that those who died were not being singled out for judgement. Rather, judgement is coming to all, and the only way to survive this is to ‘repent’.

‘Repentance’ denotes a change of direction. It is an encouragement to stop living as has previously suited and to live in a different way, which brings about different results. The point is to stop being out-of-step with God and, instead, to live in God’s way as the people of God. The fig tree parable raises a number of questions (for example, the identities of the vineyard’s owner and the gardener, why a fig tree would be planted in a vineyard and why the tree has not previously been dug around and manured). However, it makes the point that another chance to repent, to change direction, is being given – and that these chances will, at some point, run out.

It is a long-running joke on the BBC television programme DIY SOS that the person responsible for taking the detailed measurements needed to build bespoke cupboards or dividing walls frequently makes mistakes. These mistakes are usually discovered when the newly made cupboard doesn’t fit its corner, the piece of worktop isn’t the right length or it’s impossible to fit a bed between the door and the new wall. Always, though, despite the frustration that underlies some of the teasing, the culprit is loved and allowed to try again. The mistake is fixed and the measurer is given another chance, another build, another episode.

The poem ‘Children Learn What They Live’ by Dorothy Law Nolte sets out the consequences that come from children learning behaviour from the significant people around them: ‘If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn… If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.’ What have we learnt, and what do we model and teach about how to live as the people of God? What do we show people about changing direction and second chances?

Here’s the thing: the fig tree in the Gospel passage didn’t fruit, and there is the assumption by the owner that it is a rubbish tree, not worth keeping. But the gardener reckons that the tree just needs the right kind of encouragement, loving kindness and time, and it will fruit. Sometimes a second chance simply consists of the right ingredients to lead to success.

In Isaiah it says that God will ‘abundantly pardon’ his people. No matter how many times the Israelites transgress, when they turn back to him, he doesn’t say, ‘Nah, I’m not bothered, you’ll only turn from me again’ as we might, unable to drop our judgement. Instead, with immense care and putting his judgement on one side, he takes them back under his wing. How much patience does it take? Remember the story of the man on the roof of his flooded house who eventually drowns after refusing help, believing that God will rescue him? In fairness, God tried to save him three times – he didn’t give up on the first go! How lucky we are that God is patient enough to keep on trying with his recalcitrant people.

 If the New Testament had never been written, we would still know that Pontius Pilate was an unpleasant and unpopular Governor of Judaea. The Jewish historian Josephus lists several things he did which upset and irritated the local Jewish population. Sometimes he seemed to be deliberately trying to make them angry. He trampled on their religious sensibilities; once he tried to bring Roman standards (military emblems) into Jerusalem, with their pagan symbols. He flouted their laws and conventions; once he used money from the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct, and then brutally crushed the rebellion that resulted. These incidents, and others like them, are recorded outside the New Testament, and help us to understand what sort of person Pilate was. So it shouldn’t surprise us to learn that on another occasion, while some people on pilgrimage from Galilee had been offering sacrifice in the Temple, Pilate sent the troops in, perhaps fearing a riot, and slaughtered them. The present passage simply speaks of their own blood mingling in the Temple courtyard with the blood of their sacrifices – polluting the place, on top of the human horror and tragedy of such an event. It is as though occupying forces were to invade a church and butcher worshippers on Christmas Day.

Remind yourself for a moment where we are in Luke’s story. Jesus has decided to go to Jerusalem at the head of a party of Galilean pilgrims. If today I was planning a journey to a town under enemy occupation, and was told on the way there that the local governor was making a habit of killing visiting English clergymen, I suspect I would call my travel agent and book a flight to somewhere less dangerous. These people, then, aren’t simply bringing Jesus information.

Two questions hover in the air as they tell their shocking news. First, does Jesus really intend to continue his journey? Isn’t he afraid of what may happen to him there? And second, what does this mean? Is this the beginning of something worse? If Jesus has been warning of woe and disaster coming on those who refuse his message, is this a sign that these Galileans were already being punished? Jesus’ stern comments address the second of these questions. (The first remains in the air throughout the chapter, until finally (13.31–35) we discover the answer: Herod is out to kill Jesus in Galilee, but Jesus knows that he must get to Jerusalem. Nowhere is now safe.) Yes, Pilate has killed Galilean pilgrims in Jerusalem; but they were no more sinful than any other Galilean pilgrims. Rather – and he is about to repeat the point – unless you repent, you will all be destroyed the same way. The same way? The passage therefore bristles with a double tension. Will Jerusalem repent and be rescued? And if, as he has been saying, Jesus expects to die himself when he goes there, how do his fate and that of the city relate to one another? What is God up to? And, if we can begin to think about those questions, there are others for us to face ourselves. What is God up to in our world today? In our own lives? Are we bearing fruit for God’s kingdom?

Song – H&P 436 – Father hear the prayer we offer

Prayers of Intercession

God of all, we weep for the pain of our broken world. In a dry and weary land where there is no water, and where our choices often lead to pain, not joy, we cry to you for healing.

Hungry for hope, we look to you for the bread of heaven and the water of life. We call on you our God. Feed us and strengthen us.

God of all, we mourn the senseless loss of life as a boats carrying refugees capsize off the coast of France and Great Britain. We long for governments to create a fair and humane settlement programme. While we watch and pray, we remember the dead and seek justice

And we recommit to opening our hearts and homes – Saving who we can and when we can,

Reaching out to others with the generosity we have received from you. We call on you, our God. Feed us and strengthen us.

God of all, we lament the failure of peace-making and peacekeeping. As war rages across Ukraine and fresh fighting breaks out in the DR Congo region, and hunger spreads across the land and people starve in war zones, as armed groups attack civilians in Syria,

And acts of brutality are committed against the innocent – here and elsewhere, We long for the protection of the vulnerable. We pray for the safety of journalists telling the truth in war zones, for the freedom of voices that challenge the status quo, for the laying down of arms and for the end of armed conflict. We call on you our God Feed us and strengthen us.

God of all, We despair at our disregard for the welfare of our precious planet.

As demonstrators gather to stand for the earth against destructive environmental bills,

We pray for wisdom and long-sightedness to prevail. As our world struggles with the challenges of conflict, war and climate change, we know the darkness of the human heart and our desire for self-aggrandisement. Fill us with your love. Send out roots down deep into your word, and when the moment comes for us to use our influence for good, may we be ready to answer your call. We call on you, our God. Feed us and strengthen us.

God of all, we long for peace of mind and heart. As children of war struggle with trauma.

We know too that many are struggling in our neighbourhoods and families: People who are fearful for the future lonely, bereaved or ill in mind or body. In silence we name before you the people we know who need your healing.

(Silence)

May the needs of each person be fed with kindness and love. We call on you our God: Feed us and strengthen us.

God of all, we hold on to your promise that you will come close to us when we call on you.

So, we lift up our hands and speak your name in all the troubles of this world and in the waywardness of our own hearts. In the shadow of your wings may we find rest, fresh vision for the future and strength to travel on. We call on you our God. Feed us and strengthen us. Amen

Lord’s Prayer

Offertory

Song – H&P 697 – Just as I am without one plea

Blessing

Loving God, thank you for your promise to do something new in each of our lives.

Help us to give people a second chance, as you do for us, today, in the week ahead and always. Amen.