“Then he told this parable: “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 man working the vineyard, ‘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 around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ” (Luke 13: 6-9)

A number of years ago, I went to a cooking class with my bff.  We do a lot of this kind of stuff together; both of us love to cook, and I, in particular, like to eat good food.  This cooking class was billed as “gluten-free”, and I was newly living with not being able to tolerate wheat so I went with great joy and anticipation.

The chef who ran the class had a head of dreadlocks and had a slightly stoned look.  I was not convinced that this was going to be something I would benefit from, but I had paid money, and I’m pretty cheap so I was determined to make this “worth my time”.  So, ten of us gathered in this well-appointed kitchen, and spent the afternoon learning how to make a roast chicken dinner, complete with tempura battered veggie appetizers, dinner rolls, gluten free gravy, and a flourless chocolate torte for dessert.  We started with putting on the dinner rolls, progressed to the roast chicken and then we got started on the tempura veggies.  As we were cooking (and munching) away, our chef noticed that our dinner rolls had grown and puffed up over their bowls where they were rising.

I was crushed.  I desperately wanted to have those dinner rolls.  Bread was the biggest thing I was missing since I had gone gluten free, and here was all our work basically gone to nothing.  The chef carefully picked up all the bowls and one by one tipped them all into the garbage can.  Then he turned to all of us and said, “o.k.  Lets start those again and keep a closer eye on the time”.

I was really taken aback.  What do you mean, we can just start over again?  Didn’t we just ruin the last batch and waste all of those resources?  When I expressed my surprise at this change of plans, our dreadlocked (and probably stoned) chef, just shrugged his shoulders and said “its probably less than $5 in product, and we have the time, so why wouldn’t we give it another crack?  If it doesn’t work the second time then maybe we’ll need a plan B”.

Again, I was taken aback.  And I realized that so much of my life has been about ‘not wasting resources’, and ‘getting the best out of what we put in’.  I had lost all sense that sometimes things just happen – bread gets over proofed or soup burns on the stove, but that’s o.k.  Its not a moral failing if you have to start over again because things weren’t working the way you had planned.

I’m going to repeat that for those in the back.  Its not a moral failing if you have to start over again because things weren’t working the way you had planned.

This week marked the 5^th anniversary of the first lockdown because of COVID19.  I have the first few days absolutely etched in my brain.  I barely knew any of you at that point in time: I had been at Bethel just over 5 months and was still using the photo directory to learn your names.  Ruth Anne and I met in the hall on the Monday, agreed that we would ‘close up’ for 3 weeks, and then return to church on Palm Sunday as our own “triumphant entry”.

Which we never did do.  And Covid19 became a continual exercise in managing ‘re-do’s’ and massive disappointments because we had to change our plans.  I found myself pondering where my ministry at Bethel would be if we never had a pandemic.  I never met some of Bethel’s pillars and I barely know some who haven’t been able to return once things were safe.  I wonder if we would be more ‘fruitful’ or less.  I wonder if we would have more attendance or less attendance.

But at the end of the day, we don’t know, and all of my ministry plans have had to change.

But you know what?  I think that’s good.  I’m thinking these days that its important simply to realize that whether or not we accomplish anything, or bring to ‘fruition’ our plans and ideas doesn’t really matter.  What matters is that we look at what’s in front of us, and ask for another crack at trying; then if that doesn’t work we go to plan B.

Because sometimes fig trees don’t bear fruit.  Sometimes fig trees just need a little more time and attention.  And that’s o.k.  This parable, quoted above, never has a resolution, does it?  We never know if the fig tree did bear fruit with the added attention by the gardener.  All we know is that they asked for another try.

Blessings today, and remember you are Loved (whether or not you need another try).

~Rev. Lynne