Worship - 23 March 2025

Summary of this week's theme - second chances

Five years ago, during Lent, we began a study based on Les Misérables, using the film—Russell Crowe’s singing included. Unfortunately, COVID interrupted the series, which was a pity since the story deeply resonates with Lent’s themes of repentance and redemption. At its heart is Jean Valjean, given a second chance by a kind priest who not only forgives his theft but offers him silverware and a new path in life. This act of grace transforms Valjean, though his journey is not without struggle.

Second chances are a powerful theme in literature and film—seen in Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, The Alchemist, The Shawshank Redemption, It’s a Wonderful Life, and even Finding Nemo - to name but a few. Such stories resonate because we all long for redemption, having made mistakes ourselves. However, not all stories end happily—Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge reminds us that some pasts are inescapable.

The idea of second chances is central to the Gospel, especially in Luke. This week’s passage focuses on a fig tree that has not borne fruit for three years. The vineyard owner, frustrated, orders it to be cut down, but a gardener intervenes, pleading for one more year to nurture it. This mirrors God’s patience and grace, allowing time for transformation.

Yet, while we welcome second chances for ourselves, we often hesitate to extend them to others, setting rigid judgments. This is a key tension in Les Misérables, where the relentless inspector Javert cannot accept Valjean’s redemption. Similarly, a scene in Ted Lasso highlights the danger of judgment - Ted, underestimated in a darts match, quotes Walt Whitman: ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ If people had been curious, they would have discovered his skill rather than assuming his failure.

Curiosity fosters growth, while judgment leads to stagnation. Instead of condemning those struggling - whether in poverty, unemployment, or antisocial behaviour - perhaps we should ask: Why is this so? How did they end up here? Rather than dismiss people as lazy, true faith calls us to compassion and understanding.

Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of second chances to Israel in exile, offering hope and renewal despite suffering. This is also our invitation - to recognise both the second chances we receive and our need for them. Like the fig tree, we are called to bear fruit: hope, generosity, and justice. To do so requires patience, humility, and the willingness to turn around. May we embrace second chances, in others and in ourselves.