come to the water (3.7.10)

Luke 13:1-9
1At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three 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?' 8He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Isaiah 55:1-12
1Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

6Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
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Last week we talked about making peace with death and living fearlessly from that foundation. This week Jesus points us to death again, but in a different way. In a way it’s fitting that we would spend these two weeks talking about death; after all, Lent is a season lived in the shadow of the cross. Jesus points us to death today to jar us out of our complacency.

We spend most of our time taking care of everyday things. We go to work, we buy groceries, we cook dinner, put the kids to bed, maybe we read or watch some TV as we wind down our day. Our life is mostly made up of routine. Often that routine is comforting and comfortable; sometimes it’s boring or stressful, but the routine is a big part of our lives.

Routine is such a big part of our lives and the pressures of everyday life take up so much of our energy that we sometimes forget that life doesn’t go on forever. Shockingly, people die in the middle of their lives everyday. Those Galileans going to the temple to worship had no idea they wouldn’t come back. Those folks standing underneath the tower of Siloam had no reason to think that would be the day the tower came down.

But life is unpredictable. We pretend that things will go on as planned, and probably we have to do that most of the time to get on with life, but we honestly can’t be sure what tomorrow will bring or if we will have a tomorrow at all.