The Kingdom of Heaven: Here and Now in the Vineyard with Jesus

We continue our sermon series on "The Kingdom of Heaven: Here and Now" with Matthew's parable, often referred to as the Parable of the Wicked Tenants: Matthew 21: 33-46. A supporting scripture is Isaiah 5: 1-7.

The kingdom of heaven here and now can be envisioned as a vineyard, created by God on a fertile hill and planted with choice vines. This is a kingdom vision which should yield the best grapes. But if we look around us, we see a wasteland of briers and thorns, where bloodshed dominates rather than the justice and righteousness we hope for in God's kingdom.

If we are tenants given responsibility for harvesting the vineyard/kingdom to feed the hungry, what fruits of peace and justice for all are we producing? The question from Heifer International is: If there is enough for everyone, why doesn't everyone have enough? How can we co-create with God a kingdom of shalom and wellbeing so that the kingdom of heaven becomes more and more visible?

An answer to these questions centers on Jesus Christ in Matthew 21: 42 - "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes." Through Jesus Christ we bridge the gap between the chaos/violence/oppression/lack of peace all around us and the vision of the kingdom that is realized bit by bit in faithful discipling. On this World Communion Sunday, we Christ followers recognize and celebrate that we are a part of the greater Body of Christ for whom the Easter story of this parable is our very good news. In receiving Christ's body and blood in the sacrament of communion, let us re-commit ourselves - each to our own passion about making a difference in the world as we build on the foundation Jesus has laid for us.

Yes Means Yes. No Means No.

Authority is often considered a dirty word in our vocabulary - something to be resented or ignored. "How dare she tell me what to do! Who does she think she is, anyway?" Unless it's our own personal authority or an authority that protects us or gives us our rights, we tend to react against or subtly go around any authority we don't like.

With this thought in mind, consider Christ's authority in your life as you read Matthew 21: 23-32 and Philippians 2: 1-13.

Does Jesus' authority come from God? Is it so central to your life that you listen, love, and obey? Do you ache to be more Christ-like in all you think, say, and do?

Jesus' parable of the two sons - one who says "Heck no, I won't go" to his father and then changes his mind and heads out to the vineyard and one who says dutifully but hypocritically "Yes, I'll go work as you ask, Father" and then doesn't - puts us in the catbird seat to look at our own behavior. Are we defensive and reactive and resentful when told what to do? What can change our minds after our initial negative reaction?

Or do we work the system with the "right and appropriate" words so that we appear obedient and faithful on the surface? Do we show up for worship to get credit for our presence and then ignore Jesus' call to go forth and serve and care for others for the rest of the week?

As Paul says about following Christ in Philippians: Live in responsive obedience. Redouble your efforts. Be energetic, reverent, and sensitive. (abbreviation of Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Philippians 2 in The Message). Live your lives with oneness so that your yes really means yes. Live so that your actions are in accord with your words. In this integrity of your being, you are aligned with Christ that God might transform you from within.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Shelley

It's About the Owner, Not the Laborers

I’ve been learning a lot about gardening lately, living in a home with a yard for the first time in my adult life. I’m learning the difference between trees and bushes, weeds and things you actually want there. I’m learning that it is hard work to sweat out in the sun to try and tend to all the living plants out there!

Our Scriptures for this week come from Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 and Matthew 20:1-16.

It’s with this new outlook that I read the Matthew story – I bet that vineyard work wasn’t very easy on the backs of the laborers. This isn’t a cushy office job, but a hard, sweaty, messy, exhausting job. And it’s a job for a LOT of people. It makes me wonder just how big this vineyard is! And then they get paid, whether they sweated for one hour or all day, the same amount. Immediately we want to say along with the first workers “But that’s not fair! That’s not what we deserve!”

One of the most frustrating aspects of my yard is the weeds. It’s been a jungle out there, with no one tending to it for several years. No matter how many times I cut them down or pull them from the flowerbeds, they keep appearing. They don’t work according to my plan. And fortunately for all of us, neither does God’s grace.

I figure this passage is not really about the laborers, but the employers. It’s not about how long someone works, or any other of their merits. It’s about the employers – willing to call anyone for this job, willing to pay them enough. It’s about God, a God whose grace is bigger than our narrow systems of fairness. It’s about our God whose grace is like weeds, growing wherever God intends, not me, appearing in unexpected places and showing me just how small and how feeble my plan really is.

We don’t get what we deserve. And that’s a good thing. The radical gift of free grace, a gift that makes us shout at its unfairness, is offered by God to all. And thanks be to God for that!

Love,
Pastor Kate

Dare to Remember. Dare to Forgive.

This Sunday we at Trinity, as well as people of diverse faiths, will gather to worship - many of us within the context of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We will remember where we were and what we were doing on the morning of 9/11 and what we did afterward. We'll remember how this tragedy touched our lives and how our world has changed since then. These are powerful memories and reflections.

Our lectionary scriptures speak a powerful word to us: Matthew 18: 21-35 and Genesis 50: 15-21.

Among our myriad of mixed feelings about 9/11, the theme of forgiveness has tortured many through these last 10 years. In our gospel, Jesus commands the demanding work of forgiving others 70 x 7 times - in Jesus' day this represents no end to the process of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a repeated theme throughout Jesus' ministry. Here, it's especially harsh when a wicked steward, who having just been forgiven a huge debt, chooses not to forgive a fellow slave who owes him a debt. The king then hands the wicked steward over to torture. The parable ends with Jesus' promise: "So my heavenly Father will also do to everyone of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart" (Mt 18: 35). For those who respond to 9/11 or other acts of violence or betrayal with a desire for vengeance, I find that revenge is rarely sweet nor healing. Jesus shows us a path toward healing and wholeness through forgiveness.

Most compelling to me is the reminder in our daily praying the Lord's Prayer when we plead with God to forgive us our sins/debts/trespasses as we forgive the sins/debts/trespasses of others - as if the measure of our forgiveness by God rests upon our choice to forgive others. However, Jesus reminds us that we've already been forgiven and that he, as the Son of God will be with us always, to the end of the age. Through this I realize that my response of forgiveness is a response of gratitude for the unlimited grace and mercy I've already received from God. How can I but forgive - especially as Jesus promises to walk with me through this hard work of forgiving?

In Genesis 50, when Joseph promised his brothers who had attempted to have him killed, that they had nothing to fear (Fear Not!) because God intends to bring good out of what had been intended for evil. Shalom is God's intent for all of life. How do we bring ourselves to trust in God's power to heal? Forgiveness 70x7 times is a good set of first steps.

Ten years after 9/11 as we dare to remember and dare to forgive, how can we re-commit ourselves to peace and justice? How do we create a new future out of memories, forgiveness, and coming together? Our answer lies in our commitment to God's kingdom here on earth in which our ultimate loyalty is to God's vision - God's steadfastly loving nature - God's right to judgment.

Grace and Peace, Pastor Shelley