WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:05.450 Please pray with me. Living God, help us to hear 00:00:05.450 --> 00:00:08.890 your holy word that we may truly understand. 00:00:09.230 --> 00:00:13.490 And understanding, believe. And believing, follow 00:00:13.490 --> 00:00:16.289 in all faithfulness and obedience, not only in 00:00:16.289 --> 00:00:18.870 words, but in deeds that reflect your kingdom. 00:00:19.850 --> 00:00:25.699 Amen. Our gospel lesson this morning is taken 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:28.600 from the Gospel of Mark, the 11th chapter, beginning 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:32.439 with the 12th verse. I invite you to hear God's 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:36.520 word for you. On the following day, when they 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:40.340 came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the 00:00:40.340 --> 00:00:43.619 distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether 00:00:43.619 --> 00:00:47.140 perhaps he would find anything on it. When he 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:49.799 came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:53.380 it was not the season for figs. He said to it, 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:58.719 May no one ever eat fruit from you again. And 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:02.200 his disciples heard it. Then they came to Jerusalem, 00:01:02.299 --> 00:01:04.840 and he entered the temple and began to drive 00:01:04.840 --> 00:01:07.260 out those who were selling and those who were 00:01:07.260 --> 00:01:10.480 buying in the temple. And he overturned the tables 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:13.200 of the money changers and the seats of those 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:16.780 who sold doves. And he would not allow anyone 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:20.120 to carry anything through the temple. He was 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:32.040 teaching and saying, And when the chief priests 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:34.640 and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:37.579 a way to kill him, for they were afraid of him, 00:01:37.659 --> 00:01:40.599 because the whole crowd was spellbound by his 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:45.099 teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:49.319 disciples went out of the city. In the morning, 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:52.359 as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:56.500 away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and 00:01:56.500 --> 00:01:59.280 said to him, Rabbi, look, the fig tree that you 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:04.099 cursed has withered. Jesus answered them, Have 00:02:04.099 --> 00:02:08.500 faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:11.479 this mountain, Be shaken up and thrown into the 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:14.580 sea, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:17.759 believe what you say will come to pass, It will 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:21.759 be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:24.680 ask for in prayer, believe that you have received 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:28.719 it and it will be yours. Whenever you stand praying, 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.759 forgive. If you have anything against anyone, 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:34.759 so that your Father in heaven may also forgive 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:39.919 you your trespasses. This is the word of the 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:45.979 Lord. Well, today we are concluding our series 00:02:45.979 --> 00:02:49.560 on the miracles of Jesus with the miracle of 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:52.780 the fig tree. This one is unique. It's the only 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:57.099 miracle where Jesus performs a miracle of destruction. 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:01.500 It's an odd one, isn't it? Jesus getting mad 00:03:01.500 --> 00:03:05.319 and taking it out on a tree. It also happens 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:08.159 to be Craig's favorite miracle story, so he says. 00:03:10.090 --> 00:03:12.550 Craig, this sermon is with special thanks to 00:03:12.550 --> 00:03:15.229 you and, of course, to the rest of our worship 00:03:15.229 --> 00:03:19.389 team, Bill and Taylor and Leslie and Bryant and 00:03:19.389 --> 00:03:21.469 I get together every week to talk about upcoming 00:03:21.469 --> 00:03:24.009 services. And this one, when we were talking 00:03:24.009 --> 00:03:26.530 about the last of the miracle stories, I felt 00:03:26.530 --> 00:03:30.129 encouraged to take this one on. So what they 00:03:30.129 --> 00:03:32.689 didn't know is that I had an ulterior motive. 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:37.430 I actually do have a fig tree that doesn't bear 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:42.020 fruit. I've gotten quite cranky about it to the 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:46.099 extreme that tomorrow I'm having it cut down 00:03:46.099 --> 00:03:50.979 on Labor Day. It's true. We installed the tree 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:56.379 in 2021. Year one, no figs. The person who installed 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:59.659 it chalked it up to it not having its root system 00:03:59.659 --> 00:04:03.599 fully whatever happens to root systems. Okay, 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:09.439 year two, still no luck. Mind you, it was a large, 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:13.039 mature tree when it was planted. Huge root system. 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:18.500 No problem getting established. Year 2 .5, I 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:21.240 had it transplanted. I moved it from one location 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:24.379 to another in our yard where I believed that 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:29.000 it would thrive. Year 3, we went back to the 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:32.990 root system excuse. followed up with some thoughts 00:04:32.990 --> 00:04:35.370 about birds and squirrels, and so I put a net 00:04:35.370 --> 00:04:37.589 over it, you know, the kind you get from Amazon 00:04:37.589 --> 00:04:39.350 to protect it from anything that might attack 00:04:39.350 --> 00:04:41.029 all the fruit that you really think you're going 00:04:41.029 --> 00:04:45.170 to get, but you're not ever going to get. No 00:04:45.170 --> 00:04:48.750 luck. Now, according to the Gospel of Luke, where 00:04:48.750 --> 00:04:51.829 there's another story about a fig tree not bearing 00:04:51.829 --> 00:04:55.490 fruit, Jesus tells us to try a little harder, 00:04:55.629 --> 00:04:59.209 forgive a little more, for at least one more 00:04:59.209 --> 00:05:03.620 year. So I did one more year from last to this. 00:05:04.339 --> 00:05:09.500 This is the fourth year of my sad fig tree, full 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:14.100 of lovely foliage all summer long and little 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:20.139 tiny nubs of nothing. I'm calling it quits. If 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:22.279 anybody wants to dig it up before the kid across 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:24.339 the street comes and hacks it down, you are welcome 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:27.759 to come over. I mean it. It's not unfair of me. 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:33.079 to expect figs in their season. Ecclesiastes 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:35.720 assures us that there's a season and a purpose 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:38.699 for everything under heaven, a time for this, 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:40.860 a time for that, a time for figs, especially 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:44.079 when they're due. For my tree, the time is up, 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:46.399 and I firmly believe that Jesus would agree. 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:52.600 Jesus has a documented problem with fruitlessness 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:58.560 in season and season out. He hoped, that by the 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.439 time he was reaching his final days, that people 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:05.579 would understand that. To punctuate his point, 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:08.420 he did away with a fig tree that was fruitless. 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:12.540 This morning, we're going to talk a little bit 00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:15.620 about what it means to be fruitful as a Christian. 00:06:16.899 --> 00:06:21.420 To be fruitful as a Christian is our job. It's 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:24.899 what we're supposed to do. It's a full -time, 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:29.519 full -on responsibility. It's defined in so many 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:34.019 ways throughout Scripture. In Paul's letter to 00:06:34.019 --> 00:06:36.980 the Galatians, he says that it's love, it's to 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:40.379 show joy, it's to have patience, to be kind, 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:44.459 to be faithful, to be gentle, to have self -control. 00:06:45.459 --> 00:06:48.620 How are you working on those things? I fall short 00:06:48.620 --> 00:06:51.199 a whole lot of the time, but that's our job. 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:54.899 Paul wrote that these gifts are given to us, 00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:57.899 these fruits are given to us by the Holy Spirit, 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:02.379 born out of a life of prayer, truly believing 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:06.220 that God will respond to our prayers, not just 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:08.540 offering them out because we feel like it's the 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:11.500 time of the day or night to do so, but truly 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:16.399 having conviction that our prayers matter. These 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:19.600 fruits are sealed by our lives and service that 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:22.920 strives to make progress toward justice and righteousness 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:27.500 that Jesus intends for all people. There can 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:32.420 be nothing seasonal about it. So that when Jesus 00:07:32.420 --> 00:07:35.939 looks upon you in whatever season of your life, 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:43.819 Jesus will say, well done. Labor Day is another 00:07:43.819 --> 00:07:47.019 theme for this weekend. The worship team challenged 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:48.800 me to figure out a way to incorporate it, saying 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.759 it just can't be done, right? There are too many 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:52.740 services that we try to incorporate a secular 00:07:52.740 --> 00:07:55.939 holiday, but this has been a national legal holiday 00:07:55.939 --> 00:08:00.699 since 1898. Labor Day is to honor workers and 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:04.560 a worker's right to a fair workday and fair wages. 00:08:05.339 --> 00:08:07.779 There was a woman who was born a few years after 00:08:07.779 --> 00:08:10.100 the first Labor Day. Her name was Dorothy Day. 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.319 She was born in 1897 in Brooklyn. Throughout 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:18.259 her years, she lamented the depth of financial 00:08:18.259 --> 00:08:21.420 desperation in the United States and worked hard 00:08:21.420 --> 00:08:24.360 throughout the Great Depression to ameliorate 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:28.939 the plight of the poor. In 1932, she was covering 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:31.540 a hunger march in Washington, D .C. for some 00:08:31.540 --> 00:08:35.149 Catholic magazines. While she was there, She 00:08:35.149 --> 00:08:38.929 prayed that some way would open up for her to 00:08:38.929 --> 00:08:42.750 even more strongly serve the poor and the unemployed. 00:08:44.149 --> 00:08:48.909 Check this. The very next day, she met a guy 00:08:48.909 --> 00:08:52.129 named Peter Morin who had a vision for a society 00:08:52.129 --> 00:08:57.090 constructed of gospel values. They became soulmates. 00:08:57.820 --> 00:09:00.159 They founded a publication called The Catholic 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:02.879 Worker and a movement of hospitality, houses, 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:05.899 and farming communes that spread throughout the 00:09:05.899 --> 00:09:09.720 United States and even to other countries. Together, 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:14.860 they bore fruit that lasts to this day. The publication 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:18.659 is still put out there seven times a year. There 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:21.460 are still families of faith that live together 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:25.289 in the way that they conceived. Seth Godin, the 00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:28.950 world -renowned author of all things motivating 00:09:28.950 --> 00:09:32.669 and marketing and high -tech and good about business, 00:09:32.889 --> 00:09:37.570 says that we are marketing our story, what we 00:09:37.570 --> 00:09:41.649 support, who we are, with every step we take 00:09:41.649 --> 00:09:44.889 down the sidewalk and every glance we make in 00:09:44.889 --> 00:09:49.029 another person's direction, every season of our 00:09:49.029 --> 00:09:53.850 lives, how we carry ourselves. what we write 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:58.350 in our blog, the choices we make, the things 00:09:58.350 --> 00:10:02.070 that fly out of our mouths, all of those things 00:10:02.070 --> 00:10:07.730 tell a story of who we are, what we know, what 00:10:07.730 --> 00:10:12.370 we believe in. We live in a connectional world 00:10:12.370 --> 00:10:15.830 in which people find value in the stories that 00:10:15.830 --> 00:10:19.570 they find. They find value in things that resonate 00:10:19.570 --> 00:10:23.320 with them. So the question that we need to ask 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:26.940 ourselves is what kind of story are we putting 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:31.440 out in the world? What kind of world are we perpetuating 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.179 with the stories that we communicate with our 00:10:34.179 --> 00:10:38.620 actions and our voices and our affect? Is it 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:44.639 a story of humility? Is it a story of love? Is 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:48.750 it a story of bounty and generosity? Is it a 00:10:48.750 --> 00:10:52.330 story of kindness? Is it a story that sparkles 00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:56.710 like the children's shoes? Is it a story of self 00:10:56.710 --> 00:11:03.769 -control? Is it a story, dear church, that communicates 00:11:03.769 --> 00:11:10.509 that we care? Ultimately, we want our story to 00:11:10.509 --> 00:11:13.370 be one that others can believe in, particularly 00:11:13.370 --> 00:11:17.909 if we're wearing the cross of Jesus Christ. It's 00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:20.470 the stories that we're putting out in the ordinary 00:11:20.470 --> 00:11:24.149 moments of life that help people see the reflection 00:11:24.149 --> 00:11:27.629 of Christ in your life, the Christ who is present 00:11:27.629 --> 00:11:32.350 with us again and again, desiring to bind up 00:11:32.350 --> 00:11:35.549 the brokenness, the woundedness of the world. 00:11:36.889 --> 00:11:39.850 Ask yourself every morning that you look in the 00:11:39.850 --> 00:11:45.470 mirror, is your story bearing fruit? At the end 00:11:45.470 --> 00:11:48.850 of his journey, Jesus was all but fed up with 00:11:48.850 --> 00:11:52.309 image builders. He was fed up with beautiful 00:11:52.309 --> 00:11:56.009 trees that have lovely leaves far off in the 00:11:56.009 --> 00:11:59.490 distance. He was fed up with profiteers, false 00:11:59.490 --> 00:12:04.629 prophets. He was downright visibly disgusted 00:12:04.629 --> 00:12:09.009 by the faithlessness of his day. He sure wished 00:12:09.009 --> 00:12:12.629 he could see not only a tree bearing fruit on 00:12:12.629 --> 00:12:17.070 and off season, He wanted to see people bearing 00:12:17.070 --> 00:12:21.090 the fruit of the life that he was trying to share 00:12:21.090 --> 00:12:26.789 with them. He demanded that we be faithful stewards 00:12:26.789 --> 00:12:30.250 of his good news, of his good news of justice 00:12:30.250 --> 00:12:33.529 and righteousness and peace day in and day out 00:12:33.529 --> 00:12:39.059 through today. He's counting on us to break into 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:42.159 the difficult moments at hand, to be his fruitful 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:45.179 presence in the world, to address the needs of 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:49.059 humanity and strengthen the church together. 00:12:51.860 --> 00:12:55.259 It felt like such a simple message that I decided 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:58.340 to peel away all of the extra parts and just 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:01.320 hit it straight on with you. Let it sink in. 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:07.450 Challenge your heart today. Ask yourself if the 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:11.309 way that you are living all the time, not just 00:13:11.309 --> 00:13:14.649 when you want something especially good, is the 00:13:14.649 --> 00:13:19.649 way that you're living less than fruitful. Does 00:13:19.649 --> 00:13:22.919 your lack of fruitfulness... Particularly if 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:25.600 you have a bumper sticker on your car about your 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:27.740 church or a cross around your neck or you're 00:13:27.740 --> 00:13:30.100 proclaiming something special at a special moment, 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:33.679 does your lack of fruitfulness, especially if 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:37.200 you're proclaiming Jesus with your words, keep 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:40.799 people away from the table that Jesus has so 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:47.429 bountifully set for the world? Remember, All 00:13:47.429 --> 00:13:51.009 of our beings are a walking story of our lives. 00:13:51.750 --> 00:13:55.289 Jesus calls us to be a walking story of his too. 00:13:55.730 --> 00:13:59.210 It might seem like awfully hard work, yet we 00:13:59.210 --> 00:14:02.269 know that when we know and believe in what we're 00:14:02.269 --> 00:14:05.970 doing as the call of Christ, it will lead us 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:10.190 all to a harvest that's bountiful for all people 00:14:10.190 --> 00:14:18.179 without a hint of seasonality. Let us pray. Lord 00:14:18.179 --> 00:14:20.779 Jesus, every one of us wants to be fruitful. 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:24.720 We all desire a kind of seamlessness to our experiences 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:26.919 and our relationships in the world with you. 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:31.659 May we not be found fruitless, but alive in faith, 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:36.000 persistent in prayer, and ready to forgive. Make 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.519 us trees that bear good fruit for your glory, 00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:41.440 so that in all we do, your name is honored and 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:45.480 your will is done. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.