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St. Charles Episcopal Church - Saint Charles, IL

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 20 RCL Year A

Sunday, September 18, 2011                                                                                                                                                                          

Exodus 16:2-15 – Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 – Philippians 1:21-30 – Matthew 20:1-16

Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Following the theme that started last week, this morning we heard another parable that begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like...” Since the kingdom of heaven is run the way God wants it, we have also found out a little bit more about how our behavior differs from God’s will.

Before we go on I want to start by reminding us of a great truth. A truth we too often forget. Though this truth is not spoken directly in any of our lessons today, it is a truth that lies behind them all. Though we are made in the image of God, we are not God. Simple really. If you would ask anyone in Church this morning, “Are you God?” I don’t think any of them would say yes. But that isn’t always the way we act. We all too often presume to know how God would act. Or should act. And that always leads to trouble. Big trouble. Sadly, this is nothing new.

We see the Israelites making this mistake in our reading from Exodus. Every time I read Exodus, it is a miracle to me that God leads the Hebrews out of the wilderness. If I were God I would have left them there a thousand times over. I never could tolerate whiners! God, on the other hand, not only tolerates whiners, but appears to actually love them. Go figure! We get this message over and over throughout the Bible. If we sit down and think about it, we know that God loves us, and is compassionate with us. That is who God is! What we too often tend to forget is that this truth applies to everyone, not just to us alone. With infinite wisdom, God may choose to be compassionate to our enemies; Though this possibility would be imponderable to us, they may actually need it more than we do. If we are to see the kingdom of heaven in our midst, we must be able to see this possibility; And the rightness of this possibility. It is far too easy for us to forget that the kingdom of heaven is not about fairness, but about justice.

There is one other gift and cautionary tale that comes from our Exodus reading today, and it comes right at the end. It is the realization that God’s grace and blessing may not always look like a grace or a blessing at first. Did you notice that even after the Hebrews have been told that they will be receiving food from heaven, when they first see the manna, they have no idea what it is. “When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ ”This really begs the question, “How is God blessing us now in ways we yet cannot see?” I’ll let you work on that one at home this week.

And so now we come to “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner and his vineyard.” If there ever was a parable that brings into sharp relief the difference between God and humanity, this is it. If there ever was a parable that really gets under our skin, this is it. This is the place where the gloves come off. This is the place where Jesus doesn’t play fair. This is where Jesus hits us below the belt. This is where Jesus hits us in our wallet. When we talk about money in the church we always struggle to be scrupulously fair. It was no different in Jesus’ time than it is today. Did you know that in the Bible Jesus speaks more about money than any other topic. The parable from the Gospel this morning almost compels us to jump up and shout, “It’s not fair!” It offends our sensibilities. We are right there with the grumbling workers. Did you notice how the author of the Gospel tries with the last sentence to impose some sort of order on the parable? Those words don’t quite seem to complete the parable. Even though they look like the words of Jesus, I think they are an addition by someone, like me I suspect, who was very much unsettled by this parable, and wanted to ease that unrest. The rest of this parable speaks to us of a God that cannot be trusted – who is generous to a fault. This God appears to be being taken advantage of, is giving away money to people who don’t deserve it, who haven’t earned it. Who does he think he is? Well…..God. In the face of all our righteous indignation God, in the guise of the landowner, asks us a simple question. “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” Man, I hate it when God does that!

On the other hand, before we go off the self-righteous deep end, do we really want God to give us what we truly deserve? What we have earned? I can tell you I don’t. And I really don’t think you do either. But when God is generous to others we balk because we think somehow there will be less for us. We forget that God’s bounty is limitless; that with God all things are possible. Next Saturday we will gather for a glorious pot-luck dinner and began a process that we in the church often call a stewardship drive.

Let me interrupt the sermon for a brief bit of business. If you haven’t signed up or responded to the e-vite yet, please do so today so that we can be adequately prepared. OK, back to the sermon.

I’ve never really liked the term Stewardship Drive. We are called to practice good stewardship every day of our lives. What we are starting next week is our annual pledge drive; it’s sort of like a fund-raising drive, but it is really much, much more. A pledge is a statement of faith, a statement of thanksgiving, and a statement of dedication all wrapped up in one. Whenever we give, whether it is time, talent, or treasure, we find ourselves in the midst of a battle between generosity and fear. Were we to give as God gives, we would give all that we have, with no thought of the cost. Were we totally unaware of God’s generosity in our lives, we would give, if we gave at all, only what was left over, or what we no longer had any use for. And so we struggle somewhere in between, perhaps feeling guilty that we don’t give more or angry that we don’t have enough left, and sometimes both at the same time. In the coming weeks as we make our way through our annual pledge drive, we will all have the opportunity to fight that battle again as we contemplate our monetary pledge for the coming year. It can be a time of anxiety, but it needn’t be. Remember that God cherishes any and all that we give. In the eyes of God, even the widow’s mite is a treasure. The striving to make a new pledge, or grow a pledge can also be a time of hope or joy; a time when your faith grows and ripens. Pray. Now and often. Talk with the people around you, both in church and out. Share your concerns, and hopes, and dreams for the church.

In this harvest time of the earth’s generosity, when plants are ripe with fruit, remember the abundance of God’s generosity. Remember that if we are doing it right, and I believe we are, God returns many fold whatever we freely and joyfully give. We have seen that abundance be an active force in the life of our parish. In the past few years we have had some significant unforseen challenges to our financial situation. With faith and dedication we have found a way through without letting our ministries suffer. We have found a way to take who we are, and what we do best, and grow them in faith, with God’s help. We choose, in the words of St. Paul,“to live our life together in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ... standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.”

Though they may not always feel that way, rest assured that God has a new year of miracles planned for us. It is our task to keep our eyes and hearts open to the wild generosity of the kingdom heaven.

Amen.