Well hello everyone!
I've been so busy that I haven't had time to stop and post my sermons.
This one from Sunday, September 20th (aka Proper 20) was for an Instructed Eucharist Sunday. I had hoped that our church might have some folks who were visitors or at least that some of my members might invite a friend or two to this service.
And while that didn't happen, it gave everyone a chance to learn a few things that they hadn't known or thought about before.
Now it's your turn to see the thought process behind my sermon writing...or at least this sermon's evolution.
Another note: the week in Valdosta was full of rage and tension as ICE came to town and agents were conducting traffic chases after members of the Latin population going to their jobs. There were protests on the streets where they were seen....and a large protest at the courthouse on Saturday.
So that was in my mind as well as I wrote this. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Texts: Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20: 1-16
So…now we arrive at the sermon.
And in the same way that we came up with
the “Collect of the Day”….the typical sermon in an Episcopal Church consists of
the thoughts and reflections that your preacher has had on the Scriptures
shared during the worship.
Other traditions allow the preacher to
go far afield from the texts we’ve read and heard.
But our particular branch of the Jesus
Movement believes that its best to stick the Scriptures…and to use this time as
a chance to not only reflect upon the Word of God…but to consider how that Word
of God is still relevant and speaking to us now…and commenting on our lives as
we are living them in the 21st century.
Some preachers insist that a sermon must
incorporate something from ALL the texts…the Old Testament…the psalm…the
Epistle reading…and the Gospel.
Others say that we must preach only on
the Gospel.
I prefer not to be so rigid.
So…today for example…what struck me in
going through the lectionary readings assigned for this particular Sunday…was
both our Gospel about the landowner and the laborers he hired to work in his
vineyard…and a line from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians…which speaks not only
to themes in the Gospel…but to life here in our context on a Sunday in
September in Lowndes County.
Now…y’all are pretty accustomed to me and
my tendency to want to tell you “the story behind the story” of our readings.
So let me start with the Gospel…and this
parable Jesus is sharing.
First…this tale of the
landowner and the laborers only appears in Matthew’s Gospel.
And it comes right after Jesus has the
exchange with the rich young man who wants to know what else he needs to do to
inherit eternal life…y’know…besides following the basics of the ten
commandments.
And when Jesus tells him that perfection
requires giving up all of his “things” and following in the path of Jesus…the
young man goes away sulking.
And then Jesus says the part about how
it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich
person to enter the kingdom of heaven.
The disciples get upset.
Peter notes that the disciples have
given up everything to follow Jesus…and Jesus basically says, “Yes, you
have…and because you have…you will be rewarded in many more ways because you’ve
chosen the path to life…to the liberty and freedom found in God. Because those
who keep clinging to other things will be last…and you…the ones who have
unburdened yourselves to follow me… will be first”
All of that is the set up for this
allegory he tells about this landowner and the workers.
And let’s just get it out there: it’s
not fair!
I don’t know about you…but whenever I
read this story in Matthew…that’s the immediate thought I have.
I know what it’s like to be in that
first group and when I see the ones who haven’t had to do as much work get
rewarded the same as me…I get frustrated and angry.
Our sense of fairness says that when we’re the ones who’ve put
in more time and sweat equity …we should get something more than the one who
just arrived on the job.
That’s how things work in our economy.
And in our minds…that’s the way things
ought to be.
And what Jesus is saying is that in God’s
economy….no one is better…more worthy… more special than anyone else.
All who come to work in the
vineyard…whether they’ve been there all day…or just showed up…they’re all the
same.
This applies to those in the faith.
Those who just stumbled into the church
for the first time and found in Jesus “a brother like no other”…they are on
equal footing with those who’ve made a regular practice of church attendance
for their whole lives.
The citizenship in God’s country is the
same. And for God…all the citizens participating in the work in the vineyard
are welcome.
God’s love is just that generous…and
it’s on us to realize that God’s ways and thoughts…are bigger and more
expansive than our own.
And we are still called on to do our
best to try to love a little more…without feeling jealous that others…in God’s
eyes…are also loveable.
Which gets me to Paul’s letter to the
Philippians.
Some quick background on this passage.
We know Paul wrote this letter from
jail…but we don’t know from which jail cell.
The man spent a lot of time in and out prison as he traveled…and planted
churches.
But the gist of this particular letter
is encouraging the members of the church at Philippi to stay focused…and not
let their eyes look around at their opponents…or anyone else…and get pulled
away from their true purpose.
We hear Paul say:
“…live your life in a manner worthy of
the gospel of Christ…”
Here’s another translation of Paul’s
statement.
This is from the Bible: The First
Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament.
And I think this makes the point even
plainer…
“Whatever happens, you should walk in a manner that brings honor to the good
story about the Chosen One.”
Our mission…the big ask of us… is to
live our lives in a way that honors and affirms what the Jesus of the Gospels
stood for:
A mission to make this a world where
everyone is treated with dignity and respect…whoever they are… whatever labels
they’ve adopted or society has placed on them… and wherever they are on their
faith journey.
And to be assured that all who are
engaged in that work of Love have received their daily bread….just as promised.
What does that mean?
It means that when we see suffering…we
respond.
We don’t close our eyes and cover our
ears…or shut our mouths.
But we stand with those who are
vulnerable…even when that costs us our status and causes us to suffer.
“Suffering” in this instance doesn’t
mean we’re writhing in pain and agony. But it does mean we feel compassion…and
that word compassion means “to suffer with” another person…and with God’s
creatures.
And compassion comes in many forms and
expressions.
It can be putting our bodies on a
protest line…or speaking up to the powerful at governmental meetings.
Others live out their compassion by
giving from their abundance to help those who need food…or clothing…or shelter.
Some do it by going to court. Much as
lawyers get a bad rap…they’re doing good work when they help a person who is in
trouble.
And some show it through getting a team
of people together to pick up trash in a neighborhood.
However we do it…when we follow the
model of Christ’s compassion in how we approach others…we are doing the work of
the Gospel.
And it is all good.
So…that is how I have prayed through…and
understood these readings.
I have done this work
faithfully…consulting different scriptural texts for interpretation…and looking
over commentary resources. And I hope that what I have said has reflected well
upon our One Holy and Undivided Trinity.
A lot of preachers tend to say “Amen” at
the end of their sermons.
I do not.
That’s because the “Amen” at the end of
a sermon really belongs to the congregation. It’s how you affirm that you have
heard and received what has been said.
Something like saying, “Yes, me too!”
And so…if the church is so moved…let the
church now say:
Amen!
