Sermon: A Quiz for Lent

Sermon Text: A Quiz for Lent

Okay, time for a pop quiz. This is the first Sunday in Lent. Lent is about forgiveness and a fresh start. So I have a three-question quiz about forgiveness.
 
Once upon a time, a young mother had been sick for several days. Her six-year old daughter wanted to help. So the little girl brewed some hot tea for her mom. She brought the tea to her mom. Mom took a sip, and asked the girl how she made it. "Just like you do, Mommy. First I took the leaves and boiled them. Then I strained them."
 
Her mom asked, "What did you use to strain them?" The daughter answered, "Well, I couldn't find the strainer. So I used a fly swatter."
 
Now, the look on Mom's face told this little girl that something was wrong. So she reassured her mother. "Don't worry, Mommy. I didn't use the new  fly swatter -- I used the OLD one!"
 
So here's the first question:  could you forgive that?
 
Me, neither. Isn't it great that God is better at forgiveness than we are?
 
Okay, three guys are out in a boat on a lake. They are fishing buddies, and they are also pastors. The fish are not biting, so they are talking. They know that confession is good for the soul. So they decide to share some deep stuff with each other. They are going to share the one sin that gives each of them the most trouble in their spiritual lives.
 
First preacher says that his weakness is materialism. He likes the good things in life, and whenever he moves to a new church, his main consideration is always the size of the salary.
 
Second minister says his secret sin is an addiction gambling. He doesn't bet a lot, but he does make small wagers on football, basketball, and horse racing. He's a little concerned it might get out of hand some day.
 
The third pastor, the one in the back of the boat, doesn't say anything. He just turns the outboard motor and heads for shore, fast. The other two guys say, "Hey, what's the hurry? You haven't made YOUR confession yet!" The third preacher says, "Well, my worst sin is gossip. And now I can't wait to get home!"
 
So question number two is, could you forgive that?
 
Me, neither. Isn't it great that God is better at forgiveness than we are?
 
Okay, last one.
 
There was a Little League baseball game. Because there were not enough umpires, a dad was drafted as a third base umpire. His ten-year old son was on one of the teams.
 
Right behind third base was a loudmouth fan of the other team. This guy was heckling and trash-talking a lot.
 
When the umpire's son comes up to bat, this guy yells from the bleachers, "Roll the ball to him!  He can't hit!" The boy gets so upset, he strikes out. Next time he came to bat, the rude guy is at it again. "Get that little girl a dress! He can't play in this league!"
And later that inning, this boy drops an easy fly ball.
 
The boy comes up to bat for the third time. The rude guy yells again, "Easy out!  Easy out!" But the boy gets a hit. He punches the ball into the outfield. The boy rounds first and second bases. He heads for third and slides into it, trying for a triple. The throw from the outfield beats the kid there, and the boy is tagged out by a foot.
 
His father the umpire yells, "Safe!" The trash talker runs down on the field and starts yelling at the umpire. "Safe!  Whaddaya mean, safe? Everybody could see he was out by a mile! Just what kind of umpire are you?" The umpire looks at this rude man and answers quietly, "Not a very good one, really. But I'm one heck of a dad."
 
And question number three:  Isn't it great that God is better at forgiving than we are?
 
God loves us like that umpire loves his kid. Scripture calls God our Creator, our Judge, our Lawgiver. But Scripture also calls God our Father in heaven. And Scripture says that God loves us, no matter what.
 
Our psalm today began with these words:  "Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away."
 
That's us.
 
Lent is a festival of forgiveness. We are offered a clean slate. We are given a fresh start. We get a new beginning.
 
Even if we flunk the quiz, we can count on the love and forgiveness of the One who created us and calls us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
That's the good news of Lent.
That's the good news of Easter.
And that's the good news all year long!