Third Sunday in Lent March 11, 2007

Exodus 3:1‑-15 Psalm: 103: 1 Corinthians 10:1‑-12 Luke 13:1‑-9

Theme: Be on your guard.

I know that there are still some monarchists around. They will stand at attention to “God save the Queen” When it comes to the Queen, there is a certain protocol. You do not speak, unless she addresses you. You absolutely, emphatically, definitely do not touch the Queen. There is none of the “buddy relationship” as President Bush referred to Prime Minister Harper, “My friend Steve over here.”

In 1970s when the Queen was visiting Thunder Bay, Walter Assef, the Mayor of the City, put his hand on the Queen guiding her through. The whole of Britain was affronted. Pictures of his hand on the Queen were on every front page with the caption: “How dare he!” Today the aura around the royalty has disappeared to a great extent because of foibles and musical beds of the royalty, which have made headline news.

Given this background, we can understand the picture of God and Moses in our first reading. Moses walks into God’s presence without so much as a “may I” or with your permission. There is a certain amount of formality. Moses is told to remove his shoes because he is in the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God will be the one who sets the tone and the pace of the dialogue. God sets the agenda. Moses is expected to say, Yes Sir, No Sir, Whatever you say sir. Here was a God who made the heavens and the earth. Here is a God who has governed the destiny of the People of Israel. They are suffering and God intends to send Moses as their deliverer.

Surprisingly enough, it is Moses who takes the initiative to intimacy with God. Who will I say is sending me. It is not just the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is a more profound description of God. “I AM WHO I AM.” I am at the very centre of all existence. I am at the centre of your being, and the centre of the existence of Kings and Pharaohs to whom Moses is being sent.

2. Much later on: the words of St. Paul comes closest to understanding: “I AM WHO I AM” he would say, God is the one in whom we live and move and have our very being. And so Moses has to be on his guard. He is standing in the presence of some one who is Awesome and Mysterious.

“BE ON YOUR GUARD” The Warning is picked up by Paul. He is very conscientious of his mandate. He was an Apostle sent to preach the good news. He took care of the young churches that he started in the same way as a hen takes care of her chickens. He was conscious that he was a Jew. He was conscious of the fact he belonged to a Chosen Race. He was conscious of the covenantal relationship with God. It was an intimacy that was both awesome and mysterious. God had said, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” Still the People of Israel had to be on their guard. They could not presume on their status or their dignity. The words that Paul utters are harsh. “They could be destroyed by the Destroyer.” Paul ends this small segment with the ominous words, “watch out lest you fall”

3. “BE ON YOUR GUARD” this general feeling is picked up by the Gospel. There are two events that are not mentioned in the historical records. Probably they would not even get a small mention in our news papers today.

People are killed by Pilate and their blood mixed with their sacrifices

a Building collapses and 18 people are killed.

Jesus mentions them as an example that the People of Israel cannot presume on their relationship with God. They have to work hard - and sometimes even in apparent impossible situations to do their share of the covenant contract. The apparent impossible situation is the parable of the Tree that does not produce fruit. It is to be cut down. It is occupying valuable space.

All in all the three readings seems to be a grim set of readings, typical of the Old time Missions: Hell fire and brimstone. If you do not immediately turn away from sin and your evil ways, God is going to get you. And then we read the Scripture passages a second time. Through it all there is a vein of kindness and compassion. It is a picture of a God who chose to dwell among mortals.

1. In the passage from the Exodus, although we start out with a God who warns Moses about protocol, it is also a God who is concerned about the suffering of this chosen race. It is a God who will send them a deliverer. It is a God who will give his name and authority as a backup to encounter of Moses with the Egyptian Ruler. God cares and so God reveals his name to Moses. The knowledge of a person’s name made him vulnerable. Your name gave you not only Identity, but also power. It is a concept that we find difficult to understand when we call our Bosses and CEOs by their first name.

2. In the second reading, the entire passage is a warning and an admonition. But tucked right in the centre is the picture of a caring God, which we might tend to overlook. In the wilderness, God provided them with food and drink. The drink came from the Rock, normally an immovable object, stationary. But this Rock representing God moves around with the people and provides them with the necessary liquid food they require. It is a God who cares.

3. The Gospel has a vivid picture of a Tree that is fruitless. One cannot help remembering the fruitless fig tree from which Jesus expected figs even out of season. Mark 11:12. Jesus curses the Fig tree and it withers immediately. Whether the real situation in Mark, or the parable in Luke, the poor fruitless tree is heading for the axe. Jesus is pictured as the Owner who does not want a tree occupying valuable land.

But Jesus is also the gardener who pleads for the tree, who pleads for us. He will see the tree gets fertilizer and water. There is hope that the tree will still produce.

And so although our readings point out to the warning: BE ON YOUR GUARD . It nevertheless keeps on giving us hope: because we have a God who is full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and abounding in love.

Appendix: The Parable: This is your life.

When you get to heaven, the Lord will seat you down before a TV and put a VCR for you to watch. It is the story of your life. You sit and watch and you are not certain of what you are going to see. There are things that you remember and things you have forgotten. You begin to get ill at ease. Then there is a blank, and another, and a whole series of them. You remember, these are the times, when you did something wrong, but you admitted it. God just pressed the erase button and wiped it out, because that is the kind of God we have. God suffers from total amnesia of the things for which we are sorry.