Today were finishing a sermon series called Unfininished.

The AIM of this

series is to go deeper on our journey with Christ so that we can bear fruit even while were
unfininshed.
The image that weve been lifting up in this series is the honeycrisp apple.
Its a slice of heaven. Jesus taught us to bear fruit. If I was going to be a piece of fruit I
would love to be a honeycrisp apple. I want to be full and developed and help others experience
joy.
Its interesting that it takes eight years for an apple tree to go from a seed to a fully
developed tree where its bearing fruit. If I started a seed today I wouldnt enjoy fruit until 2022.
For eight years the tree is unfinished.
You and I are like this. We want to bear fruit, but we get in our own way sometimes.
Our own Big Messes stop us from bearing fruit.
So the question is how do we bear fruit while were on our journey of growing and
developing.
So far in this series weve looked at how God accepts us where we are on our journey and
wants each of us to accept ourselves. Weve looked at how God can use our Big Messes to make
an impact in the world. Weve talked about starting a LLJL movementlove like Jesus loved.
Weve looked at how we can make an impact on an unfinished world, a world that will always
be unfinished. We do that when we help those on the marginsthe hungry, those in prison
teenagers who are homeless.
It takes a long time and a lot of practice to bear fruit even when we are unfinished.
I encourage you to bring me articles or examples that relate to a sermon series. Kevin
Amundsen shared this article with me a couple weeks ago about the development of the

honeycrisp apple. It was discovered by David Bedford, a scientist who works for the University
of Minnesota. He tastes five to six hundred apples a day during peak apple season. The
honeycrisp apple was found almost by accident. The first honeycrisp tree was destroyed by the
original breeder. Four clones of the tree branch survived. They practically found the branches in
the garbage. Out of those branches the honeycrisp apple was developed. It is the six largest
apple in terms of production.
Whats interesting is it took a long time for this apple to be developed.
For us it might take a long time to bear fruit. The process is messy.
But its important for us to reflect on how we are doing. The question I want us to reflect
on (and Ill encourage us to reflect on this question during our Reflection time) is this.
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How is the condition of our heart compared to eight years ago? Im not talking

about our physical heart, of course.

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Im talking about our character of our heartthe fruits of the spirit..

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

Maybe eight years is too long. How is our heart compared to a year ago.
Are we growing? Are we the same? Do the Big Messes inside of us continue to flare up and
prevent us from bearing fruit.
As a pastor what saddens me is when a person really hasnt grown in their heart during
their life. The person is basically the same as they were ten or twenty years ago. The external
circumstances of their life might be different, but the big messes that hold them back are the
same big messes they experience in their 20s, 30s 70s, 80s and 90s. Its almost a tragedy
when the same big messes seem to always trip us up.
How is the condition of your heart?

Its hard to grow unless we have relationships with some people with whom we can share
whats going on in here. Im guessing that all of us know our big messes. Were familiar with
them because weve lived them. If we dont have a group of people with whom we can share we
might ignore them. Or we condemn ourselves privately or publicly. We might feel overly sorry
for ourselves. We might blame someone elsea parent or sibling or friend or spouse for these
big messes that we have. We might feel defensive about our big messes. Or we believe that we
cant grow.
The good news is we have some role models to help us. We have some stories. I think
this stuff is very hard. Its one of the hardest things in the world to confront our big messes and
even share them with our friends. Its even hard to lay them at the feet of God and ask for help.
It takes tremendous courage to do this.
Today we heard a story of a woman who had this courage.
A man whose name was Simon invited Jesus over to his house. Simon was a Pharisee. It
wouldnt be surprising if he invited Jesus to his house on a Saturday night after they had attended
a synagogue service. It even wouldnt be surprising if the two met at the synagogue and Simon
issued the invitation. Simon probably wanted Jesus at his house, so he could talk about God and
faith and what Jesus was doing.
But then a woman showed up. The story says she was a woman in the city. This was
probably putting it kindly. In the Message Eugene Peterson called her a harlot. She had
committed a sexual sin. Its too bad that this woman carried this label with her because there
were men involved in these sexual sins. But the men were never mentioned. She was labeled as
a sinner, but she was not the only one who had sinned.

Instead of labeling her as a prostitute, lets say that she was a woman who had engaged in
prostitution. She showed up at a pious Pharisees house. Simon had probably just attended
synagogue. Simon wanted Jesus to himself, but this woman showed up.
Imagine the courage that it took for a woman to show up. She had a reputation, and she
knew the reputation that she carried. She knew that Simon was a pious man. She knew that she
hadnt been invited to his house. It was like a cold call. Considering that women had no legal
rights and people didnt pay much attention to women in Jesus day this was quite remarkable for
her to do. This took courage.
If I was doing Bible Study with you I would ask the question, why did she show up?
Why did she come?
She wanted to bless Jesus, but I think it was even deeper than that. I think she saw in
Jesus someone who could help her get out of her Big Mess. I think she saw in Jesus someone
who could help her grow as a person; someone who could help the character of her heart.
Then the story got messy. The woman had brought an alabaster jar full of ointment. She
started massaging his feet. She started crying and she used her tears to anoint Jesus feet. Then
she used her hair. She used her hair to dry them.
Can you imagine what Simon was thinking?
I think he was scandalized by what he saw. Im guessing that his faith was a clean faith.
It was a faith where people followed the rules and then were rewarded for following the rules. It
didnt involve getting on the floor and anointing someones feet with your tears when you were a
woman of the city. Simon wanted things clean, calm, and proper.
Then this woman messed it all up.

In a way Simon represented the pious church. Im guessing some of us might have had
an experience with the pious church. This is a church where people follow the rules and are
rewarded for their piousness. Faith is clean and calm and proper.
Please here me out. Im all for piousness and faith. But when piousness and faith is only
a matter about what we think and what we do, then its missing out on a huge part of what faith
is about. This woman was willing to share her heart. She was willing to get on the floor and
share her Big Mess; she was willing to embarrass herself in front of others so that she might
grow.
I love churches that are full of pious people. But if people arent willing to get on their
knees and anoint Jesus feet then the church hasnt reached its full potential. The same is true for
us. I think we do a terrific job of sharing our Big Messes with others. If we arent willing to see
that faith can be very, very messy, then well never reach our full potential.
Wow this woman had courage.
Its hard stuff to acknowledge our messes.
I was thinking about how hard it was to acknowledge our messes when the Grand Jury
verdict in Ferguson, Missouri came out on Monday night. This is a hard issue to talk about
because our country is so divided on it. To have a conversation about Ferguson can get really
messy.
I think we make a big mistake if we dont talk about this. If I say something about this
that you disagree with, come and talk to me.
At the verse least this issue shows a huge racial divide in our country.

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Its disheartening that a Huffington Post survey shows that 62 percent of African

Americans believe that Darren Wilson was at fault in the killing and that 22 percent of whites
believe the same.
Its not hard to find opinions Fergusonstrong opinions. I wrote a blog about this and a
raging debate broke out on my Facebook page. And I dont know what happened on August 9
between Michael Brown and Darren Wilson. Even the eye witnesses who saw what happened
reported conflicting testimony to the Grand Jury.
We need to talk about this Big Mess of race. These issues of race are dividing us. I
encourage you this week to talk about the Michael Brown case with someone who doesnt share
your skin color. Whatever your opinion talk to someone.
It takes courage to bear fruit.
It took courage for this woman to approach Jesus.
Simon told Jesus that he couldnt be a prophet because a prophet would have known that
this womanand cant you hear the scorn in his voicethis woman was a sinner. Sinners
shouldnt be carrying on with Jesus.
Jesus told a story. Two men owed a debt. One man owed five hundred days wages and
the other owed fifty days wages. Their debts were wiped out by the owner. Jesus asked
Simonwho do you think felt more gratitude for their debts being wiped outthe person who
owed 500 days wages or the person who owed 50 days wages. That wasnt hard. The man who
owed 500 days wages.
Jesus then contrasted Simons behavior with the woman. When I came into your house
you didnt offer me any water; she offered her own tears. You didnt offer me any ointment; she
brought an expensive jar of alabaster ointment.

Its like Jesus was saying this woman has many sins, and Im forgiving them. You cant
see your own sins. You dont think you need grace.
At the end of the story a debate broke out about whether Jesus had the authority to
forgive sins. I think the debate is interesting. But I think what is more important is the
acknowledgement of this woman that she needed Jesus. She needed grace.
My final challenge to you is to share your big messes with someone here at the church
this week. Have the courage to be authentic with one other person. Im not asking you to do this
so that you condemn yourself. Thats the last thing from my mind. Im asking you to do this so
that you have one or two people who will help you move forward. When you share your big
messes with another person from Chain of Lakes you are placing them at the feet of Jesus.
Usually I have my sermons written by Thursday. This week was different because I
preached at the Thanksgiving service on Wednesday, and then I had Thursday off. I was a little
behind. I was still writing this sermon last night. I was trying to come up with one final image
for this series that could capture what it meant to bear fruit while sharing our big messes.
I came across a picture.
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Here it is.
Doesnt this capture bearing fruit. The pain; the big messes; having the courage to share

ourselves; the willingness to embrace someone.

This picture is the story. Its having the courage to place our big messes at the feet of
Jesus and ask for help. Its the acknowledgment that we need grace.
This weekhave a conversation about Ferguson with someone who doesnt share your
skin color. Share your big mess with another person at Chain of Lakes. And acknowledge how
much we need grace. The womanthe woman from the Citythe harlotshe is our role model