The Shepherd’s Voice

Readings for Sunday, March 7^th
Isa 55:1-9
Ps 63:1-8
1 Cor 10:1-13
Lk 13:1-9

Drink From the Spiritual Rock – The Shepherd’s Voice from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
Download The Shepherd’s Voice – Sermon Video (.mp4)

For many of us life is full of twists and turns.

This notice appeared in the window of a coat store in Nottingham, England: “We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coat rationing, government control and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about and messed with, lied to, held up, robbed and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next.”

Our gospel lesson is a little like this today. It talks about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. It talks about eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. And it talks about a fig tree that needs more manure on it so it has a chance to bare fruit in the coming year. It seems like we need to stay tuned so we can see what happens next.

Are these all separate ideas or is there a thread of knowledge, a thread of wisdom, a thread of truth, or perhaps a thread of revelation about God that exists within these scriptures that we can latch onto.

In our second reading from I Corinthians 10 this morning we see Paul uses ideas or images about water, food, and drink from Hebrew stories and prophecy to show us Christ. He said, “Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did.”

So it may be fair to say that Paul used examples and Christ used examples not just to make their messages about life more interesting, but Paul and Jesus used examples so we can be enlightened, so that our minds would be opened to the possibility of God at work in our world.

Paul (1 Cor 10:2) says, “all (meaning the Jewish people fleeing Egypt) were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” This was a baptism into God’s new way, it was a baptism into Moses’ leadership, a baptism into becoming a new people of God.

Paul (v 3 &4) again notice verse 3 he said “and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.”

Both scenarios remind me of the pep rallies we used to have on Fridays before we would play a big game with a competing rival. I went to a fairly small high school by today’s standards, but I remember those afternoons when the entire school would gather in the auditorium and drink the “cool aid,” so to speak of how our team could win.

Coach would give a short talk, a couple of players would maybe say a few things, the cheerleaders would be doing cartwheels on stage, and the marching band would be playing some rousing music. It got us excited about coming to the game and cheering.

Paul wants the church in Corinth to drink from the same spiritual rock that ancient Israel drank from and that rock was Christ. Paul’s pep talk sort of emphasizes a successful historical event and how God overcame evil.

However, some pep talks are more smoke than fire, more talk than substance. In fact, Paul says even though they drank from the spiritual rock “Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.” Are you in the wilderness?

So let’s look more carefully at the example brought to Jesus to learn a little more about imagery before us. They were talking about the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with the sacrifices. People wanted a simple answer to this horrific event in which some Galileans had been killed by Pontius Pilate while worshiping in Jerusalem. They were greater sinners right?

As usual, Jesus turned this encounter on its head. The inquisitors were perhaps looking for self-justification in the face of unspeakable horror. They wanted a simple answer, but Jesus would have none of it. He turns the conversation into a call for repentance as the only grounds for hope. Do we at times turn the same kinds of incidents in our lives into simple theological inquires and lose the point entirely? What does it mean to stand in the face of God’s judgment today?

Jesus responds with a question that must have been on everyone’s mind, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?” Many times I’ve heard that question asked of tragedies today?

Not being dissuaded from this topic next Jesus cites the deaths of 18 people who die due to the collapse of the tower of Siloam, and asks another curious question, “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?”

Jesus answers both questions with a resounding, “No!” Oh, the persons present surely wanted Jesus to answer “Yes,” but he didn’t. We would like to explain away death, misery, deprivation of resources, homelessness, and starvation in such easy terms, but we can’t.

We unwittingly suppose that life would be less messy if we could explain every tragedy based on a victim’s sin. From the O.T book of Job, don’t we see Job’s friends try the same approach when it comes to the suffering in Job’s life? But life isn’t that simple. God’s creation is not so mechanical that every experience is the result of an individual’s own stupidity or hard luck so to speak. We do suffer the consequences of our poor choices, but that’s obvious.

Paul said they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them and yet God was not pleased with most of them.

Knowledge of God is not knowing God! Again, back to our two examples; after Jesus said “No,” he further said, “I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”

Drinking from the spiritual rock that is Christ gives us a connection with God. A personal linkage that allows or enables us to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not listening to your wisdom Lord, I’m sorry for being so headstrong Lord and I’m sorry for trying to go it alone Lord, I’m sorry for being so immature in my faith that I did not see the light.

He said, “I saw the aircraft I love destroying the civilization I expected it to save. Now I understand that spiritual truth is more essential to a nation than the mortar in its’ cities’ walls. For when the actions of a people are under-girded by spiritual truths, there is safety. When spiritual truths are rejected, it is only a matter of time before civilization will collapse.”

Again, Lindbergh, “We must understand spiritual truths and apply them to our modern life. We must draw strength from the almost forgotten virtues of simplicity, humility, contemplation and prayer. It requires a dedication beyond science, beyond self, but the rewards are great and it is our only hope.”

Charles Lindbergh said when he was young science was more important to him than either man or God. He worshipped science. Its advance had surpassed man’s wildest dreams. It took many years for him to discover that science, with all its brilliance, lights only a middle chapter of creation.

Jesus final story in our gospel lesson is also a story of hope. Jesus said “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.” The man said to the gardener I’ve been coming now three years and I’ve never seen fruit on this tree. “Cut it down!” That’s right “Cut it down!” Where’s the hope here you say?

The gardener says let me dig around the roots, give it a little fertilizer and let’s see if it bears fruit next year. Now on many occasions in scripture a fig tree referred Israel, but in this case there is a broader context. The fig tree is all of us. All of us need to fertilized by the life giving power of God’s Word. If we are not we will NOT bear fruit.

With this story Jesus is showing how we have a loving, compassionate, patient creator, a God who, even when we turn away wants to give us some time to see the light. (1 Tim 2-4) God desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

However, even in God’s time dynamic repentance is still a requirement. If the tree does not bear fruit after one year, Jesus says “you can cut it down.”

We don’t know the day nor the hour of Christ’s return. We don’t know the day or hour of the end of our life. Today, in this place God once again gives us an opportunity to drink from the spiritual rock and that rock is Christ.

Communion is one of those times to drink from the spiritual rock. God shows us grace and mercy in this banquet; isn’t that the whole purpose of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus told his disciples that the bread and the wine are his body and blood given for us.

Jesus talked about giving to his disciples (Luke 6:37b-38) “Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Claim God’s promise of forgiveness and grace today, drink from the spiritual rock.

Amen

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