May We Be Sanctified: A Sermon for All Saints Day

God, give us ears to hear and hearts to listen. Amen.

 

It’s not very often that we get to read from the book of Revelation. So, when it does come around, it seems to me that we should reflect on it.

 

The Book of Revelation is considered to be apocalyptic literature – heavily symbolic displaying distinctive literary characteristics and claims to unveil the truth about the world as viewed from an apocalyptic perspective. It’s a very imaginative book, bursting with colour and sound. The stories are full of divine visions granted to a seer and then interpreted by angels or other spiritual beings. Symbolism is prevalent throughout the Book of Revelation, with the visions involving bizarre creatures and mysterious events.

 

Some theologians, like Calvin and Luther, wanted nothing to do with Revelation, writing not a word about it. In pop culture, it fuels films ranging from pulp fiction to rock operas. Revelation fuels the human imagination, taking readers beyond themselves, expanding our horizons as it travels from earth to heaven and from present to future. And most of the time, it is very difficult to figure out what the experience means.

 

You can see maybe why the creators of the common lectionary leave Revelation out of the cycle for the most part. So why is it part of our readings today? On All Saints Sunday?

 

The custom on All Saints Day is to remember those who have died in the last year. It gives us a moment to grieve those we have lost but also to move to thanksgiving for their life and, even more, for their place now among the saints gathered in the nearer presence of God.

 

All religions have saints – those who are deceased, and those who are living and walking among us, and if we think as Paul did, perhaps even we ourselves are saints. The word saint is not limited to the “greats” of history, for Paul and other writers in the New Testament use the term synonymously with Christian and, at times, believer. No matter how you define it, the word saint has broad implications, and that is perhaps the best way to describe today’s passage from Revelation 7.

 

In contrast to the first eight verses in this chapter which depict a specific number of worshipers (144,000), Revelation 7:9 casts a larger and more general vision for those who are able to worship around the throne of the Lamb. Beginning with verse 9, the writer describes a great multitude that is countless, numbering those from every tribe, and people, and language. There is no limit to the scope of this multitude, be it geographic, ethnic, numeric, linguistic, economic, and on the list goes.

 

Also, this multitude is both seen and heard. The multitude is clad in white, it is waving palm branches, and it is crying hymns of praise in a loud voice. Much of this imagery parallels the Triumphal Entry scene as depicted in the gospels, and it can be noted that this multitude pledges itself to the Lamb, which as we know is the image for Jesus. However, unlike the multitude in the Triumphal Entry scene that later turns its back on the Messiah, this multitude will remain faithful to the Lamb “forever and ever.” They remain loyal to the Lamb, they wash their robes and made them white, and they worship in the temple. As a result, they are sheltered, they are fed, and they are protected, and they have found freedom in the One they worship. In this way, the prophecy of Isaiah 25 is fulfilled:

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,

    of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

And he will destroy on this mountain

    the shroud that is cast over all peoples,

    the covering that is spread over all nations;

    he will swallow up death forever.

Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,

    and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

    “See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.

    This is the Lord for whom we have waited;

    let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

 

This passage from Revelation reminds us that being a faithful witness – like the great multitude – is the baptismal vocation for us all. It also reminds us that when we live out our Christian vocation, we find freedom in the Lamb of God who sustains us all. Most importantly, this passage reminds us that the vision for sainthood is all encompassing. And it is all-inclusive.

 

While the death of a loved one is one of the hardest things we will have to endure, let us also remember that loss deserves notice and demands comfort comes from many places, not only death. It comes in leave-takings, as we depart for a new job and home and leave beloved friends, family, and colleagues behind. It comes as you slowly lose a loved one to Alzheimer’s. It comes in the loss of employment or dignity. It comes from struggles with illness both of body and mind. It comes from being isolated for months from friends and family for whatever reason. Loss comes at us from so many places.

 

The passage from Revelation then becomes a letter of encouragement, hope, and comfort to all of us who are struggling with enormous loss over the last year, and not just in loved ones who have died. When struck with grief or loss, there is little capacity to imagine, let alone move toward, a future not dominated by these difficult realities. But Christ promises us that with faith in him, we will be sheltered, fed, and protected. Jesus will indeed wipe every tear from our eyes one day. In the meantime, Jesus sees our struggles and knows our grief. Indeed, he has borne them in his cross and bears them with us even now.

 

So I ask again, why does Revelation show up, really, only on All Saints Day in our lectionary?

 

Because this passage is a reminder that sanctity is a gift from God, and that commemorating the Saints in our lives, living and dead, is a way of affirming that the transformative power of Christ is at work all about us in human lives. We are saints because God’s sanctity is at work in us.

 

And so, on this Feast Day of All Saints, we gather to celebrate the lives of those saints who have gone on before us. Let us read the names of those who have passed since the last time we observed this day; and do it with solemnity and dignity and reverence and joy.

Resources

"Introducing the New Testament" by Mark Powell

"The New Interpreter’s Bible" edited by Leander E. Keck, Thomas G. Long, David L. Petersen, et al

"Christ’s Time for the Church" by Lawrence Stookey

Stories from the Dead: A Sermon for Dedication Sunday

Almighty God, we have heard your words to us in holy scripture, and know your call to each of us. In every age you have spoken through the voices of prophets, pastors, and teachers. We give you thanks that over the years we have heard you speak to us through the preaching of your word in this place. Grant that those who preach in this place may proclaim the crucified and risen Christ and interpret your word with sensitivity and insight, that we may hear that word inwardly and respond to it in all our life. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, your living Word. Amen.

 

This last Sunday in October is often used by churches to celebrate the Feast of Dedication. Typically, this feast would be on the date of dedication or consecration of the church. St Peter’s date of consecration is June 14, but as we didn’t acknowledge our anniversary at that time, I thought that this was a perfect way to end our 160^th anniversary celebrations from last night. For those who attended, you heard storytelling from various parishioners who are still with us, talking about the past, the present, and the future of the parish. This morning, acknowledging that our cemetery is older than the parish and is a very important piece our of ministry here at St Peter’s, we will hear stories from those who have died. I have done my best to honour the stories as best as I could with the information that I had.

 

Buried in our cemetery are people from various wars such as the Crimean War, the New Zealand War, both World Wars, and even the Riel Rebellion. For those who may not know, there’s a very interesting war memorial outside the south door. It is a 10 on granite rock with a cross on top. The rock was found in April 1919 by Carlton Stone and Charles Palmer on Colonel Roome’s property. It took most of April to move this rock along Maple Bay Road using sleigh, skids, blocks, cables, and 4 horses!

 

Charles Palmer was born in India. His mother died when he was 9 so he travelled with his father’s military regiment in India. During the Siege of Lucknow in 1857, he was hiding in a room with his older sister and her 2 children, and his younger sister. He was 10 years old, and the only one to survive. Small boys were sent to grind wheat, but he hated it so much that he went off to be part of his brother-in-law’s army troop as an ammunition carrier and messenger. For his efforts, Charles received the India Mutiny Medal and Clasp for the Defense of Lucknow. It’s believed this medal has been buried with him in our cemetery.

 

During his adult life, Charles worked in the Public Works Department in India where he was renowned for his work as an Irrigation Officer during the drought of 1877 and the famine of 1895. He is credited with preventing the spread of cholera by insisting on the use of permanganate of potash in all wells. Charles eventually came to Vancouver Island and served on the North Cowichan Council and with the Cowichan Creamery. He died at 93 years old.

 

Carlton Stone was the first of many Stone family members to be part of the Duncan and St Peter’s community. He was born in 1877 to parents who were farmers. He was 1 of 9 children and just shy of his 15^th birthday, Carlton left his family and his Essex home to follow the sea aboard the barge Hector. Carlton spent about half a decade on various barges and freighters before deciding that he was ready to leave his life as a sailor behind him. In 1904, Carlton made his way to Canada seeking an opportunity for a better living, arriving in Duncan in 1909. Carlton began working in the sawmills, eventually founding the Hillcrest Lumber Company, once employing 500 men and ranking 3^rd among the Island’s lumber producers.

 

Carlton was a deeply religious man and gave generously to St Peter’s. He embraced the Christian life and encouraged others to do the same. He had 5 sons and a daughter who were also a big part of the parish life. The Good Shepherd stained-glass window was donated to the church in Carlton’s memory, the 1966 organ was donated by the Stone family, and the grand piano that Ron beautifully plays was donated by Carlton’s grandchildren, Mike and Barb. Carlton died in 1950 and his legacy is felt all throughout St Peter’s history.

 

Of all the stories that I’ve been told about our cemetery, one that gets repeated to me often is “Bram Stoker’s brother is buried here.” Lt Col Richard Stoker was born in Dublin in 1851 and came to the Cowichan Valley at the end of the 19^th century. The Stoker family was quite well-known with one brother a Dublin physician and another a London physician. And, of course, Bram, author of Dracula. Richard Stoker was also a doctor and entered the Indian Medical Service, retiring in 1900. He had active service in the Afghan War, the Sikkim Expedition, and the Chetral Relief Force. In his retirement years, Richard was an accomplished zoologist and botanist. His wife was an artist who donated paintings to the Royal BC Museum. The Stokers owned 25 acres of lake-front land near Marble Bay at Lake Cowichan, which was eventually donated to the University of Victoria. It is now the Jeanne S. Simpson Field Studies Resource Centre.

 

These were just three stories from people who decided to make St Peter’s their final resting place. There are so many more stories out in the cemetery. Know that you are always welcome to wander the grounds, and please join us every other year for our Veteran Cemetery Tour.

 

May we always honour those who came before us and built St Peter’s into what it is today.

 

Amen.

A Letter to You from Paul: A Sermon for the 21st Sunday After Pentecost

Photo Credit: Cottonbro Studio on pexels.com

May only truth be spoken and truth heard. Amen.

 

Imagine if the diocese existed during a time where there were no phones, or internet, and slow-moving vehicles. Our community would have looked like Paul’s. Maybe a couple of times a year, a priest would make it to each of the parishes on the Island for a service and some visiting, but all other pastoral care would have been through writing letters. Having come from a shared ministry spread over hundreds of kilometers, I felt a bit of a kindred spirit with Paul in that he would have been a pastor to several churches, and he would have travelled many miles to visit them.

 

Paul was a circuit-riding preacher, and his main form of communication was letter writing. Because of the large distances between these communities, Paul didn’t have the ability to go back and forth all the time, so he relied greatly on his skill at writing pastoral letters as a way of mentoring his communities. Paul founded many Christian churches and wrote many letters, many of which were chiding communities that he heard were going against what he had taught and trying to set them once again on the right path. So, while it may strike us as odd that what would be considered old pieces of mail from Paul would be important enough that they are included in the scriptures, and that they would be studied and commented upon, it is in these letters that we gain historical and theological insights into the beginning of the Christian movement.

 

This is especially the case with the letter to the Thessalonians. Scholars believe that this letter was the first of Paul’s epistles, which would make these words very old. And since these scholars are quite certain that the writing of the epistles pre-dates the writing down of the Gospels by a good bit of time, 1st Thessalonians is thought to be the earliest document ever written about following the ministry of Jesus Christ. In other words, this may be the first bit of Christian writing and theological reflection ever.

 

The purpose of the letter is pretty clear. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy had worked in Thessalonica to successfully establish various house churches that were united enough that he addressed his letter to “The Church of the Thessalonians.” It appears that these three men were forced to flea Thessalonica, likely due to local opposition, and very likely before they were ready to leave. Paul’s concern for this community is evident in the fact that he sent Timothy back into the den, as it was, to check up on everyone.

 

What he heard back must have been really good because Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, the opening of which we heard today, is full of praise and thanksgiving. Because Timothy’s report was reassuring, Paul transitions from his short greeting immediately to expressions of gratitude for the community. He is especially encouraged by their perseverance despite persecution in the “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope.” You will hear this pattern of faith, love, and hope again later in the letter.

 

One of the most notable features of this section is Paul’s emphasis on the power and presence of the living God who has been at work among the Thessalonians. He does not seek to prove that God has acted powerfully in him and the community; he takes it for granted. In fact, the experience of God’s powerful presence serves as a key premise upon which Paul writes his thanksgiving and later exhortations. And we should not dismiss this vibrant awareness of the nearness of the living God as an outdated premise. Being aware of God’s power and presence in our lives holds rich vitality for our spiritual life.

 

We will never be able to fully understand the experiences of Paul, Silvanus, Timothy, and the Thessalonian community. But we can remain prayerfully aware of the presence and power of God who is constantly working in and around us. It is this awareness that will allow us to be transformed by the experience of the living God.

 

On the basis of such experience, Paul writes that the Thessalonians became imitators of him, his colleagues, and of Christ, as well as examples and messengers for others. Now it’s not that Paul feels people should copy their lives after him because he thinks he’s “all that”. In Paul’s ancient Greco-Roman context, imitation of models was the basis of education and moral formation. In order to learn how to write, form arguments, and live a good life, people would follow the examples of others who modeled how it should be done. Paul bore the responsibility of providing such a model for the communities he founded in the early Christ movement. What Paul was encouraging the Thessalonians to do was to imitate his efforts to serve God in anticipation of the return of the Messiah, which they all thought would happen in their lifetime.

 

So, what does it mean for us to be aware of the God’s power and presence in our lives? To imitate Paul and the Thessalonian community in imitating their servitude to God? It means to turn, serve, and wait in faith, love, and hope. The Thessalonians turned from idols, served God, and now wait for the return of the Messiah from heaven. Paul’s practical advice is that they are to not wait idly by, that faith and work are not mutually exclusive. He instructs the Thessalonians to continue in their work, specifying even the tangibility of working with their hands, so that need would not exist among the believers, and they would give a good witness to others. They have been transformed by their belief in Christ, but that does not mean that regular life has come to an end. They are still responsible to be faithful in their vocations. For them to continue to grow into their stellar reputation, work needs to be an element right along with faith, hope, and love.

 

In order for us to be imitators of Paul, we must have a faith that is active and productive, building muscles of faith that requires going out on a limb for Jesus, trusting him when all about us denies the wisdom of that trust. In order for us to be imitators of Paul, we must have a love that labours. The very character of God is love so in imitation of God, we should also be love. Love is a quality that should consume us and we should look to Jesus that this love may grow in us as a gift of God's grace. In order for us to be imitators of Paul, we must have a hope that strengthens. Developing strong hope in the coming of the Messiah gives us the ability to handle anything that life throws at us. Hope is knowing that no matters what happens today, we will have eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

 

In his very first epistle, Paul wrote a glowing letter to the Thessalonian community that was full of praise and thanksgiving. According to his opening dialogue, he was glad for the work they were doing, for their desire to imitate his servitude to God, and that they were doing so while full of faith, love, and hope. If Paul were writing a letter to the diocese, whether to an individual parish or the ministry as a whole, what do you think he would have to say?

 

Amen.

Living a Eucharistic Life: A Sermon for Thanksgiving Sunday

May only truth be spoken and truth heard. Amen.

 

Today is Thanksgiving Sunday. Maybe some of us will be celebrating with family, eating way too much food, perhaps football will be on the television. But, following up on last week’s discussion on truth and reconciliation, as well as the Truth About Cowichan event on September 30, there is a dark history to Thanksgiving in Canada.

 

Celebrating the harvest was always an important event for Indigenous people. It was a time to give thanks to nature’s bounty and for the health of the community. First Nations across Turtle Island have traditions of thanksgiving for surviving winter and for receiving crops and game as a reward for their hard work.

These traditions may include feasting, prayer, dance, potlatch, and other ceremonies, depending on the community.

 

When European settlers began coming to Turtle Island, Indigenous people saved them from starvation by sharing their food and their knowledge of survival on the vast lands of trees, water, and wild weather. Without having learned skills in planting, hunting, and fishing, the colonialists would have surely died. In return, the following year those same colonialists burned and murdered the Indigenous people. Not a great way to say thank you.

 

It's easy to see why many people feel a little ambivalent to this holiday. Don’t get me wrong. I like a good turkey dinner with all the fixings just as much as the next guy. But it sure is hard to be thankful around a table full of food when you know the history of the holiday and you consider what’s happening all around the world, and especially in our own backyards.

 

Wouldn’t lament be more appropriate? Or a cry for justice? Or a call to action?

 

Certainly, these are also possibilities and have their time and place. But for just this moment, and given today’s reading, I am reminded that of all of our responses to events, blessed or challenging, great or small, one of the most powerful is that of thanksgiving.

 

In the passage of Luke before us we have one of many stories of Jesus healing people with whom he has no business interacting. Ten men approach him, unclean and outcast, pleading with Jesus to heal them. Which, of course, he did. All these men would have been quite surprised to find themselves healed. Perhaps some were overjoyed. Perhaps some celebrated. Perhaps others ran to tell their family and friends. Perhaps a few even took it for granted. We don’t know what happened to nine of the men, but we know that only one returned to thank Jesus for curing him. Only one decided to actually express his gratitude to Jesus and to God.

 

Were all ten lepers healed? Yes. Were they all saved? Yes, in the sense that they were rescued from their disease. But not in the sense of drawing close to God in thankfulness and appreciation. The nine were saved physically but not spiritually.

 

Our natural response here would be to rebuke those nine men who ran off without even a slight word of thanks. But consider this. The other nine did nothing wrong. In fact, they did exactly as they were told and presumably also enjoyed being healed. Again, they didn’t do anything wrong and received the blessing promised them. So, what does the man who returned receive? Certainly, the blessing of healing, as did the other nine. But also the blessing that comes from recognizing blessing and giving thanks — the blessings, that is, of wholeness and even salvation.

 

Returning to God and giving thanks and praise is central to our faith. When we read this account of the ten lepers, we can’t help but be drawn to our central liturgical eucharistic prayer. “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God.” This Eucharistic prayer is like our weekly dose of gratitude. The words of the prayer are meant to characterize every part of our Christian living – our mundane, trivial, ordinary, everyday life. It’s our duty to show ourselves grateful to God with our whole life. The words of the Great Thanksgiving calls us to live Eucharistic lives.

 

But what does it mean to live a Eucharistic life? It means loving others. After hearing stories of how Jesus showed love to others, we try to show God’s love to everyone we meet. It is easy to show love to the people who are nice to us, but it is very hard to be nice to the people who we find hard to love. This is exactly what Jesus asks us to do!

 

It means looking after creation. God has made so many beautiful things for us that we need to make sure we look after them. God wants us to look after the people, the animals, the plants, and everything else in creation. It means caring for those in need. Jesus taught us to care for others who have less than we do. We can do this through prayer and through giving to places like the local food bank.

 

It means announcing the Gospel. God wants us to be evangelists! At the end of each service, we are sent out into the world to take what we have learned through the readings and prayers and live like Jesus and show God’s love to people in our daily lives. It means to do your best. Even when it was really hard, Jesus always did his best to do what he knew God wanted. He often prayed to God to give him the strength he needed to do what was right.

 

It means to help, share, and show kindness. Through his life, Jesus was always aware of people who needed his help. We too, need to always be ready to help others. Another way of showing God’s love to others is by sharing. There were many times when Jesus shared with others. And we can show kindness to other people, especially people who others are not kind to.

 

This world is full of blessing and challenges. Which will we focus on? Truth be told, there is a time for lament and cries for justice and activism. But given that we live in a culture filled with blame and accusation and almost devoid of thanksgiving, maybe on this day, and remembering the tenth leper, we can go forth to be heralds of blessing and bearers of powerful words of gratitude and to live the Eucharistic life to which we are called.

 

Amen.

A Lesson From St Francis: A Sermon for the Blessing of the Animals Service

We praise and bless you, Lord, and we give thanks to you. Amen.

 

Our Season of Creation is winding down, but it's a season we should always lift up! And what a great way to end the season! Having God’s wonderful creatures join us for worship and to receive a blessing, today we celebrate our four-footed and two-winged family members. October 4 is designated as the day to celebrate the feast of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology. This 13th-century Italian friar is often remembered for his deep humility, his simple life of prayer, and as someone who loved creatures and creation.

 

You will often see St Francis depicted surrounded by birds and animals, as he is this morning up here at our altar. Francis had a special connection with all of God’s creatures. I read a story about how he preached a sermon to 100 birds about being thankful to God for their wonderful clothes, for their independence, and for God's care. The story said that the birds stood still as he walked among him, only flying off when he said they could leave!

 

I think my favorite part of our creation story is that God created the animals and the birds first. “God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Gen 1:25) It was only once God saw that creation needed caretakers did God create humans. (And honestly, they probably would have be fine without us!)

 

We humans think that we’re the top of the power pyramid, but if it weren’t for the animals, birds, and fish, we’d be nothing. We’d have no purpose. We’d have no source of food or income. Genesis 1:28 states “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” We often mistake this verse to mean that we have been given divine power to control and dominate everything on the earth, that we can use the earth’s resources in anyway we deem fit.

 

But in that verse, God is giving us a creation mandate. We are told to procreate and grow the population. We are told to spread ourselves all over the earth. And we are told to be stewards of the earth, called to protect animal life and care for the planet with the justice and protection of a righteous caretaker, not through cruel exploitation. We are meant to safeguard creation, not manage it.

 

St Francis’ example of selfless love inspired others to follow him and together they preached the love of God to all and sought “to follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps”. For St Francis, the teachings of the gospel extended to all of God’s creatures, not just those who walk upright on two feet. Francis was in awe of the swallow and cricket and rabbit and saw sacredness even in the smallest bug. His teaching to us is that the world of nature and the world of God are one. When Jesus calls on us to love our neighbour, that includes every living thing in creation. St Francis reminds us that we are a part of our environment and are called to love and protect it.

 

As we head into the blessing of our beloved pets, I leave you with this prayer from Sacred Pauses:

Blessed are you, Lord God,

maker of all living creatures.

You called forth fish in the sea,

birds in the air

and animals on the land.

You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters.

We ask you to bless this pet.

By the power of your love,

enable it to live according to your plan.

May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation.

Blessed are you,

Lord our God,

in all your creatures!

 

Amen

Resources:

franciscanfriars.co.uk

catholic.org

franciscanmedia.org

re:worship.blogspot.com

We are the Latecomers: A Sermon for the 17th Sunday After Pentecost

Give us ears to hear and hearts to listen. Amen. 

The Gospel story today is often called the Labourers in the Vineyard. It begins and revolves around two kinds of people. The first is a landowner or, more specifically, the owner of a vineyard. As is true today, if you own a vineyard, you’re probably doing pretty well in life. The other characters are the day laborers, and they live at pretty much the other end of the economic ladder. Day laborers are people who don’t have a regular job. People who go into the town each morning hoping they’ll find work so they can feed their family. They’re not beggars, they’re not destitute, but they pretty much live right on the edge of poverty.

 

When the parable starts, the owner of a vineyard needs some help. It’s likely harvest time and the work is plentiful, so he goes into town at dawn to hire some additional workers, agreeing with them on a wage of one denarius for a 12-hour day, about the amount it takes to feed a family for a day. As the day goes on, it turns out that the landowner needs more help, so he goes out again at 9 in the morning and tells some more laborers that if they work, he’ll pay them what is right. No amount is named, just a promise that he will do right by them. He goes out again at noon, and once more at 3 in the afternoon, and finally one last time at 5 p.m., which is kind of a head-scratcher, because there’s only one hour left in the twelve-hour workday. But he hires them too and sends them into the vineyard.

 

At 6 in the evening, he tells his manager to settle accounts, and the folks who came last and worked only one hour are paid first. When they show up, they are likely astounded that they received a full day’s wage. You heard that right. They’ve worked just one hour – about 8 ½ % of the workday, but they’re getting a 100% of a full day’s wage. Which means they’re likely not just surprised but probably overjoyed. Maybe the only people happier than those hired at the last hour are those hired at the first. Think about it. They worked twelve hours and just saw the guys who only worked one hour get a full day’s wage. So, it’s not hard to imagine that they’re expecting to get more, maybe a lot more. But when they show up to be paid, they also get a single denarius. That doesn’t seem fair. I mean, they worked for twelve hours, enduring, as they understandably grumble, the scorch of the sun all day long. They feel they deserve more.

 

It’s all too easy for us to dismiss these laborers as ungrateful or selfish or, to borrow a biblical phrase, hard of heart. But their reaction is pretty much what most of us would have felt had we been in their shoes. What happens to them simply does not add up and so doesn’t seem fair. Never mind it’s what was contracted – if those who worked an hour received a day’s wage, then those who worked so much longer deserve more. Right?

 

In an act of generosity, the owner of the vineyard throws aside normal practices for payment. Rather, he gives the laborers what is “right.” While it seems terribly wrong to the diligent folks who have worked all day, it is right in the owner’s eyes that everyone goes home with enough pay to buy food for their families. But these workers want fairness; who can blame them. They feel cheated because they calculated their wages in accord with what the manger paid the latecomers. The manager responds that he has acted not with fairness in mind but rather with love expressed through generosity.

 

If you’re someone who works in the financial industry, this parable goes against pretty much every business practice. But we can’t get bogged down in the economics of this story. If we do, we will miss the whole point. The parable was not told to teach about money; it was told to teach about grace. Let’s take a look back at the verses that come right before today’s gospel reading:

 

“Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

 

Peter is saying, “look Jesus, we were your first choice, we’ve been around since the beginning, following you around, what do we get out of it?” and Jesus goes, “Pete, stop worrying so much about who’s first and who’s last. In the end, everyone gets into the Kingdom of God.”

 

There is this belief that the longer you’ve been doing God’s work, the longer that you’ve been following Christ, the bigger your reward should be in the afterlife. And that the stronger your faith, the more you’ve earned your spot in heaven. But the thing is, God is a terrible bookkeeper. God doesn’t keep a tally of all the things you’ve done in your life, as if ticking your way to the front of the line at Heaven’s Gates.

 

The landowner in our story pays every laborer the same because that’s the way God operates. God does not show partiality. God does not require payment for love. In this parable, Matthew is reminding us of the wonder of God’s grace and that God’s love for us, for everyone, is unconditional. Imagine a world in which preferences are not shown to some, where all people are welcomed and treated the same. Such a world could really become a priesthood of all believers. The God we discover in Jesus is the God who looks at us in love and overlooks all those places we fall short and chooses to treat us with unmerited grace, mercy, and generosity.

 

We are the latecomers to the vineyard, those who had no good reason to expect such lavish generosity. Instead of worrying about getting what we deserve, we need to see the world through the lens of the Kingdom of God. What would happen if everyone got their “daily bread”? Who are we neglecting or pushing to the margins, instead of making sure they are being see as equal and worthy?

 

The labourers in this story thought they weren’t getting what they deserved even though it was exactly what they agreed to. This is a good time to remind ourselves of the overwhelming gospel message: Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.

 

We don’t deserve God’s mercy. We didn’t earn God’s love. And yet, here we are. Receiving our “daily bread” from God – peace, love, mercy, and grace. Perhaps only those who think they don’t measure up are ready to receive God’s grace. To have faith is to embrace this possibility and to discover grace as hope and vindication for our lives. Even those coming to this faith late in life will have a spot in heaven. They too will receive their “daily bread”.

 

And that is good news indeed.

 

Amen

25 Years Later

Photo from abc7.com

25 years ago, almost 3,000 lives were lost when planes crashed into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and a farmer’s field killing thousands of people. Nothing has been the same since. It was a moment that changed the world.

I remember visiting my grandparents in Boissevain, MB and we would drive down to Lake Metigoshe in North Dakota for dinner. It was a real treat! Crossing the boarder was easy, with no more than a conversation. No IDs were checked. No mini-interrogation about why you're crossing the boarder. Nail clippers never used to be considered a dangerous weapon on an airplane, either.

Everything changed on September 11, 2001 and, 25 years later, it's all still the same.

10 years ago, as I was starting out in my theology degree, I wrote a paper about the September 11 attacks. It was probably one of my best papers and every once and a while I read through it, wondering if I could or should something more with it.

As we approached the 25th anniversary of these horrible events, I broke the paper out again. Reading through it, I shake my head because the world hasn't changed much over the last 2 decades. Everybody's at war with somebody. Fear is at an all-time high. And nail clippers are still consider a dangerous weapon on airplanes. Here is an excerpt from the paper:

"The attack on the World Trade Centre was a culmination of years of terrorism and war, disgustingly poor human rights policies, and some extremely faulty foreign policy within the US government with regards to counterinsurgency training and inconsistencies on who qualifies for US aid. On the surface it would appear that the attack was unprovoked and came out of nowhere. But as you begin to unravel the past, you can see a pattern in how the US deals with foreign nations and that it is quite likely that a group of people finally had enough and took justice into their own hands. Through mass and social media we have been essentially forced to accept the US as innocent bystanders who were seemingly attacked for no reason. But if you start delving into some history you will find that the US government was a far cry from an innocent or a bystander. From ignoring blatant human rights issues to taking both sides of a civil war it appears that the US has brought it on to themselves the fact that they are the target of multiple terrorist groups."

What I tried to do in my paper is attempt to show that it was the US government’s own inconsistent foreign policy that resulted in the destruction of the World Trade Centre and the death of 3,000 people. More than 3,000 as we are now aware of the deaths that were caused by health issues from the dust and chemicals that were in the air that day, and the days following.

Discussing such things as the Cold War, the Truman Doctrine, the Kennedy Doctrine, the Nixon doctrine, the Somalia Syndrome, the Rwanda Genocide, the Persian Gulf War, and Bin Ladin and al Qaeda, I feel like I was able to explain how the US became a targeted superpower. It was a fascinating bit of research and certainly made me realize how the events of September 11 were not isolated, nor did they come out of nowhere.

On September 11, the world was changed forever. With the aftermath leading to a two-decade-long war is Afghanistan, and Islamophobia rates skyrocketing to numbers that really haven't come down much since then, we are still feeling the effects of those horrible events, even 25 years later.

Will I break out this paper again in 5 years? 10 years? Only time will tell. But I sure hope things start turning around soon. How long can one country remain at war with the rest of the world?