Lent 3: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
March 7, 2010
Well, watch out for the Cubs this season. Geovany Soto the Cub catcher may be back after a terrible year in 2009. His stats were half of what they were when he was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2008. But last year he was like the fig tree in the parable of Jesus. He didn't bear much fruit. Someone must have sprinkled some manure around his thinking in the off season (figuratively of course) because when he checked into spring training a week or so ago, he was 40 pounds lighter than last year.
By losing weight Soto has empowered himself to be a better player in 2010 and that should help make the Cubs a better team. Of course, (with the Cubs being the Cubs) this is no guarantee, but if Soto does have a great year, then this may not be good news for us Cardinal fans.
Though this is a secular example Soto's weight loss fits the literal definition of "repentance" which means "to turn around" and go in a new and more constructive direction. What Soto did in the flesh God's word tells us to do in the spirit which means to turn back from those things that diminish our potential and follow the path where we can be empowered to use our gifts to the fullest extent possible.
What does a change like this mean for us? A good place to start would be to work on the fruits of the Spirit versus the works of the flesh that Paul outlines in Galatians 5. Paul describes the works of the flesh as "fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these." This list covers about the whole range of human sin from the sins others commit to the sins of which we are guilty too. There is not one of us who are not infected by one or more of these to some degree. The common root of all of them, however, is the obsessive concern for self either to maximize our pleasure or to maximize our control over life.
These are not the ways of God's kingdom and those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom. The better way is to live in the fruits of the spirit which are 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the qualities that empower us to live fruitfully. Instead of the obsession for self the fruits of the spirit are focused on the love of God and love of neighbor.
"Repentance" is really only God's way of offering us again what God has always promised and what has always been there to help us if we listen. It is calling us back to God's steadfast love which gives us a second chance to make our life a positive rather than a negative. Instead of trusting in our own plans to achieve the good life and getting bogged down in all the fears, worries and strife of trying to do it ourselves, repentance brings us back to God so that we can be empowered in a way that the world cannot provide.
The works of the flesh cause us to put on extra pounds in the spirit. As they accumulate over the years they bog us down from truly living. Maybe it is the burden of guilt from the past, something we did and even now causes inward pain and regret and we cannot forget. It may be the anger we feel toward something or someone that we can't shake off. A bitter grudge we refuse to let go. Maybe it is strife within in our family. A self destructive habit or behavior that is causing stress between ourselves and those we love. Maybe it is stress at work. Maybe it's the girl or boy friend that got away when we were young. The job promotion never received. Jealousy of others. It often is the death of a loved one. Or the loss of strength and hope from the effects of illness and treatment.
There are a lot of things that can get stuck inside. We grieve about these things and find it hard to let go. And we don't get over them because we allow ourselves to be trapped within our circumstances and limitations. They hold us in bondage so that we are not free to be all that God created us to be. This is the season though when we remember that Christ died for us and yet was born anew. As we shed those extra pounds of the spirit then we also die. But out of this death comes new life and empowerment to live fully in God's love.
One of my favorite illustrations to remind myself of this is a needle point we have at home with the image of a frog on it and these words of wisdom: "You would be happy too if you could eat what bugs you." Yes, if we could let live and forget. We would be happy too and free to live for all that God makes possible. That's what Jesus does. By dying to self, he sets us free to live. What Geovany Soto did in the flesh, we need to do in the spirit.
Be sure to check out the congregational care ministry tables in the Fellowship Hall this morning. You will learn about the many opportunities available to serve God and care for God's people right here at SUMC. As we trim down we are empowering ourselves to live in the fullness of life that God created us to live. Not only do we become better persons and more like the image of the one in whom we are created, but everything else around us becomes better too. A team is a better team when everyone participates at the optimum level of their abilities. That's our goal. To build up one another in love.
In baseball spring training comes around only once a year. But for Christians it is always spring. It is always the season of rebirth, regeneration, always the season to remember the victory of life over death. Therefore, we are always training. We are always in training for something better, for that better life to which God calls us and leads us in Jesus Christ.