Based on Luke 13: 1-9
I love sunflowers. They look so big and happy, they almost radiate sunshine and happiness to me, but I also admire them for their innate wisdom. They have a very special quality. Does anyone know what that is?
They focus on the sun. The sunflower gets its name not because of its shape but because it turns towards the sun.
During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. The sunflower knows to turn and keep its focus on the sun.
Today we will be reflecting on this turning action by the sunflower, as the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky, and its ability to focus.
In our bible reading, Jesus, with his own suffering lying ahead of him in Jerusalem, reflects on two recent disasters in the area.
Pontius Pilate had ordered the slaughter of pilgrims from Galilee, who had been on a pilgrimage to the temple, and about a second disaster where 18 people had been killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them.
Jesus explains that these disasters were not a punishment from God, that those who suffered were no more sinful than anyone else. Such disasters are caused by human evil – such as Pontius Pilate killing the Galileans – and some by accident or neglect – such as the tower collapsing.
Jesus explains that these disasters were not a punishment from God but he uses this opportunity to explain how all of us need to repent and to bear fruit, unlike the barren fig tree, or we will perish just as they did.
Repentance
His message is stark, “unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
Repentance is a word rarely used outside of church. To an outsider it would be classed as ‘church jargon’ with little or no understanding and within the church it is a word that needs to be used with much care, particularly due to its link to sinfulness and nobody likes to be called a sinner!
So I turned to guidance from John Wesley. He defined repentance as ‘an inward change, a change of mind from sin to holiness’ (Sermon 14 -The Repentance of Believers). This has been interpreted by Steve Harper in his book ‘John Wesley’s Message for Toady’ as ‘the total change of a human heart from a focus on sin to a focus on God. It is a 180 degree change of direction’.
This quote reminded me of the sunflower – its ability to focus on the sun and the turning action by the sunflower, as the head turns to track the journey of the sun across the sky.
Repentance is ‘the total change of a human heart from a focus on sin to a focus on God. It is a 180 degree change of direction.’
This turning action is what we often associate with repentance – a turning away from sin to righteousness; a turning away from our old ways to a new moral behaviour; a turning from the darkness towards the light; turning from independence from God to turning back towards dependence on God – and as a response to this turning and through belief in his son, God forgives and restores.
The sunflower turns towards the sun from the darkness towards the light. If a sunflower finds itself in darkness it will seek out the sun and it will turn towards the tiniest glimmer of light. The sunflower innately knows that it needs to turn away from the darkness and towards the light in order to bloom and grow. The sunflower has an innate knowledge on what it needs to do and so do we.
Bearing fruit
As a result of this turning we will bear good fruit, just like the sunflower blooms and grows. So this leads us on to the second part of Jesus story, to the parable of the fig tree.
‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”’
A parable which is packed with warnings yet demonstrates such grace.
This parable tells us of the gospel of the second chance. The fig tree is unlikely to fruit after three years yet it was given a second chance. It is always Jesus’ way to give someone chance after chance but this parable also makes it quite clear that there is a final chance. If we refuse time after time, chance after chance, there will come a day when we (not God) will shut ourselves off from him. A day when we make a deliberate choice to shut ourselves out from God.
The fruit in this parable is the consequence of repentance. If we change our heart from a focus on sin to a focus on God then we will bear good fruit.
We can demonstrate this with our knowledge of the sunflower. If it turns towards the sun it will bloom and grow. If it focuses on the darkness it will wither and eventually die. Or think of an apple tree, if the Apple tree doesn’t seek out the sunlight, it cannot bear good fruit.
In the same way, we become what we focus on. If we repent and change our focus onto God, we will bear much fruit. What we focus on grows. We are what we focus on. It is time to focus on what matters because our focus determines our reality.
Indeed it is time to focus on what matters. Jesus explains that if we repent and change our focus onto God, as a consequence of that focus we will bear much fruit.
Repentance isn’t optional. In the first chapter of Mark’s gospel, Jesus tells us to repent, to believe and to follow him. Repentance is required. It is by grace we are saved but we need to hold up our end of the covenant.
We know that it is by grace we are saved so that no man may boast. Salvation is a gift. Thanks be to God. But we must not forget that we still have to act. We need to repent, to turn 180 degrees from a focus on sin to a focus on God.
Is our focus on God? If so, we will bear good fruit. So the questions we need to ask ourselves are, ‘Do our lives demonstrate that we have changed our focus from sin to a focus on God?’ Can people see the fruit? Can you see the fruit? Do our lives demonstrate that we have changed our focus from sin to a focus on God?
Let’s take some tips today from the sunflower today. Tips to take away any anxiety about this message.
Just do it
The first tip is to just do it – the sunflower doesn’t get stressed or worried whether it has done enough to focus on the sun. It just does!
The sunflower does not worry, just like the lilies as Jesus described- ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? …….. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ……..strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:15-33 abbreviated)
The sunflower doesn’t get stressed or worried whether it has done enough to focus on the sun. It doesn’t measure the amount of focus. It just does it! It innately knows what it good for it, so it just does it. It focuses on the sun.
Repentance is focusing on God. We need to keep it simple, just do it. When we wake in the morning, focus on God. When we have to make a decision, focus on God, when we rest, focus on God. Simply set ourselves the intention that we will focus on God. Keep it simple.
Focus on the Son
Secondly, how do we focus on God? Well, we have the example of the Son. So just like the sunflower, we focus on the sun, the Son of God. He is our example and our guide. When we wake in the morning, we ask ourselves, ‘What would Jesus do?’, when we have to make a decision, we ask ourselves, ‘What would Jesus do?’, when we rest, we ask ourselves, ‘What would Jesus do?’. Simply set ourselves the intention that we will focus on the Son God. Keep it simple.
Simply receive
Finally, the sunflower simply receives the blessings that come from following the sun. It doesn’t get anxious wondering whether it was worthy of the blessings. It isn’t embarrassed if it blooms and grows. The Apple tree doesn’t shy away and hide the fruit under its leaves, if it has a bumper crop of fruit. We are to receive the blessings of repentance and we are to tell others that the same blessings are available to all. All are worthy of God’s love and abundant blessings.
So three tips from the sunflower to remove any anxiety from this message – just do it, simply focus; focus on the Son and embrace the blessings.
Conclusion
Repentance is perhaps one of the hardest theological concepts to understand yet it is something that Jesus tells us that we must do. John Wesley understanding of repentance was ‘an inward change, a change of mind from sin to holiness’ and this has been interpreted as ‘the total change of a human heart from a focus on sin to a focus on God. It is a 180 degree change of direction’. So we picture the sunflower as symbol of repentance, our turning towards God, with the flower’s head changing direction to keep its focus on the sun.
We are to repent, to ask for the forgiveness of our sins and continually gaze upon our Lord, just like the sunflower continually seeks out the light, in order to not find itself in darkness.
So I finish with the image of the sunflowers. These wonderful flowers have the innate wisdom to turn towards the sun, to know what is good them. How much more so should we?
The sunflower knows that the darkness is there and it is not good for them. In the darkness they will not be able to reach their full potential or fulfil its purpose.
But they do not worry, labour or spin. They simply turn towards the sun with their innate, God given, wisdom and he provides them with all that they need to grow and flourish.
God is at work in and through us. We need to be responsive and continually turn towards him, not away from him in the darkness. There is a continual process of turning, of repentance and reformation that’s going on in our lives – thanks to Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps we should we simply take a leaf out of the book of the sunflower whose preparation is to simply keep turning towards the sun. Amen
Debbie Story 