Lent 3 (Luke 13.1-9)

         Some weeks are easier than others, isn't that the truth across all of humanity! In preacher-land, some weeks of the lectionary are easier than others. Some weeks you can read and pray and read and pray and really struggle to come up with anything; some weeks - like this week - there's a plethora of options.

         So I've chosen one area on which to focus. It won't be on food, physical or spiritual, like Isaiah is referencing. It won't be on the serpents in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. I'm even going to skip over the whole "sexual immorality" and "defiled blood sacrifices" sections. I think we'll all heave a sigh of relief there!

         No, this morning I'm going to focus my sermon on the parable of the fig tree. Yes, friends, today's sermon is about manure. Please note: I just said the topic is ABOUT manure, not that the sermon IS manure. So let's talk about the fig tree.

         Now, as with many fruit trees, they aren't necessarily going to produce fruit the first year - and even after a little time, the first fruit they do produce may be a bit - well, not the finest crop, shall we say. But they are worth it.

         Fruit trees take time. If you're looking for a quick easy fast-growing plant for your garden, a soft-fruit tree just isn't it. This is not the plant for instant gratification.

         Rather, a tree is a sign of patience and endurance. Martin Luther wrote "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." He wasn't being naive or unrealistic; he was encouraging people to look at the bigger picture. Tomorrow may be bad, but consider tomorrow's tomorrow - and next month - and 20 years from now. We plant trees to benefit the future generations.

         Trees are also a sign of hope and of trust. We expect that the future will not just enjoy but also need the shade of a tree, and the fruit of a tree, just like we do now. And we recognise that the benefits of trees that we enjoy are there because a number of years ago, somebody else has planted the trees for us.

         Yes, fruit trees can be great inter-generational experiences. Fig trees are no exception. Apparently they take a good 4-5 years of good growth before they start to bear fruit. And the gardener knows that - it's not by accident that he asks for 'just one more year' of patience on the part of the landowner.

         Figs take time. They take maintenance. They take attention. They need to be looked after, provided for, nourished along the way.

         And that brings us to the next point: the gardener. I don't think he's asking for patience just for the tree, but also for himself.

         It would seem, based on the brief passage that we have here, that the gardener has maybe been a little lax in his duties. He perhaps has not been providing the basic care for the tree that he really ought to have been - why else would he need - just now - to dig around the tree and put manure on it?

         If a tree is being properly cared for, it has regular care. It's aerated so the roots can deepen and really take hold. It's fertilised, nourished, and then can flourish. But when a tree is NOT properly cared for - well, it's just there, unproductive, taking up space and leeching the few nutrients from the sandy soil.

         While fruit trees tend to be low-maintenance, they aren't no-maintenance. Especially in their early years, they can't be ignored and 'hope for the best'. They do need the best soil, and the manure. It's work, to be sure, but it's essential. And - let's be honest - it's manure. Messy. Smelly. Unpleasant. If I could get out of working with it, like the gardener has done, I probably would too.

         Yet here it is - the landowner is there, the tree is unproductive, the gardener is not happy. Time to get his hands dirty.

         So why is Jesus talking about this? Why am I preaching on it? Well, Jesus wasn't really talking about a tree. He was using this example to get people to think about their own lives. And it's a mental exercise we're still challenged to undertake today.

         So: are we the fig trees? Or are we the gardeners? I think we're both.

         Let's talk about the tree first. Ourselves: our spiritual journeys, our ministries: they're kind of like trees. They take time to develop. They may not produce results immediately. It may take a few tries - or fruitings - before our lives and spiritual journeys and ministries start producing the good stuff that we want to share.

         Our ministries are a sign of patience - with ourselves and our efforts. We do them for the benefit of others, too, not just for ourselves.

         But - like the tree, we need to be nurtured. We need to be well-rooted in a good and suitable place. We need to be have the ground around us tended to, dug up to ensure we don't get so stuck that we feel our roots suffocating. Dug up to ensure we aren't getting drowned below the surface even if things look good on top. We need to have fresh nourishment provided for us, even if it may appear unappealing at first glance. We need to be given the fuel we need for survival and growth.

         Otherwise, our spiritual journey and our ministries will be as stagnant as the fig tree. Just there -existing, not living. Taking up space, not thriving. And let's be honest - none of us wants that.

         Now, admittedly, change and growth can be awkward and even painful. Sometimes it can be more attractive, in the short term, to just stay put. But if we really think about it, no one wants to have a stagnant spiritual life; no one wants their ministry to be stunted. We do want our lives to bear fruit - so a little digging and manure sometimes has to happen - and after it does, wow the blossoming we all see - for generations to come.

         Let's talk about the gardener now. I think sometimes we're that person, too. Satisfied with the status quo, putting the least amount of effort in that we have to, avoiding the messiness of our spiritual journey and ministry because - well, it's manure.

         Let's be the gardener as we meet him in the story, though. He's now in the moment where he needs to change his ways, and move away from the status quo. He can no longer ignore the tree that has been put in his care, or think that the bare minimum will suffice. So too we can choose to fully engage the ministry opportunities that are sitting right in front of us. We are encouraged to do the dirty work, the hard work, the beneficial work. We can look at our past and give thanks for what was, and we can embrace our future and commit to the possibilities, for our own benefit, and for the benefit of our children's children.

         And here's the last message I want for you to think about today. When thinking about your life, your journey, your ministries: remember that it's never too late. It's not too late to grow, it's not too late to flourish, it's not too late to nourish and support. It's a time of patience being expressed, but also of encouragement to do the work. If we never start the work, if we never engage in the ministry, if we defend the potential growth and get our hands dirty to start it, then the future can't possibly benefit. So we have the choice - as individuals, as community, as the whole church of God.

         Let us benefit from the patience that is extended to us, let us be willing to take the risk, let us do the work of nourishing growth and development. We're invited to participate in the tending of God's kingdom. A difficult task, but a worthy one.