Brennan Manning, a committed Christian, wrote of his addiction to alcohol. In his book The Ragamuffin Gospel he told about the treatment plan he went through to combat the parasite of alcohol that threatened to ruin his existence. Part of the therapy included group sessions in which fellow strugglers sat in a circle admitting how the common drink was affecting their lives. One of the fellows was there not by his own will but because the court ordered him to attend the meeting. “I drink a little, but I can handle it. It has never gotten out of hand.” The group protested his words and the therapist encouraged him to come clean. But he stood his ground.

In this group they had one weapon to keep people honest – a phone, right in the middle of the group. The counselors had been through this many times before. So, a call went out first to the bartender who serviced this man’s habit. “He drinks like a fish. He’s my very best customer.”

He was embarrassed but he wouldn’t knuckle. He insisted that his drinking had never hurt anyone. The next phone call shattered that self-deception. The call was placed to this man’s wife. With anger, frustration and tears his wife told the group of the previous Christmas Eve when her husband took their nine-year-old daughter to buy some new shoes for Christmas. On the way home they passed his favorite bar and he stopped to get just one drink. He left the car running to keep out the sub-freezing temperatures, and locked the doors to ensure his daughter’s safety. He gave his promise, “I’ll be right back.”

Eight hours later, he emerged to find the car frozen shut, the engine stilled, and the windows entirely frosted. His nine-year-old was comatose on the front seat, her life threatened by frostbite. Doctors had to amputate a thumb and a forefinger, and her hearing was permanently damaged. As his wife spoke the appearance of this strong man changed. His eyes filled up with tears, his shoulders slumped forward and grief overwhelmed him. Self-deception was changed by reality. Maybe for the first time in his life he came face to face with the truth about his life.

But those words about his sin and his struggles and his need and what his life has done to others are hard words to speak. Advertiser’s save their best commercials for the Super Bowl. Last month on one of the Super Bowls ads a beautiful young lady was having a drink with a handsome young man. She blurts out, “I love you!” And, you would think that he would say the same, with all the meaning and passion that she had. But he has trouble with the “L” word – Love. He stutters and hems and haws and you can just sense that he just can’t commit himself to say that word to her. (Some guys have trouble with commitment – if you didn’t know!!) But when the waitress comes by and asks, “Another Bud Light?”, he has no trouble saying, “I’d love one!!”

Some words are hard to speak, including the words, “I’m sorry”. One wife said of her husband, “We have been married for 40 years and never once has my husband said I’m sorry.” She said that her husband was a good man, never raised his voice, never was there physical violence and he provided for the family well – all in all he was a good husband. But when he was as wrong as could be he would never admit that he was wrong. He never once said, “I’m sorry.” The woman confided: “We’ve had a good marriage for almost forty years. But if he had said those three words – ‘I am sorry’ – we would have experienced a great marriage.”

Jesus, in our reading for today is looking for fruit. “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” (Luke 13:6-8)

Jesus is asking for repentance and change. A fig tree in a vineyard that didn’t produce fruit for three years was no good for the owner. Fig trees in that part of the world were amazingly productive. Usually you had two different crops of figs from the same tree annually. Of the 12 months fruit was visible 10 of those months. The parable was spoken because Jesus was asking for change in the lives of the people. Not words, not promises, not good intentions, but actual change – good fruit from a good tree!! “I’m sorry” is a good start but there is more to what we need to do with God, and people that are dear to us, than simply mouth those words.

Jesus tells a couple of accounts of tragedy as He calls for the good fruit of an honest and true life. Pontius Pilate, the same man who would later agree to His crucifixion, had done something unthinkable - when the Jews were making their sacrifices, using the blood from sacrificial animals, Pilate has some Jews murdered and mixed their blood with the animals in the sacrifice. How awful. Something that was holy became polluted and vile. Then he spoke of a tower that had fallen and 18 folks had been killed in the tragedy. Some folks have an “us” versus “them” mentality. Those who suffer so are simply getting what they deserve. They must have done something bad for God to have tragedy strike them. And if we have the good things in life we are getting the good that we deserve. Jesus would have none of that type of thinking. “Do you think that those Galileans were worse sinners than the other Galileans because they suffered that way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:2-5)

Repentance is required of all. He is looking for words that are spoken from an honest heart and a life that reflects the words. To everyone, whether life has had great tragedy, or little, if we have had great challenges, or few, the same call of looking to God and turning to Him is what God is calling us to do. That is the right fruit that He is asking for.

And we, as God’s people, come looking for fruit, as well. We look for fruit from Him, gifts from Him!! And the fruit that we look for from Him is the fruit that we need. We need to know that God is on our side and will battle for us. The fruit that we want to eat is the fruit of cleansing and forgiveness, allowing us a new start in life. The fruit that must fill our table is every promise that our Lord Jesus has made. On the dead tree of Calvary we receive the fullness of life. There Jesus makes us whole and complete, once again. His patience is amazing here! The tree hasn’t done a thing for three years, and yet He allows another year for fruit to come forth. That is what God is doing for us. We look to him to produce the fruit of faith and a good and productive life because He has made us into His people.

In Friday’s Post the lives of some inmates in our local jails and the tattoos that cover their bodies was addressed. Skulls and demons and pictures of death fill the arms and legs and back and neck and even around the eyes and the top of the forehead of some of the incarcerated. That is the fruit that they have to share with this world!! There is a pastor that I know who lived in the warm climate of California but never wore short sleeve shirts. His arms were always covered. At one time in his life he was not a believer and he tattooed his body with all that stuff. But now he is changed. Now he preaches about the love of God shown in Jesus Christ. Now he covers the previous life that he had with a new life of the righteousness that Christ covers him with and the desire in his heart to follow Jesus, his Lord. He is thrilled that he has a new covering.

We have some of the best and smartest kids in our youth group and Confirmation classes. I see some great fruit coming from them. Sarah Faulder is a seventh-grader and you have probably seen her as an acolyte in our services. Sarah is one smart girl and someone that always asks questions about a sermon, or the worship, or about the Bible. On the back of her Sunday School class review she wrote this, “I think it is important that the Holy Spirit works through us.” And then she adds this, “I would like to know more about how He works through me so I can help.” What in invitation!! It is sort of like Isaiah after the cleansing that came from God who answered the question, “Who will go for us?” “Whom shall I send?” with the answer, “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

The Lord comes to us and looks for fruit!! Every day we can be asking God to be a person of repentance, turning away from sin and turning to our Savior, Jesus. We can be people of faith and fruit and life reflecting the mercy and love and kindness of Jesus and the ways of our God to this world. Amen!!