St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church
Second Sunday in Lent
March 16, 2025
INTRODUCTION
On the Mount of Olives, just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem, sits a small chapel. According to tradition, it was here that Jesus wept over the city that had refused his care. Inside the chapel, on the front of the altar, is an image of what never happened in that city. It is a mosaic of a hen with a golden halo around her head. Her red comb resembles a crown, and her wings are spread wide to shelter the seven pale yellow chicks that crowd around her feet. The hen looks ready to spit fire if anyone comes near her babies.
But like I said, it never happened, and the picture does not pretend that it did. The medallion is rimmed with the words of Luke 13:34 in Latin: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…” The last words of the verse are outside the circle, in a pool of red underneath the chicks’ feet: you were not willing.
If you have ever loved someone you could not protect, then you understand the depth of Jesus’ lament. All you can do is open your arms. You cannot make anyone walk into them. Meanwhile, this is the most vulnerable posture in the world -- wings spread, breast exposed. But if you mean what you say, then this is how you stand.
Jesus means what he says. And he maintains the same posture toward the world. Let us stand always under the cross as under his wing.
GOSPEL
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” Luke 13:31-35
SERMON: “Great Expectations”
Thus says the LORD: As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you. Isaiah 66:13
So a woman had a dream that she was in heaven. And one day it was announced there would be a field trip to an Open House in the other place (if you know what I mean). Those who were interested could go and see what it was like down there. She was curious so she signed up. On the tour she kept seeing strange little rooms. One was filled with small kitchen appliances like toasters and electric can openers. Another was filled with auto parts like carburetors and brakes. She did not ask for an explanation until she saw the room that was filled with hammers and thumbs.
She was told that these rooms were filled with items that their former owners had asked God to send here. "I beg your pardon." "Well, for example, the owner of every one of these thumbs, when he or she hit it with a hammer, in language that is quite appropriate down here but which I won't repeat since you’re not from around here, in so many words, they said “O Divine Being, consign this to the netherworld!!” They demanded that God send it down here. Same thing happened for each item you've seen in all these rooms.”
What do you expect of God?
Is anyone here this morning because of the free throw you made in the final seconds of a championship game, when you said, "Oh God, please let me make this one shot and I'll be in church every week from now on!" Or maybe it was some really deep trouble you got yourself into, and you made the same kind of deal with God.
What do you expect of God?
Once while waiting for a deli sandwich I saw a bunch of paper shamrocks taped to the counter, acknowledging money donated to Muscular Dystrophy. On each one was written the name of the donor. But on one someone had written, “If God answered prayer, there wouldn't be a need for these shamrocks and the money collected to fight this disease.”
What do you expect of God?
• Some people use God's name all the time, asking God to damn this thing or that person or a particular situation.
• Some people think of God as the cosmic Monty Hall, hoping God is always ready to make a deal.
• And some people figure since God can't or won't make all the world's problems disappear, that equals proof there isn't a God anyway.
What do you expect of God?
We are on our annual pilgrimage toward the cross, a journey we call Lent. Before we get any closer to the cross, today’s passage from Luke helps us clarify some of our expectations of God.
Today’s Gospel is from Luke 13. Back in chapter nine, it says “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Christ is journeying toward Good Friday and his death on the cross. It was a death he didn't deserve. It was also a death we believe sets us free from the power of death to be the last word about us. We call the one who will go to the cross by the name ‘Christ.’ But what do we expect of this messiah?
One of my favorite hymns is "Rise, Shine, You People!" (No. 665). The second verse begins, "See how he sends the powers of evil reeling..."
“Sends the powers of evil reeling!” Can’t you see Superman in those words? Can’t you see Christ standing toe to toe with Satan and when that right hook nails the devil on the chin, you see the big word BOOM! across the screen. And we win!
But wait a minute! What about his cross and the tomb? Oh, no problem! There’s nothing to fear. It is just like in the Superman movie, when Lex Luthor drapes Superman with the kryptonite chain and pushes him into the pool. Ooooohh! It looks bad, alright. But you know that somehow, some way, that Superman will get free and save the day. And he does.
Same for Jesus, right? Isn’t Jesus a heavenly superman in meek and mild earthly disguise? So it is no surprise that just in the nick of time, when it looks like all is lost, Jesus bursts the chains of kryptonite and rises from the pool… I mean bursts the chains of death and rises from the grave. Same thing, right?
No, not right. And not the Gospel. Superman didn’t die, but Jesus did. Jesus was in the grave three days. And what was he doing during those three days? You could say he was trusting.
When we sense trouble on the prowl, what image of God do we want? We want a God who is like Superman. We want to think of God in strong and muscular terms like a rock, a shield, a castle, or a warrior, right? God knows our hearts very well. God knows what scares us and what we need to soothe our fears, so what image does Jesus give to comfort us and bolster our trust? A mother hen.
[Tune: A Mighty Fortress:] “A squawking chicken is our God…” I don’t think that’s what we’re looking for.
The Bible presents many images for God, but a mother hen? How undignified and uninspiring! The image of a mother hen scuttling and squawking in her awkward attempt to nurture and protect an unruly brood of squawking and scrawny little chicks? This is the God you are called to trust?
Jesus has set his course for Jerusalem. A city he knows has a violent history. A city that calls to mind all those who have experienced violence and vulnerability. He knows himself to be on a mission to wrestle control away from sin, death and the power of evil so that no one will have to live in fear ever again. He sees himself on a mission that will be a battle to end all battles. A battle he will wage for you. A battle he will fight…as a chicken?
Does it have to be a chicken? If it can’t be Superman, how about an eagle? But a mother hen? How does that inspire confidence? Chickens are not exactly the go-to animal when you need bravery. In fact, they’re just the opposite. What do you call a coward? A chicken! We don’t need a chicken when there is a fox on the prowl.
It is no accident that Jesus calls Herod a fox. Herod symbolizes all the people and forces that terrorize us. And what stands between us, the vulnerable little chicks, and that crafty fox? Only a mother hen.
What do you expect of God?
Does this image fit with what you expect your God to be like? Probably not. It may fit very well with how you have felt at times. When trouble was approaching, or when trouble has already overtaken you, have there been times when God seemed unable to be of help?
The long journey of Jesus to Jerusalem and the cross is not just his story. It is also a model for our own lives. Do not expect to make your life’s journey in the company of a God who is always king of the jungle. Jesus' journey ends in Jerusalem, but the city does not provide him a safe haven. There is a fox on the loose, ravaging helpless chickens at will. And it seems that even the mother hen – our messiah, our savior – is destroyed.
When Jesus reached the end of his journey, God did not keep him from dying. And with his death, what little control Jesus may have had over his own destiny was taken away. All that was left was his trust. He died in faith, faith that God would not abandon him.
This is the season when some people give up stuff. One reason for doing so is that we might discover those things that have control over us. Am I a slave to chocolate, to video games, to gambling, to crossword puzzles. Then I’ll show them who’s in control. We may or may not discover how much control we actually have. But no matter what we give up for Lent, we can’t give up the fact of our mortality. In the end, things are not within our full control, and we too, will be left with nothing but our faith - our trust in God.
May this journey to Jerusalem helps you shed Superman expectations of God. May this journey shows you a God who acts through weakness. May you see more clearly than ever the vulnerability and frailty of even God's chosen one. And may you even catch a glimpse of the divine wisdom, when God sends a chicken to do battle with the fox.
Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------
ADDENDUM
In the sermon I mentioned giving up stuff for Lent. I was tempted to tell this story in the sermon, but decided not to make it longer than it already was. Instead, I was going to wait for the announcements. So here it is:
An Irishman, new to town, walks into a pub for the first time and orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table alone. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time. Soon the entire town is whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers. A week later, the bartender says to the man, "I don't mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers."
"Tis odd, isn't it?" the man replies. "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond." All were pleased with this answer, and soon The Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity.
One day the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. Word flies around town and prayers are offered for the soul of one of his brothers. The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, and me first of all, we all want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know---the two beers and all..."
The man ponders this for a moment and then says, "You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are both alive and well. It's just that I decided to give up drinking for Lent."
Have a good day. See you next time. Peace!
Pastor John
Second Sunday in Lent
March 16, 2025
INTRODUCTION
On the Mount of Olives, just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem, sits a small chapel. According to tradition, it was here that Jesus wept over the city that had refused his care. Inside the chapel, on the front of the altar, is an image of what never happened in that city. It is a mosaic of a hen with a golden halo around her head. Her red comb resembles a crown, and her wings are spread wide to shelter the seven pale yellow chicks that crowd around her feet. The hen looks ready to spit fire if anyone comes near her babies.
But like I said, it never happened, and the picture does not pretend that it did. The medallion is rimmed with the words of Luke 13:34 in Latin: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…” The last words of the verse are outside the circle, in a pool of red underneath the chicks’ feet: you were not willing.
If you have ever loved someone you could not protect, then you understand the depth of Jesus’ lament. All you can do is open your arms. You cannot make anyone walk into them. Meanwhile, this is the most vulnerable posture in the world -- wings spread, breast exposed. But if you mean what you say, then this is how you stand.
Jesus means what he says. And he maintains the same posture toward the world. Let us stand always under the cross as under his wing.
GOSPEL
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” Luke 13:31-35
SERMON: “Great Expectations”
Thus says the LORD: As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you. Isaiah 66:13
So a woman had a dream that she was in heaven. And one day it was announced there would be a field trip to an Open House in the other place (if you know what I mean). Those who were interested could go and see what it was like down there. She was curious so she signed up. On the tour she kept seeing strange little rooms. One was filled with small kitchen appliances like toasters and electric can openers. Another was filled with auto parts like carburetors and brakes. She did not ask for an explanation until she saw the room that was filled with hammers and thumbs.
She was told that these rooms were filled with items that their former owners had asked God to send here. "I beg your pardon." "Well, for example, the owner of every one of these thumbs, when he or she hit it with a hammer, in language that is quite appropriate down here but which I won't repeat since you’re not from around here, in so many words, they said “O Divine Being, consign this to the netherworld!!” They demanded that God send it down here. Same thing happened for each item you've seen in all these rooms.”
What do you expect of God?
Is anyone here this morning because of the free throw you made in the final seconds of a championship game, when you said, "Oh God, please let me make this one shot and I'll be in church every week from now on!" Or maybe it was some really deep trouble you got yourself into, and you made the same kind of deal with God.
What do you expect of God?
Once while waiting for a deli sandwich I saw a bunch of paper shamrocks taped to the counter, acknowledging money donated to Muscular Dystrophy. On each one was written the name of the donor. But on one someone had written, “If God answered prayer, there wouldn't be a need for these shamrocks and the money collected to fight this disease.”
What do you expect of God?
• Some people use God's name all the time, asking God to damn this thing or that person or a particular situation.
• Some people think of God as the cosmic Monty Hall, hoping God is always ready to make a deal.
• And some people figure since God can't or won't make all the world's problems disappear, that equals proof there isn't a God anyway.
What do you expect of God?
We are on our annual pilgrimage toward the cross, a journey we call Lent. Before we get any closer to the cross, today’s passage from Luke helps us clarify some of our expectations of God.
Today’s Gospel is from Luke 13. Back in chapter nine, it says “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Christ is journeying toward Good Friday and his death on the cross. It was a death he didn't deserve. It was also a death we believe sets us free from the power of death to be the last word about us. We call the one who will go to the cross by the name ‘Christ.’ But what do we expect of this messiah?
One of my favorite hymns is "Rise, Shine, You People!" (No. 665). The second verse begins, "See how he sends the powers of evil reeling..."
“Sends the powers of evil reeling!” Can’t you see Superman in those words? Can’t you see Christ standing toe to toe with Satan and when that right hook nails the devil on the chin, you see the big word BOOM! across the screen. And we win!
But wait a minute! What about his cross and the tomb? Oh, no problem! There’s nothing to fear. It is just like in the Superman movie, when Lex Luthor drapes Superman with the kryptonite chain and pushes him into the pool. Ooooohh! It looks bad, alright. But you know that somehow, some way, that Superman will get free and save the day. And he does.
Same for Jesus, right? Isn’t Jesus a heavenly superman in meek and mild earthly disguise? So it is no surprise that just in the nick of time, when it looks like all is lost, Jesus bursts the chains of kryptonite and rises from the pool… I mean bursts the chains of death and rises from the grave. Same thing, right?
No, not right. And not the Gospel. Superman didn’t die, but Jesus did. Jesus was in the grave three days. And what was he doing during those three days? You could say he was trusting.
When we sense trouble on the prowl, what image of God do we want? We want a God who is like Superman. We want to think of God in strong and muscular terms like a rock, a shield, a castle, or a warrior, right? God knows our hearts very well. God knows what scares us and what we need to soothe our fears, so what image does Jesus give to comfort us and bolster our trust? A mother hen.
[Tune: A Mighty Fortress:] “A squawking chicken is our God…” I don’t think that’s what we’re looking for.
The Bible presents many images for God, but a mother hen? How undignified and uninspiring! The image of a mother hen scuttling and squawking in her awkward attempt to nurture and protect an unruly brood of squawking and scrawny little chicks? This is the God you are called to trust?
Jesus has set his course for Jerusalem. A city he knows has a violent history. A city that calls to mind all those who have experienced violence and vulnerability. He knows himself to be on a mission to wrestle control away from sin, death and the power of evil so that no one will have to live in fear ever again. He sees himself on a mission that will be a battle to end all battles. A battle he will wage for you. A battle he will fight…as a chicken?
Does it have to be a chicken? If it can’t be Superman, how about an eagle? But a mother hen? How does that inspire confidence? Chickens are not exactly the go-to animal when you need bravery. In fact, they’re just the opposite. What do you call a coward? A chicken! We don’t need a chicken when there is a fox on the prowl.
It is no accident that Jesus calls Herod a fox. Herod symbolizes all the people and forces that terrorize us. And what stands between us, the vulnerable little chicks, and that crafty fox? Only a mother hen.
What do you expect of God?
Does this image fit with what you expect your God to be like? Probably not. It may fit very well with how you have felt at times. When trouble was approaching, or when trouble has already overtaken you, have there been times when God seemed unable to be of help?
The long journey of Jesus to Jerusalem and the cross is not just his story. It is also a model for our own lives. Do not expect to make your life’s journey in the company of a God who is always king of the jungle. Jesus' journey ends in Jerusalem, but the city does not provide him a safe haven. There is a fox on the loose, ravaging helpless chickens at will. And it seems that even the mother hen – our messiah, our savior – is destroyed.
When Jesus reached the end of his journey, God did not keep him from dying. And with his death, what little control Jesus may have had over his own destiny was taken away. All that was left was his trust. He died in faith, faith that God would not abandon him.
This is the season when some people give up stuff. One reason for doing so is that we might discover those things that have control over us. Am I a slave to chocolate, to video games, to gambling, to crossword puzzles. Then I’ll show them who’s in control. We may or may not discover how much control we actually have. But no matter what we give up for Lent, we can’t give up the fact of our mortality. In the end, things are not within our full control, and we too, will be left with nothing but our faith - our trust in God.
May this journey to Jerusalem helps you shed Superman expectations of God. May this journey shows you a God who acts through weakness. May you see more clearly than ever the vulnerability and frailty of even God's chosen one. And may you even catch a glimpse of the divine wisdom, when God sends a chicken to do battle with the fox.
Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------
ADDENDUM
In the sermon I mentioned giving up stuff for Lent. I was tempted to tell this story in the sermon, but decided not to make it longer than it already was. Instead, I was going to wait for the announcements. So here it is:
An Irishman, new to town, walks into a pub for the first time and orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table alone. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time. Soon the entire town is whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers. A week later, the bartender says to the man, "I don't mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers."
"Tis odd, isn't it?" the man replies. "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond." All were pleased with this answer, and soon The Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity.
One day the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. Word flies around town and prayers are offered for the soul of one of his brothers. The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, and me first of all, we all want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know---the two beers and all..."
The man ponders this for a moment and then says, "You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are both alive and well. It's just that I decided to give up drinking for Lent."
Have a good day. See you next time. Peace!
Pastor John