Football season is going full steam. Emotions are running high, and already folks are making predictions about who is going to make it to the different bowls. Also, there are a lot of stories making the rounds. One is about the sometimes famous coach at the University of Tennessee, Johnny Majors.
It seems that Mr. Majors bought a bolt of cloth thinking he would have a suit made out of it. He took the material to his tailor in Knoxville where the tailor measured Majors, examined the bolt of cloth, did some computations on a piece of paper, and said, "I'm sorry, coach, there just isn't enough material in this bolt to make a suit for you." Majors was disappointed, but he threw the bolt of cloth in the trunk of his car, wondering what he was going to do with it.
A couple of weeks later he was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- the home of the Crimson Tide -- arch enemies of the Vols. He was on his way to the coast for a vacation. Driving down the main street in Tuscaloosa, he noticed a tailor shop, which reminded him that he had that bolt of cloth in the trunk. He stopped, thinking he would give it a try. He told the tailor he had bought this bolt of cloth and wondered if he could do anything with it. The tailor measured Majors, measured the bolt of cloth, did some computations. Finally he said, "Mr. Majors, I can make you a suit out of this bolt. What's more, I can make you an extra pair of pants. And if you really want it, I can give you a vest out of this, too." Majors was dumbfounded. "I don't understand," he said. "My tailor in Knoxville told me he couldn't even make one suit out of this bolt of cloth." The tailor said, "Coach, here in Tuscaloosa, you are not nearly as big a man as you are in Knoxville.
I tell the story to make the point that things are not always what they seem. Our Scripture lesson -- the parable of the fig tree -- is clearly a parable of judgment. But at the very heart of it is a marvelous word of grace. Listen to the plea of the gardener in response to the owner of the Vineyard's command that the fig tree be cut down. "Sir, let it alone for one more year."
That's a plea for grace and that's where I want us to focus. But before we get there, let's take a brief side journey and look at the parable itself.
I.
The primary message of the parable is that unfruitfulness is not allowed in God's vineyard.
As you look at the story you see that Jesus tells the story to make clear that the purpose of the fig tree's life is to bear fruit. That's the sole reason for the tree. Therefore, if the tree does not bear fruit, then it has no reason for existence and should be destroyed.
Put another way the story of the fig tree is the story of uselessness. H.G. Wells once wrote an essay on a tribe of people he called the "Goodness Sakers". These were the folks who when they saw something that needed to be done, or when they saw a social evil, or detected some moral shortcoming, would stand around and wring their hands and say," For goodness sakes, why doesn't someone do something about this?"
I know a lot of "goodness-sakers". They're always saying "for goodness sake, something ought to be done." But they never get around in sharing in the doing of it. So the obvious truth of the parable is that unfruitfulness is not allowed God's vineyard. Uselessness is a sin because it means that when we are useless we fall short of God's intention for us.
You remember that old poem in the vernacular:
There are a number of us who creep
Into the world to eat and sleep
And know no reason why we're born
Save only to consume the corn,
Devour the cattle, flesh and fish
And leave behind an empty dish.
That kind of unfruitfulness is not allowed in the kingdom of God.
So with that, let's move to the place where I would like to focus today. It's in that word of the gardener. When the owner of the vineyard wanted to cut the fig tree down, the gardener pleaded with him, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down." The worthless tree has its intercessor. To be sure, there is a law of uselessness that induces death. But there is another law, maybe a higher law in the economy of God -- the law of grace. So here is suggested the Gospel of a second chance.
Let me reflect on that gospel by coming at it from two directions.
II.
First, many things that "end life" for some of us could be the opportunity to begin again. Let me share two stories from the baseball world to make my point. In 1986, Donny Moore, a major league baseball player, was a successful relief pitcher for the California Angels. He was pitching in the most pressure packed game of his career. The Angels and the Red Sox were in the American League Play Offs. The winner would go to the World Series.
It was late in the game, his team led by one run. The opposing team had one man on base; there were two outs. Moore had to retire only one batter to end the inning and send his team to the World Series. He threw the pitch - - the batter hit a home run. The Angels lost by one run, and did not play in the World Series.
Three years later, in July of 1989, Donny Moore walked in his front door, shot his wife five times, then killed himself. A team mate who had played alongside him said, "Donny Moore was a great guy, but he's just kicked around ever since that loss. He was never able to get over that one failure." (Bob Olmstead, First United Methodist Church, Reno, Nevada, July 23, 1989)
Now a second story. In August of 1989, one month after Donny Moore shot himself another baseball player, also a pitcher, Dave Dravecky returned to the pitchers mound with the San Francisco Giants, after having undergone surgery the preceding October that removed a cancerous tumor and half of a major muscle in his arm, a muscle instrumental in pitching a baseball. His doctors told Dravecky that while his cancer was not life threatening, it was career ending. They told him that he would be lucky to play catch with his children. But Dravecky fooled his doctors. He returned to pitch for the San Francisco Giants and in his first game in Candlestick Park, pitching to the Cincinnati Reds, he held them to three runs of four hits in eight innings. He struck out five and walked one. Through seven of those eight innings he allowed only one hit, and when he was relieved for the ninth innings he was given a thunderous ovation by the San Francisco fans who were visibly moved by his inspired example.
In an emotional post game press conference, Dravecky answered one question and then waved his hand and said, " Before we go any further, I want to say that I give all praise to Jesus Christ! Without Him, there is no story!" (The Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1989)
Do you see the difference between Dave Dravecky and Donny Moore and doesn't that make the point? Many things that "end life" for some of us becomes the opportunity to begin life for others. Dave Dravecky could have asked why me a thousand times. But instead he changed the question -- instead of asking why me -- he began to ask how -- how can I turn this into something that will enhance and enrich my life. Through prayer and hard work, through prayer and hope, through prayer and God's power at work in him, he returned to the pitcher's mound and when he returned, he won more than a baseball game -- he had won a battle through the power of faith. So remember, many things that end life for some of us become the opportunity to begin again for others.
II.
Now look in another direction - - the direction of failure and sin and the whole question of grace. This suggests the truth that God is a gracious God who offers to each one of us one more chance. That's what our Scripture lesson illustrates. The gardener pleaded with the owner of the garden to give the fig tree one more chance. I believe that gardener's plea for the fig tree is Jesus' desire for us. Jesus confronts the life that is messed up, that has come apart, that has hit a dead end, that is broken, and he says: "Let's give it one more chance. That's what grace is all about. Grace allows us to begin again, no matter what.
I think I've told you the story about the produce clerk in the grocery store who was confronted by a woman who wanted to buy half a grapefruit. "But we don't sell half a grapefruit, ma'am," he insisted. She persisted, until finally the clerk went over to his manager - - unaware that the customer had followed him. "Sir, there's a crazy lady over there who wants to buy half a grapefruit." Then, turning around and seeing the customer right behind him, he added, "and this nice lady wants to buy the other half!"
As the woman walked away in triumph, the manager said to the produce clerk, " That was a good recovery! You're very sharp. Where are you from anyway?"
"I'm from St. Louis," came the reply, the home of ugly women and great football teams."
"Is that so?" said the manager. "Well, my wife happens to be from St. Louis."
Without a moments hesitation, the clerk asked, " What position did she play?"
Thank God for moments of recovery and opportunity to begin again! That's the dominant theme of the Gospel - - that's the nature of God - - giving us the opportunity to begin again.
In the Lectionary for the church year, the program of moving through the whole of Scripture Sunday by Sunday, the Sunday on which the parable The Unfruitful Fig Tree appears in the stated reading for the day that Sunday is sometimes called "Second Chance Sunday". The truth of the matter is every Sunday is a second chance Sunday for someone. That's the miracle of Christian worship. Every Sunday is an occasion for the announcement of the prevenient grace of God working in our lives to give us another chance.
But it's not just a Sunday proclamation, it's a witness that we all need to make, - - a promise that we all need to lay hold of.
Here it is in a moving story, primarily out of Jerry, my wife's, experience.
I had been sick and went to bed early on Saturday night. Around 11 o'clock, the phone rang and a young man was asking to speak to me. Jerry explained to him that I was not feeling well and had gone to bed early because of my big day of preaching on Sunday, and that she would rather not awaken me then. She suggested that the caller and I might talk the next day.
He was gracious and didn't want to disturb me but said he really wanted to talk to someone. Jerry then offered to put him in touch with some other person on our church staff, but he refused. Instead, he asked if could talk with her for awhile. She assured him that, while she was not a counselor, she certainly had the time to listen.
It was soon apparent that he was deeply depressed - - even threatening suicide.
Jerry became very frightened for him as he poured out his story. He had led a homosexual lifestyle which had brought him nothing but heartache and sorrow. His life had consisted of drinking and depression. He had also come from a family in which he had been physically and sexually abused. Jerry shivered at his enormous problems and really became very frightened.
He felt there was no where to turn, that if he could only end his life he would find peace. He even said to Jerry that he had the pills and was ready to take them all and end it all.
It was a heavy, heavy experience for Jerry, but the Lord was obviously with her. There was a long, long conversation and a lot more to the story that I don't have time to tell.
It ended up that Jerry picked the young man up the next morning and brought him to church.
Following worship that day, Jerry and I took him to lunch. After sharing more of his story, we talked with him for a couple of hours, and realized what desperate straits he was in. He had deep, deep problems. We convinced him that he should seek professional help, and sure enough, the next morning, he admitted himself to the hospital.
We visited him in the hospital, talked to him on the phone, stayed in touch with him, but then lost contact. We didn't know what happened to him, where he had gone, because we couldn't find him. However, a few months ago, we received a letter from him. Let me share that letter with you:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dunnam:
It's very early in morning. I was awaking after a special dream I'm going to call "God's Dreams." I'm a child at play. I keep doing so many (wrong -- he spelled wrong, ronge) things. But the person in charge says it's ok. I wish I could remember more about these dreams. I'm laughing and playing and having worlds of great fun. Sometimes I wake myself up laughing. It's really the only time I do laugh. God(underlined with hearts drawn on each side) is still working on me. He is more than I ever thought he would ever be. You are so very nice. Thank you Miss Dunnam for answering the phone that night I called. God is so good.(He drew musical notes around God is so good). I hope you both have a merry Christmas.
He then signed his letter, "A Child of the King": and gave us his full name. We had never known that full name before.
I wish I knew where Brad was. I'd love to talk to him. I understand he's been back to the church when I was not here. He obviously is not well. But I believe he has discovered the foundation face essential for his healing: He is a child of the King - - and there's always another chance.
I've said three things. First, the parable of the fig tree is a parable of judgment. Unfruitfulness is not allowed in God's Vineyard. But in the parable, there is a sparkling word of grace, suggesting two more truths, thus my 2nd and 3rd points. Two, many things that end life for some could be the opportunity to begin again. And three, our God is gracious and offers the chance to begin again.
