Wales Tales 10/5/14

The world’s a pretty rugged place

Where war and sin prevail,

And finding ways to further peace

Requires a wall to scale.

The anger and hostility of ages

Long gone by

Remain as strong as iron bands

to send the course awry.

The memories of ancient wrongs,

Of slights and cruel deeds

Makes searching for a gentle path

Among the thorns and weeds

A task of monumental price,

A job for super skills,

A hunt for answers to that goal

Before some hatred kills

The spirit to find ways to heal,

The balm to salve the hurt,

And close the road that leads to war

And cover it with dirt

Where seeds of hope can bloom again,

And joy can be renewed,

Where children are allowed to play

And never learn to feud.

‘Tis but a dream the scoffers say,

For war shall never cease,

But those who hear the voice of God

Still seek the road to…

                                                Peace,

It's Not Fair

“It’s not faaaaaaaaaair!” When was the last time you heard this refrain? Was it one of your students? Or children or grandchildren? Was it that whiny kid in the grocery store as the poor frazzled dad looked defeated? If you heard a kid say that, what would be your response? Would you try to make it fair? Or would you smile and respond “Well, life’s not fair”? 

Read Psalm 105:1-6,37-45 and Matthew 20:1-16.

We can all too easily imagine a child whining ‘it’s not faaaaair.” But the truth is, we never really grow out of that attitude – it just hides away in our hearts, and only comes out with our close friends or our spouses, where we can truly confess that it’s just not right, and it’s just not fair. So it’s a little too easy for us to resonate with the earliest group of workers in Matthew’s story today. They show up early and are recruited to work in the vineyard. They have the longest day – and working in the vineyard in the scorching heat isn’t easy! Therefore, regardless of the deal they made with the vineyard owner at the beginning of the story, they expect the most pay, the most merits, their just desserts. How dare this vineyard owner ‘make them equal’ to the workers who did less! 

But Jesus tells us that this vineyard owner is not like other business owners. In God’s vineyard, we receive the same gift of grace. In God’s vineyard, there is an economy of abundance and not scarcity. In God’s vineyard, we all receive enough for our daily bread. In God’s vineyard, we are ALL treated as beloved children of God, who have a job to do.

For it is a gift to be called to labor in God's vineyard. This Sunday is Back to Church Sunday, so hopefully we will see some new and returning faces in the pews. This parable of the vineyard is Good News for those who worry that they haven't been to church lately, or ever. This parable tells us that it is never too late to respond to God's call; those who come every week and those who come once in a while are equally loved by our generous God. Those who came early and those who came late still had plenty of work to do in the kingdom of God.  For God loves us still, whether we are gratefully receiving God’s gifts, or whining that it’s not enough, that it’s not fair.

For it’s not fair. We are, in fact, undeserving of the gifts of God. It’s not fair that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. It’s not fair that because of NOTHING we have done, God rewards us with eternal life. It’s not fair that no matter how far we wander away from God, God still loves us and pursues us and calls us home to the vineyard. It’s not fair – and that’s the best news of all. Thanks be to our God whose grace is unfair, unfettered, and unconditional. Amen. 

Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate

Wales' Tales 9/15/14

No one knows what tomorrow holds

Except the heart of God,

No one understands the flow of time

In which we humans trod.

No one sees the ebb and flow that makes

Our lives complete.

Only God who reigns above is aware

in the judgment seat.

Human beings don’t like to think about

A judgment time.

It seems too hard to comprehend,

A mount too tall to climb.

Why should a God who created things

Require that justice grow?

Why would God care about such things

Or even want to know?

But that assumes that God is one who

Stands a long way off,

A being not involved with us, or so the

Doubters scoff.

But God has shown great love for us,

By sending the true Son,

To live amongst the common folk,

The chosen holy One.

Through Him, God knows the strife of life,

The joy, the pain, the tears.

The hungers and the gratitude,

The challenge and the fears.

Through Him, God sees the seasons change,

And knows the way we live,

Responds to what we need and want,

Discovers how we give

The promise of commitment, the call of faith and sin,

And sees how we require love

That lets us truly win.

Let justice flow like rivers. Let mercy never cease.

Let all God’s children live in joy and share the gift of …

                                                                        Peace,

Wales' Tales 9/8/14

Once in a while the world seems to turn

At an ever increasing, fast rate,

So much going on that you can’t take it in,

Much less understand why you hate

To feel under pressure, so out of control,

When all that you ask is a break,

A time to breathe slower, to sit and relax

When you miss what is really at stake.

The faster things move, the harder it is

To make good decisions each day,

And when you react without seeing the end

Means that somehow you’re going to pay

With long sleepless nights, and hours of toil,

Misjudgments, confusion and pain,

Because it is easy to choose in a rush,

And discover you’ve nothing to gain.

Then worry sets in, and anger grows strong,

Again, we are out of control,

Our rushing and struggling take on lives of their own

And we risk losing faith and our soul.

There’s nothing to gain from a life on the run,

No matter what anyone says,

To run the rat race just because it’s the “thing”

Only leaves us inside of the maze.
Time for reflection, to think and to pray

Is the gift that our lives truly need,

To make sure that our motives are honest and true

Not driven by avarice and greed.

We don’t always need all the things that the world

Is always so willing to sell,

For trying to buy all our larders can hold

May be op’ning the pathway to Hell.

So stop for a moment, take time to reflect

And let all that pressure release,

Discover the power of taking your time

Find God’s grace, independence and…

                                                                Peace,

Wales' Tales 090214

The time that hurts the human heart

is when it’s left alone,

when no one else is there to care,

no voice, no hugs, no tone

of caring words or cheerful laugh,

no hope to find a friend,

a darkened tunnel lies ahead

that seems to have no end.

It happens when a loved one dies,

Or when you move away

From those who shared the walk of life

On every passing day.

Or when you go to a new school

And leave your friends behind,

You never know who you will meet,

You hope they will be kind.

For some the solitude is good,

But most prefer the crowd,

Where people smile, laugh and talk

Where life is warm and loud.

But there are always times ahead

When we will stand as one,

When tragedy or happenstance

Steps in to end our fun.

To be alone and on our own

Is scary at its best

It forces us to reassess.

It puts us to the test.

To find the strength to carry on,

To sit alone and think,

To seek new ways of getting through,

To pull back from the brink.

We need to know that in this life

No matter where we roam,

There is a place that calls to us

That’s just as close as home.

And at our side unseen, yet there

Is one who will not cease

To grant his presence in our lives,

Our friend, the Prince of…

                                    Peace,