The clock struck midnight, and Clarence Jackson did not turn into a millionaire.  Jackson, who was 24 at the time, worked in a small cleaning business in Hartford, Connecticut just able to pay the bills and make ends meet.  He not only supported himself he took care of his elderly parents. In October of 1995 he bought a Connecticut Lotto jackpot ticket. The prize winning ticket was worth 5.8 million dollars. But when the clock struck midnight on the day of the deadline, Clarence Jackson did not turn into a millionaire.

It wasn’t because he didn’t have the winning ticket, he did.  He had the winning ticket but he didn’t know he had the winning ticket until 15 minutes before midnight.  He also did not know that he could have verified the ticket at his local lotto dealer. Instead, he waited until Monday to redeem the ticket at lotto headquarters. It was too late.  He did not become a millionaire. What do you think it was like to be too late and lose 5.8 million dollars? I don’t know; but it would be discouraging. But… it would not be nearly as devastating as being too late for the return of Jesus.

The point of last week’s sermon was to be ready for Jesus.  We live on the edge of time, it may come at any moment… and it didn’t this whole week. Or, it may be another 1,000 years. But we must live ready.  That was last week’s sermon, although we need it continually, but I didn’t tell you last week how to get ready.  I told you to get ready. He is going to come again, but we don’t know when.  What is it we must do to prepare for the return of Jesus?

Luke doesn’t leave us wondering.  In chapter 13 of Luke’s Gospel he tells us what we must do to prepare for The Return. 

Luke 13:1-5  Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.  Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in 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."

The simple answer to what we must do prepare for the return of Jesus is… Repent. We must make that 180.  We must go in the other direction.  We must change not only our attitudes but our actions.  Repent is one of the strongest biblical words.  When Jesus says repent he is not just saying tweak some aspect of our character.  Jesus is saying head in the other direction.  Get messing around and snap up to who you ought to be.  If we are going to be ready for the trumpet to sound you had better repent. 

But parts of these verses don’t make much sense.  I don’t think they instill the proper fear, the impact, the punch they must have had in Jesus day.  What is this Pilate killing some Galileans?  Never heard of it. What was the tower of Siloam? Did it fall over or was it pushed?  That doesn’t relate.  Let me back up and let’s take another run at these verses only this time from TIM version. 

TIM Luke 13:1-5  Now there were some present on August 12th, 2007,  who told Jesus about the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center that was destroyed.  Jesus answered, "Do you think that these New Yorkers were worse sinners than all the other Americans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.  Or those who died when the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis  -- do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Minnesota?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Is that a little more real?  Do you remember those images of the Towers falling?  Do you remember the sickening feeling seeing those planes crash into the Trade Center?  Do you think you are better than those who died in the World Trade Center or who plunged into the Mississippi?  What if it had been you on that bridge?  Felt the tremors?   Saw the concrete come crushing down?  Does God love you any more than these? 

For us to prepare for the coming of Jesus we must repent!  It will be this incomprehensible disaster for those who are not ready.  When that trumpet is heard all around the world and every eye sees Jesus in the sky and the graves break open and everything is over except for the shouting and the crying, which will you be doing?  Hallelujahs or God Nos?  Jesus says, “Repent or you too will perish!”

Any more questions?  “Well, Tim, there is one more question that does come to mind… of what?”  If I am supposed to repent it would be nice to know of what.  What is it that I need to repent of in order to be ready for Jesus?” Well, let’s keep reading in Luke 13. 

Luke 13:6-9  Then he told this parable: "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've 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?'  "'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it.  If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"

“That didn’t help much Tim. What does this story about a fig tree have to do with what to repent of in order to get ready for Jesus?”  Well, we need to repent of not producing fruit.  We are the fig that is not putting out any figs.  Wow, that is hitting a little too close to home.  Have we been producing any fruit?  What is the fruit of a fig tree?  Figs.  What is the fruit of an apple tree?  Apples.  What is the fruit of a cherry tree?  Cherries.  What is the fruit of Christians?  Christians.  Jesus worked with his disciples for three years and then he expected them to go into the kingdom and bear fruit. And they did.

He is not going to tolerate trees which don’t put our fruit. He gives us one more year.  Here is a scary question, “Have we used up our year?”  Let’s assume we haven’t and get busy cranking out some fruit.  Let’s repent and start doing fruit.  Ready Go… Come on now try harder.  Ready Go…  Produce some fruit.

That is not exactly how fruit producing works. Let’s go back to the story. The gardener told Jesus he would do two things to help produce the fruit.  What are they? Dig around the tree and fertilize it.  Ah ha.  How do we do those two things?  I want to repent before Jesus comes again.  I want to produce fruit to keep from being dug up.  Let’s keep reading. 

Luke 13:10-17  On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.  When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."  Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.  Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."  The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?  Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?" When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

Both the digging around the tree and the fertilizing it are both in this paragraph.

First, let’s dig around the tree.  The leader of the synagogue had become crusty.  His heart had become hard toward people. He didn’t seem to care that this crippled woman had actually been healed.  Wow, it was a spectacular miracle.  He saw the bent woman straighten up.  He saw it.  But, all he cared about was his rules and regulations.   Jesus says, “You even treat your animals better than that.  Have some compassion for the hurt of others.”  We need to dig around our trees to break up the hardness of our hearts towards others.  We need to break the ground around our hearts which thinks we are better than others.  We need to crack open our hearts toward others. 

It is easy to sit in our nice little church and enjoy each other’s company.  “I like you.  You like me. We’re a happy family,” to quote Barney.  It is too easy to simply stay focused on ourselves and not be concerned with the hurting of others.  In order to repent and get ready for the return of Jesus we need to break up the ground around our hearts so we can begin to bear fruit.  Am I talking to you this morning?   Am I talking to me this morning?  It is easy to be hard.  It is easy to let the world go on their merry way to hell without giving them a chance to see Jesus.  We must break up the hardness of our hearts toward others. 

But the fertilizing is also here.  And this is the exciting part. Jesus did a small kindness to an old woman.  What is an old crippled woman in the big picture of things?  Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to die on the cross and pay for the sins of the world. The universe is locked in a battle between good and evil.  Jesus is going mono e mono with Satan and everything is at stake. Why does he take the time to heal some insignificant old woman with osteoporosis?  Because that is what the kingdom of Heaven is all about.  That is what the kingdom of Heaven is all about.  That is what the kingdom of Heaven is all about. 

Luke 13:18-19  Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”

The kingdom of heaven is like a little mustard seed planted in the ground that grows to a huge plant.  It is in the doing of little things, like ministering to little old ladies that causes the whole thing to grow!  The fertilizer of the kingdom is kindness to the hurting.

Luke 13:20-21  Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?  It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

It is in the little things like a touch of yeast that makes a big difference in the tasty bread.  That is the nature of the kingdom of heaven.  The people of Jesus day were concerned with how to overthrow the Romans and run them out of the Holy Land.  Their answer was rebellion.  Let’s go with the big choice of brute force.  Let’s raise an army and hammer the pagans. It didn’t work Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD.  But what was it that ultimately defeated the Roman Empire?  It was the attitude of the early Christians toward all people.  It was a series of kindnesses toward insignificant people that brought Christianity across the world. 

One act of kindness toward another human being has the potential to grow into mustard plant.  One little touching of another human can be the yeast that changes all the dough. It is in the acts of kindness that the kingdom bears fruit. 

We are called upon to be ready when Jesus comes again.  We do not want to perish on that day so we are called to repent.  We must repent of not producing fruit.  We do that be breaking up the arrogance around our heart and open it up in kindness toward others.  This repentance is more than simply being sorry, it is action.  That action, that fertilizer is acts of kindness towards others.  That kindness exhibited toward others is the opportunity for others to be touched by Jesus and become fruit.  So, I have a challenge for each of you. And I’m going to check on it next week.  This week perform an act of kindness toward another who is not a member of our congregation.  This will demonstrate your repentance and begin to prepare you for the coming of Jesus. Which may come at any moment… maybe even before we are together again next week. 

Clarence Jackson, the guy who did not get 5.8 million.  He took his case to the Connecticut Legislature to appeal the decision to not give him the money.  They debated; quite seriously.  Some legislators said, “The rules are the rules.”   Others said, “Hey, give the guy the money. He had the ticket.”  Ultimately, they decided not to give Clarence Jackson the 5.8 million.  He was, after all, too late.  Don’t be too late for Jesus return.  Don’t doodle thinking you have plenty time.  Began, today, to spread the kindness of the kingdom.  Begin, today, to bear the fruit of the Lord.