St. Paul’s United Church Sunday, November 4, 2007

Figs and Faith – Rev. Cathy Russell

Psalm 119: 33-40 Luke 19:1-9

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If you’ve ever wondered how ministers decide what readings they are going to preach on from week to week, many of us follow the lectionary- which is a book giving readings from both the Old and New Testaments for every Sunday for a cycle of three years. Churches around the world follow this cycle so that on any given Sunday, the same texts are being read and preached in Africa, Europe, the America, The Far East, etc. I won’t presume to speak for David, but from my point of view, one of the benefits of the lectionary is that it saves work- I don’t have to think up what I’m going to preach on, because someone else has already done it for me. When I have to preach, I look up all the readings for that week, and pick the one that God’s Spirit and my own seem to point to, given what’s going on in the church and in the world. Of course, on occasion, one ends up reading all through that week’s Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament and Epistle readings and finds oneself saying “I got nothing!” On the other hand, some weeks, one of the set readings seems eerily appropriate. This week’s gospel lesson, the story of Zaccheus is such a reading.

Zaccheus is often a popular reading amongst children because they are taught that, like most of them, he was short in stature, and I would guess, because he was an adult who actually climbed a tree. I continue to feel a fondness for this story and a kinship with Zaccheus, for the first reason, if not so much for the second. Kids and me, we feel Zaccheus’ pain. But recently, I learned to look at this old familiar favourite in a new way. Turns out it may not have been Zaccheus who was short, but Jesus himself. There’s simply no way to tell definitively from the Greek form of the pronoun “he”. Jesus a short guy- now this was something new, something different. Something that made me re-think the picture I have had of Jesus as, well… as a kind of, intense dashing and yes, tall, type.

Well turns out I had another revelation about the Zaccheus story just this past week, only this time it had nothing to do with either Zaccheus or Jesus. This revelation was about the tree- the sycamore Zaccheus climbed so that he could have a clear view of Jesus, short guy that ‘he’ was. Biblical writers and editors rarely leave anything to chance, so I knew that if Luke’s gospel said that Zaccheus climbed not just any old tree but a sycamore tree, then there had to be a reason. After looking around online, I discovered that the sycamore tree Luke refers to is actually a ficus sycomorus, or fig sycamore. And it turned out that indeed the fig sycamore is one amazing tree. The sycamore fig can grow up to 20 meters vertically and over 6 meters horizontally. It is both semi-deciduous and semi-evergreen at the same time, because new broad leaves appear on its branches before the old ones drop off. It usually lives to at least 100 years old, and sometimes several hundred. Its wood is impervious to water. The American science show Nature recently devoted an entire episode to the fig sycamore called the Queen of Trees.

SYCAMORE FIGS PROVIDE MUCH TO MANY

This tree more than earns its royal title because of the many ways in which it provides and is provided for by so many different creatures. Refuge for reptiles, rodents, birds and even the occasional warthog is found in the sycamore’s fluted trunk. Nourishment in the form of abundant year round figs is provided to fruit bats, monkeys, over 100 varieties of birds, fish when they hang over streams and rivers, giraffes and yes even elephants. Even the sycamore’s sap is enjoyed by both cicadas and by tiny hilda bugs, who are then milked by ants for the resulting honeydew. The Queen of Trees is a tree of life.

SO LUKE PICKED THE RIGHT TREE

Along with insects and bats, rodents, monkeys birds, giraffes and elephants, the fig sycamore turns out to be a tree of life for Zaccheus too, which just goes to show that Luke really did know what he was doing. It’s the tree that provides the curious Zaccheus with both a literal and a spiritual leg up, as it were. It’s the fig sycamore that helps Zaccheus to see Jesus, and Jesus to see him amidst all the other distractions created by Jesus’ entourage of followers and fans. It’s the tree that facilitates their miraculous encounter - and make no mistake, it is a miracle, one of the most radical in all the New Testament. Zaccheus, the rich, crooked tax collector, the Roman collaborator who cheated his own people and lined his pockets with their suffering, this same Zaccheus climbs down from his tree, welcomes the warm, friendly preacher into his home, and is so affected by his presence that he decides to give away half his wealth and pay back anyone he has cheated fourfold. It would be like… Oh I don’t know... it would be like a certain former Prime Minister paying back millions of dollars to that German guy who paid him off for the Airbus deal. Yeah, see, we really are talking miracle!

Make no mistake; what happens to Zaccheus is a miracle. Jesus himself says just a short time before this after meeting another rich person, that it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God, and that it’s only with God’s help that it’s possible at all. What happens to Zaccheus is a miracle, a miracle in which that tree plays an important part, by helping Zaccheus and Jesus get together in the first place. Given all the ways in which the fig sycamore gives life to other creatures, it is fitting that this tree should help bring Zaccheus a new life as well.

ST. PAUL’S IS LIKE THE FIG TREE

Given that this is the beginning of a three-week stewardship campaign here at St. Paul’s the fig sycamore is an apt symbol for our church as well. Like the fig sycamore, St. Paul’s works to be a means to life. We welcome any and all sorts of folks to make their spiritual home in this place, this place of sanctuary, this place of comfort and caring, this place of rest and restoration. Think of the baby group- a weekly drop in for caregivers with little ones, where they enjoy much needed coffee and even more needed adult conversation. Think of our monthly lunch out program, when our hall is filled with seniors, some of who are quite frail and yet make a special effort to come here to share in food and fellowship. Think especially of the table reserved especially for our brothers and sisters at Clarington Connections, folks who because of the challenges faced by psychiatric survivors, are rarely welcomed anywhere, and yet find welcome here.

Like the fig sycamore, St. Paul’s works to be a means to life. We offer spiritual nourishment to satisfy and strengthen all ages, from babes in arms, to children and youth to our elders. Think of our thriving church school and our growing youth groups. Think of our weekly bible study group that wrestles with challenging questions like faith and creation, salvation and the ‘endtime’. Think of our worship-the beautiful music, the challenging scriptures the pastoral prayers which open our hearts, and focus our minds to the Spirit of God in our midst. These are all fruits that nourish the spiritual life, a part of us that must be fed for human wholeness and well-being. When we are at our best, we can be like Zaccheus’ tree, helping others, giving them a spiritual leg-up so that they too can have a life-changing, spirit nourishing encounter with Jesus Christ.

LIKE THE TREE OUR GIFTS DEPENDS ON THE GIFTS OF OTHERS

You know there’s another way in which the church is like the sycamore fig- and that is that our gifts are dependent upon the gifts of others. While this tree supports the life of many different creatures, it is also dependent on many of the same creatures for its own survival. The grey hornbill makes its nest in the trunk eats the cicadas that can damage the tree. Elephants, monkeys, bats and birds both eat the fruit, and distribute the seeds of the tree, ensuring the growth of the next generation. This same fruit also acts as an incubator for the eggs of the fig wasp, upon which the tree depends on to pollinate its flowers.

Our relationship to our church and its mission is equally dynamic. As much as we are sustained, comforted, strengthened and nourished by its gifts, the ability of the church to provide these gifts - these life-giving gifts - is dependent on the gifts we bring in return, spreading, sharing and living the message of the gospel, as Zaccheus realized after he broke bread with Jesus, takes time, talent and treasure. All of you have given of your time already just by choosing to be here, by making Christian worship and community your priority on Sunday morning- and we affirm your choice. Many of you give of your talent by serving on boards and committees, by taking a turn in our children and youth programs, by offering your gift of music, by providing hospitality, by keeping our building in good repair, by delivering tapes of this service to our friends in Long Term Care facilities, and we celebrate your gifts. We celebrate too your willingness to give of your treasure to the mission of Jesus Christ to our world and to our community. Together we can be like the sycamore fig- providing assurance, a spiritual home and spiritual nourishment to any and all types. Together we can be like Zaccheus’ tree- providing a spiritual leg up so that they too can have a life-changing, spirit-nourishing encounter with Jesus Christ. THANKS BE TO GOD, AMEN.