Pastoral Letter 256
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and peace to you all. I hope all is well.
Last Sunday was Lent 2 and Peter Hoare brought the Sunday message, presenting his recent research about Buddhism and Christianity, based on a study that he completed. He clearly presented the basic beliefs of Buddhism and compared it with Christianity, pointing out to the main difference between the two teachings. He said that according to the Buddha, the power to achieve meaningful, productive, rewarding, fulfilling and less stressful life is found within oneself and not from any external divine power. While Christianity teaches about “grace”, which is an important part of Christian theology. In Christianity, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are twin events in history, that act for atonement of sin and the victory over death, are both central elements. Without eternity in the centre of our thinking, our picture of life is like a jigsaw puzzle that has the central piece missing. Peter presented six topics: Life’s challenges and difficulties, having the right “view” and “intention”, relationships, responding to unjust behaviour, true harmony, peace and tranquillity and the importance of prayer. Thanks, Peter, for such a wonderful presentation.
The Church Council and Elders will give us more details and information during next Interim Congregational Meeting which will be held tomorrow, Sunday 23 March during Morning Tea. I urge everyone to make an extra effort to come and join us to hear and know about our next steps after 31 May.
The following Sunday I will be preaching at Willoughby Armenian Evangelical Church, when the Armenian Missionary Association of Australia will have its Annual AMAA Sunday Worship followed by a fellowship meal at 12:00 pm in the adjacent Soghomonian Hall. You are all invited to join the lunch if you wish but let me know if you will for catering purposes. We are glad that our dear friend Rev. Gaby Kobrossi will take the service here at Longueville at the usual time of 9:30 am followed by Morning Tea.
We continue to pray for all those who need our care and prayers, remembering those who are facing many challenges, such as natural disasters, hunger, homelessness, uncertainties and so many other things.
Please continue to pray for Ned as he is in recovery in our neighbouring Longueville Private Hospital. Remember Virginia as well in your prayers and all those who need our prayers.
If you are not able to join us tomorrow, please light a candle and join us following the attached Order of Services.
Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
1. Pray as we continue our journey of self-denial and self-examination during this Lent.
2. Pray for Ned and Virginia as they go through a difficult time with ill health.
4. Pray for trusting God and asking that He protect those who need protection.
5. Pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the struggling, the stressed and those who are affected by natural disasters.
6. Pray for the Middle East and in particular Syria and the reignited conflict in Israel and Gaza.
In Christ
Krikor
MESSSAGE
Looking Back – Living Forward – What Now?
Luke 13:1-9
When tragedy strikes and terror disrupts our lives, it is only natural to feel angry and to raise our voices against such senseless acts. We find ourselves grappling with haunting questions:
Why did this happen?
What did these people do to deserve this?
Why must violence and suffering continue?
These questions, though understandable, often remain unanswered, and it’s something we have to come to terms with. But there are many who refuse to live with uncertainty. Many would rather grasp any explanation than remain without answers, and so they latch onto the first plausible answer they hear.
Even some prominent religious figures might say, “God is judging or punishing us“. This is not a new sentiment. Throughout history, tragedies have led to similar responses. Our text today offers two such tragedies: the slaughter of innocent Jews while they were offering sacrifices in Jerusalem, and the collapse of the Tower of Siloam, which killed many unsuspecting victims.
These two disasters, which aren’t recorded in any contemporary historical texts, serve as a backdrop for Jesus to challenge a common religious instinct: the tendency to blame the victims. “They must have done something wrong to deserve this“, people often think. But Jesus shows us that these events are simply tragic reminders of the fragility and unpredictability of life.
Much like today, when these events occurred, people were quick to come up with explanations for why such tragedies happened. One common explanation was that the victims were being punished for their sins.
1. The Wrong Explanation
The traditional religious answer to such tragedies is that they are punishment for sin. Jesus had already confronted this mindset once when religious leaders questioned whether a blind man’s suffering was his fault or his parents’. He set them straight then, and He does so again in the narrative before us.
Jesus offers a reasonable hypothesis: The victims’ sins are not worse than anyone else’s. Implicit in this is the message that if these people died because of their sins, then we would all be in danger of the same fate. We would not be standing here, talking about the sins of others.
2. The Weak Explanation
Another possible explanation of this tragedy with no explicit answer spoken in narrative, but the details of the narrative point logically in that direction and it is difficult to argue against it. These people simply died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time—just as those who were victims of terrorist attacks or tragedies like 9/11 were or when people are suddenly in a natural disasters during their holidays. Though this may seem like a weak explanation and fails to satisfy most people, it is a realistic answer from a human perspective.
This explanation may not fully address the emotional weight of the tragedy, but it allows Jesus to teach an important lesson for those who survived the events.
Actually, we are left without any explanation for why these tragedies happened. And the reason for that is because we have asked the:
3. The Wrong Question
Oftentimes, when tragedy strikes, we get swamped by the wrong questions. We become so fixated on asking why it happened that we miss the deeper lesson it offers.
Asking “Why were these innocent Jews killed by Pilate while offering sacrifices?” or “Why did the people die when the Tower of Siloam collapsed?” is missing the point. These are not the right questions to ask. Jesus does not focus on answering why these tragedies occurred but instead challenges us to move forward with a more important question.
4. The Right Question
The right question in the face of tragedy is not a philosophical one; it’s practical. In the wake of suffering, it’s not as important to understand why it happened, but rather what now? How will this tragedy change our lives? The key is looking both backward and forward reflecting on what happened, while making decisions about how we will live moving forward. This is the right question that all Armenians should ask again as soon they commemorate the 110th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on 24 April. Not, “why?” but rather “what now?”.
5. The Right Answer
Tragedy can affect us in many ways. It can make us bitter, fearful, or even immobilize us. But Jesus calls us to a different response: He wants tragedy to lead us to positive change—specifically to repentance.
But why does Jesus want us to repent?
6. The Right Reason
The answer is clear in verse 5: “ Repent so that you will not die after the same manner as those victims who died at the hand of Pilate. Repent so that you will not die after the same manner as those victims who were crushed by the tower of Siloam“. Jesus is not highlighting the fact of their deaths, but the manner in which they died—suddenly and unexpectedly, without finishing their work.
If you read carefully this text, you will note that Jesus is not highlighting the fact of death in these two tragedies but the manner of death.
How did these poor souls die? They died suddenly and un-expectantly before they were able to finish their business. In the first case we even know what kind of business the victims were engaged in; they were in the process of offering sacrifice at the temple. But before they could complete their mission, their lives were extinguished out. They died with unfinished business.
That is why Jesus wants us to repent. He does not want us to die with unfinished business hanging over our heads. He knows that we will eventually die, but he does not want us to die like the victims in these tragedies; so, he bids us repent while there is time.
There are basically two kinds of repentance:
a. Repenting from unbelief. This is the kind of repentance that takes place when we become Christians.
b. Repentance in which we repent for being unfruitful Christians.
I suggest that the repentance which Jesus is calling the people to in this narrative is not of the first variety but is of the second. He is calling them to repent of their unfruitfulness.
How do we know that Jesus is talking about the second kind of repentance?
Because of the parable that follows. That parable is all about fruitfulness or to be more specific in the case of the well-known fig tree, the lack of fruitfulness.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
This parable naturally follows the narrative that goes before and explains the kind of repentance which Jesus is challenging his followers to effect. This parable invites consideration that opportunity for change in order to become a fruitful disciple exists; but it is not unlimited.
At first it appears to be a bad news parable leading only to a bad news message. The orchard owner plants a fig tree and nurtures it in the most aggressive way possible. After three years the tree has failed to produce. So, the farmer tells his caretaker to cut it down. In reality that was the ninth year. Because the first three years usually the plant does not bear fruit could have signs of fruit and then comes the next three years when the fruit is not considered to be clean to be eaten. Hence these three years mentioned in the parable are the 7th to the 9th year.
But here is where the bad news stops, and the good news begins. The caretaker pleads for one more year. He is in reality asking for the tenth year; and one more year, which is the 10th year, is granted.
That is the light in which we should see all the tragedies that are unfolding before us. Do not look at these tragedies as God punishing sinners. Look at them as unfortunate events in which people are in the wrong place at the wrong time and they end up dying suddenly and un-expectantly with unfinished work still hanging over their heads. And see these events as events in which we may very well be the victims but for the grace of God.
The parable of the fig tree offers a powerful lesson. The owner of the orchard had been patiently waiting for three years, actually nine years for the fig tree to bear fruit. When it didn’t, he decided it should be cut down. But the caretaker pleaded for one more year of grace, and the owner agreed.
This parable invites us to reflect on our own lives: Are we being fruitful in our faith? Are we using the time we have wisely? The grace given to us is not unlimited, but while we still have time, we are called to live fruitfully.
Reflecting on Tragedy
As we witness tragedies, we should not assume that they are acts of divine punishment for sin. Instead, we should see them as reminders that life is fragile, and sometimes, people are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Rather than asking “Why?” we should ask: “What now?”
- What am I going to do with the gift of life I still have?
- How will I address the unfinished business in my life?
- How will I respond to the grace God offers, giving me more time to change and grow?
In times of tragedy, remember we may very well be the next victim, but for the grace of God. So, let us use the time we have to live with purpose, asking not “why?” but “what now?”.
Amen!