Too Entertained | Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (ELCA) Manchester MO

Pastor:

Pr. John Gerike

Sermon: Too Entertained

March 6 and 7, 2010

Luke 13:1-9

Lent 3

Two weeks ago,

our theme was “Too Familiar”.

Last week—“Too Comfortable”.

This week—“Too Entertained”.

I was curious what I’d find.

So, I googled “Too Entertained”.

Top result:

“Top ways to keep your pet entertained.”

Which seemed to confirm

that we probably are too entertained in our culture.

There were videos of kids playing for the camera.

And items from the world of entertainment.

One person wanted to know

how to remove lent from her clothes—

I think they meant lint.

But when I got to the second page and beyond,

I started finding other churches who were using a similar theme.

As I said before,

we borrowed this idea.

I’m not sure where it started,

but it’s getting around.

And I found an interesting blog

talking about being too entertained.

Here’s part of what it said:

Who doesn’t enjoy being entertained?

There’s nothing wrong with entertainment.

But, does entertainment keep us from

1) connecting with Jesus; and

2) connecting with our world?

I like that perspective.

It’s not that entertainment is good or bad

by itself—

--but what does it do to us?

Does it help us follow Christ?

Or does it get in the way?

Another blog

had a very interesting theological reflection.

It took us back to the temptation of Jesus

in the wilderness.

The first temptation of Jesus in the wilderness was what?

Turn this stone into bread.

And Jesus wouldn’t do it.

What’s wrong with bread?

By itself—nothing.

At the Last Supper,

it becomes a wonderful gift

of Christ’s body—

--that we still share today.

But in the wilderness—

--there it would have been sin,

separation from God.

What this blogger was pointing at—

--and I like it—

--is that entertainment can be the same.

A wonderful gift.

Or something that separates us from God.

I like watching Kansas baskbetball.

I like Mizzou too—

--but when they play each other,

I’m happy when KU wins.

Now, enjoying a game

can be a great release,

wonderful time with friends—

--including Mizzou fans.

Or, I can become so focused on never missing a game,

on having to win,

losing perspective on what’s really important—

--that it gets in the way of my life of faith

--that it pulls me away from God.

And it’s subtle.

Our sinful human nature

takes what is healthy—

--in KU basketball or whatever—

--and pulls us toward that line

where it is no longer helpful,

no longer healthy.

Now, for you, it’s probably not KU basketball.

I don’t know what it is for you.

But you probably do.

When are you too entertained?

I think the Gospel reading for today

helps us look at all this.

It starts by referring to a couple of tragic events.

It sounds like the people around Jesus

probably knew these stories.

There were Galileans who Pilate had killed

while they were making sacrifices.

There were 18 people who were killed

when a tower at Siloam fill on them.

And the people seemed to be wondering—

--why did this happen to them?

Did they do something to deserve it?

Were they being punished?

And Jesus says—no.

They weren’t worse sinners than anyone else.

And then he changes the focus.

Instead of talking about them—

--he wants to talk about us.

And Jesus says:

“But unless you repent,

you will all perish as they did.”

And I think those words are for us:

Repent or perish.

Hard words to hear.

Not very entertaining.

But what do they mean for us?

Repent or perish.

Well, let’s start with repent.

What does it mean to repent?

Usually, we tend to think of repentance

as saying we’re sorry,

admitting we’re wrong.

And that’s a part of it.

But really, it means more.

I need a volunteer (or two).

(Demonstrate turning around.

3 steps.

Turn 180 degrees—turning around.

Turn 180 degrees to face me—that’s repentance

understood relationally—turning to Christ.

Hands on shoulders, turn the other toward.

We don’t have the power to do it.

It’s Christ working in us.)

So repentance is turning around.

And I would suggest that it’s not just turning around once.

It’s daily (hourly/minutely) being turned by God

to follow.

Repent or perish.

Now perish can mean to die—

--like the people at Siloam, when the tower fell on them.

I think Jesus uses that kind of perish

to point to something more.

We’re all going to die.

Like it or not—

--remember that you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.

But we aren’t all going to perish.

For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only son,

that whosoever believes in him,

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

When we believe,

when we are in relationship with God,

when we are turned again and again to God,

we don’t perish,

but have everlasting life.

To be separated from God is death.

To be with God is life.

That’s good news.

But it’s scary, too.

Because we want everyone to have life everlasting with God.

And even though Jesus doesn’t say that’s the way it’s going to work,

he does give hope.

When he tells a little story about a fig tree.

As one of my commentaries pointed out,

this fig tree didn’t do anything wrong,

it just didn’t do anything.

It was using up the soil

and not producing fruit.

Is that what we look like when we’re too entertained?

And the vineyard owner

told the gardener to cut it down.

He said:

“For 3 years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree,

and still I find none. Cut it down.

Why should it be wasting the soil?”

Now, the vineyard owner had given it a fair chance—

--more than a fair chance.

I understand it takes 3 years for a fig tree to bear fruit.

So, during the 3^rd year,

and 4^th year,

and 5^th year,

the owner had been looking for fruit.

And still none.

Time’s up—he says.

But the gardener says—

“Give it one more year,

until I dig round it

and put manure on it.

If it bears fruit next year, well and good;

but if not, you can cut it down.”

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger,

and abounding in steadfast love.

Never ready to give up on us—

--or anyone.

Always giving one more chance.

And he says,

“Give it one more year.”

And I won’t just leave it alone.

I’ll give it extra attention.

I’ll do everything I can.

For God so loved the world….

God so loved the world,

that even though we turn away again and again,

there’s one more thing to do—

--for Jesus to live and die and rise again,

so that we might have life.

So that we might not perish.

But that tower in Siloam falling and killing 18.

Pilate killing those who were giving sacrifices.

An earthquake in Haiti.

Another in Chile.

They’re all reminders

that our time on this earth

doesn’t last forever.

That as gracious and merciful as God is,

giving us another chance and another and another—

--there is an end to life.

One more year.

If you knew you had just one more year to live,

how would you live?

What would you do?

What would be different?

Because, for each of us,

it might be another year,

or tonight,

or another 50 years—

--we don’t know.

Hopefully,

not much would change.

But what would?

Maybe thinking about that

is God turning you around.

Maybe God is at work on you--

--right now.

And one more thing.

At our Monday night Bible study,

we were talking about this.

About the tree being cut down.

And what happens next.

Charles Scolatti told us about an elm tree at their house.

28 years ago, they cut it down—

--down to the stump.

And you know what is there now?

Now it’s 40 feet tall.

Just couldn’t get rid of it.

It’s growing strong.

There’s hope.

Even for stumps.

It seems to me

that there is law and Gospel here,

challenge and hope.

The law tells us that we fall short,

that our sin keeps turning us away from God.

But the Gospel tells us that God never gives up,

and keeps turning us back around.

May God be at work in each of us this week and always,

turning us again and again.

May God grow fruit in us,

so that we might not just be entertained,

but might truly live.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen