September 24, 2023 — Pentecost +17A, Matthew 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This parable presents one of the few times in life where being picked last is a good thing. No one aspires to be last, as far as I am concerned — of course there are always examples of people who go against the norms. But many people think that certain people “deserve” to be last in life. G-d says something certain about our deserving minds and mind-set. “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Are you envious because I am generous?” In other words, G-d is saying “Who are you to think you deserve something?”

You do know we are a “deserving” society. We are constantly told that we deserve this, and we deserve that. You deserve that new house, that new car, that sleep number bed, that boat. Tell me, what did you or I do yesterday to deserve to wake up today? What did you or I do today to be able to wake up and have the ability to go to work, to visit family, to feed our children, to come to church — what did we do to “deserve” to be alive today? We should intuitively know the answer to this question: which is “We did nothing to deserve those things.” We did nothing to deserve the good, the bad, and the ugly of today. Do we deserve to have a say in what we or other’s deserve?

Here is what Robert Smith, Lutheran pastor and theologian writes this about the parable of the Vineyard: “It is simply a fact that people regularly understand and appreciate God’s strange calculus of grace as applied to themselves but fear and resent seeing it applied to others.” Robert Smith (Matthew, Augsburg Commentary)

In other words, having an envious eye toward those who have more, or seem to be more blessed, or more deserving will only lead us down a dark and lonely road — just ask Jonah. And hard work does not equal G-d’s gracious will in our lives either — this is an equation we must all accept. Even worse, we should be able to celebrate G-d’s grace when it happens to others, not just when it happens to us.

We must be very careful that we do not begin to think so selfishly that soon we believe there should be a hierarchy of believers — you know, some work harder than others, so they should receive more blessings. Here is a truth we must accept:

Some people will work harder than us

Some people will work longer than us

Some people will come to faith early in life

Some people will come to faith later in life

Some people will be more dedicated to their faith

And yet, the truth Jesus tells us is: we are all open to receive the same grace and blessings from G-d.

Sometimes we give G-d glory for the grace and blessings we have received — sometimes we are envious for the Grace and blessings others receive. And sometimes we are generous, with our time, talents and finances — and sometimes we give to others only what we think they deserve — including to G-d and the church. Sometimes we are Jonah, running as far from G-d as we think we can — other times we run to G-d. But we are always beggars — equally underserving of G-d’s blessings, mercy and Grace — equally sinful — equally forgiven, no matter how long we have been followers of Jesus or how short — equally blessed — equal in G-d’s eyes as Kingdom dwellers.

We are called to live as Kingdom dwellers now — working for the Kingdom, not just to get into the Kingdom — because G-d chooses to do what G-d chooses to do with what belongs to G-d. And since we belong to G-d, through our baptisms, justified by faith through Grace in Word and Sacrament — then let’s get to work bringing about the Kingdom right now — with every person, in every way.

Pastor Dave

September 23, 2023 — Psalm 144

“Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under me. O LORD, what are human beings that you regard them, or mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow. Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke. Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them. Stretch out your hand from on high; set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hand of aliens, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false. I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, the one who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David. Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from the hand of aliens, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false. May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace. May our barns be filled, with produce of every kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields, and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets. Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.”

“They are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow.”

A shadow is created when light is disrupted; for when no object intercepts the light of the sun, or when the light of the sun has faded, no shadow is produced. In like manner, the state of our existence is made up of both light and shadows.

When I worked at a daycare many years ago, I played a game with the children called “shadow tag”. The idea was to play a game of tag, but the way to tag someone was to step upon their shadow. Now, you mention to a young child about stepping upon their shadow, and they may ask “Won’t that hurt?” Of course, even though a shadow seems to be something, it really is nothing. If you try to grasp it, you soon realize it is nothing but emptiness. A shadow never remains the same, for either we are in motion, or the earth continues to spin. Eventually, the earth will move in such a manner that, at length, all shadows around us will finally and certainly cease.

Most of us have a chance of living well into our 70’s or 80’s – or beyond. Of course, each life has no promise for anything — not the next second — not even our very next breath is secured. There will be people in our lives who will seemingly come and go with the suddenness of a shadow — it is the way of this life.

Though our lives, like our shadows, may seem to come and go at the whim of fate — we pray that we leave a trace of our existence through our love for G-d and for our neighbor. May our presence offer shade for those burned by the heat of hate and suffering — and may our love for you shine like the sun, so that nothing over-shadows our love.

Let us Pray:

Generous and bountiful God, give compassion to the prosperous and comfort to those in need, that all people may come to love and praise you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

Pastor Dave