"The Same Again This Year..."

This is the translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, March 23, 2023, drawing from Luke 13:1-9

In the time of Jesus, Israel was not in a stable condition. The Israelites were under the rule of the Roman Empire, and there was always the fear of what the Romans could do to them at any time. Well known are the barbaric acts of Pilate the governor, which were as fearful to the people as natural disasters, from which the Romans offered neither support or protection.

In times of social unrest, people always try to seek out the cause of the unrest, and try to place blame on someone else, convinced that there must be a single culprit. Someone must be made scapegoat for the suffering of the many.

But Jesus then points out the problem of the unrest at the time, a problem which exists in all who were living there, and all who are living here now: lack of repentance.

What exactly are we meant to repent of?

Insecurity, and fear.

Because we are insecure, we act rashly, even flippantly, because we want things to be resolved quickly, easily, and without conflict. The garden knife chooses to wait, because waiting is a quick and easy resolution, far easier than simply pruning the branch that bears no fruit. But even waiting can be a rash act, when it is done to quickly address insecurities rather than to intentionally address a problem. In our haste to jump to a conclusion, in our attempts to get a quick and easy answer, we actually make the situation worse, and sin grows and deepens.

Let us pray.

God, we pray that we may regain our serenity, and our clear understanding of the one thing that is truly certain in life; our living and growing trust in You. Give us the peace that comes from living in the love of Jesus, even when that way challenges our insecurities or pushes us into conflict.

We pray this in the name of our Lord, Amen.