14. Sunday after Pentecost, 09/18/2011

Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16, by Walter W. Harms

[Jesus said]1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 "About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5 So they went. "He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 7 "‘Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'

9 "The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

God's Accounting System

It was a typical small village, almost rural, with a large German population. It has two Lutheran churches, two cemeteries, a post office, a bank built about the 1800's, the requisite saloon, a shop to repair farm equipment, and a small grocery. If you blinked, you could miss it in the car.

A family moved there, Lutherans, of course, from out of state in the late 40's. I became acquainted with the family in the mid 70's. This family was said to be the newcomers, the "newbie's" even then. Today in that community there are more "newbie's" than the pioneers. It has caused some conflict in the churches in that community!

How about this church? Who has been a member of this church for more than 40 years? (raise your hands) 30? 20? 10? Who are the "newbie's" in this church? Are there any?

Sad to say, in all too many churches, and not just Lutheran churches, there are few "newbie's." Viewed from the balcony, the people are gray headed or you get a reflection from balding heads from most of the members in mainline churches today. Ok, I know there are exceptions, but most of the younger members are simply children or grandchildren of the pioneers.

All too often those who have been in the "kingdom of heaven" since their baptism as infants find changes in the routines, the "regular" way things are done most difficult to adjust to. The ancient hymns we love with the numbers on the hymn board, the liturgy we've known since babes, the way the sanctuary is decorated, the sounds of the pipe organ-all are so fine, so good-why should there be any change?

An example: at worship this past Sunday a number of guests were there. We greet each other quite informally at the beginning after the pastor makes the announcements for the day. As I greeted one guest, she said: "We always do this after the service." I wonder if we will see that couple again. (They didn't visit the next Sunday._ Is there only one time to greet all the people who attend a worship service?

It would appear from the Gospel writer, St. Matthew's account of a story Jesus told about the kingdom of heaven that there are going to be oldies, betweenies and newbie's in whole Christian church, the communion of saints.

Some will have been welcomed to God's gracious world very early in life. They will have done much for the building up of the church, toiled hard, sacrificed, gone out of the way for Jesus, year after year.

Some will have come in later. The biggest influx of people came during and after World War II when women and men brought into the church their spouses who were, more often than not, non-Christians.

Some great efforts to bring more people into God's kingdom happened in the late 50's and 60's.

With the great social upheaval brought on by protests to the Vietnam War and its refusal to listen to any kind of authority, the church in many instances got its wagons in a circle to defend itself. It wanted none of that sexual freedom, the hippies, the psychedelic colors and the music of the times. I often ask was there any "Christian" music suitable for congregational use since the 70's? In all too many church you would get the impression there was not any. No newbie's allowed, or only if they would conform in every way to the old, tried (or is it tired?) and true ways of worship and church.

Meanwhile, almost all Christian homes were invaded, with not too much thought, by microwaves, TV's, stereos, air conditioning, the latest cars and trucks, iPods, cell phones, smart phones, iPads, computers, e-mail, blogs, twitter, Google, Facebook ,and a way of life so luxurious that our grandparents would have thought to be sinful! But the church could use these only incidentally.

We who "have borne the burden of the work and the hear of the day" didn't want others who are not in the kingdom of heaven to share what we have? Oh, we might say we want others to join us, but..."here we are and they can join us if they want to."

Well, what did we have or still do have? Jesus really knows how to tell a good story. He talks about a landowner hiring workers for his vineyard. Day laborers, we would call those hired hands. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day's work. Such simple words which are pregnant with meaning.

Guess what a denarius meant to these workers? That sum of money meant life, existence, family, a future! It was enough to take care of your needs for one day. It was the "daily bread" of the Lord's Prayer. It meant that you were taken care of for another day. It was "casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you."

Can you imagine what it meant, standing there alone in the marketplace? On your own, the future totally uncertain, not sure how you would make it that day, much less other days. No hope, death inevitable! It was bleak house for sure!

Then along comes the answer to prayers you hadn't even prayed. The welcome call of the owner of the world, of life, of all that lies ahead to join him in his vineyard, not in any sense yours, and you would be taken care of.

Was it easy to work for the owner? Not especially. It was hard work, it was sweaty work, not everything turned out the way you had hoped as you worked, but you were working.

I wonder how many of the unemployed today would not be joyful when they get the call: come and work! I wonder if they would complain that the work was hard and required the sweat of the brow. I wonder if they would not be eager to tell others who had no jobs that the place where they worked was hiring. I wonder if they could not be joyful that others could again have some security, some hope, a future again.

That is what our gracious God has given to each of us. If you are a part of the body of Christ, the holy, Christian and apostolic church, you have all of that.

You didn't deserve any of it. You didn't get into the church because of your hard work and sacrifice. You were already in it. You enjoyed the favor of the boss man. You have life today, you have a future, all debts are paid in full. It's all a free gift. Let me say that again: it is all a free, free gift to each of us.

It's free because of this Jesus. He actually paid the price so we could be hired. He paid for us on the cross where what we owed was paid for by his death. All the doubts, the fears, the prostituting of ourselves for the bucks of this world is no longer of any consequence, not even remembered by the owner of the vineyard.

And what do we get? Life under God's protection and care, assurance that any

failure to do our part is paid for, and so much more-all comes out of the "pocket" of Jesus.

I wonder how you would feel about a killer sitting next to you this Sunday morning, how about a person who has defrauded others, a radical who believed in killing those who oppose his beliefs, a person who was a coward when it came to facing difficulties about his beliefs.

They are all next to you this day. I see Moses over there, Matthew the cheating tax collector next to you, Simon the Zealot there, and Rock Johnson (St. Peter) right down here.

Who should not be seated next to us here?

I think without looking that there is plenty of space for all kinds of people to work in the vineyard, to have the perks we enjoy, to be in the kingdom of heaven. I see that there is a place for you in the vineyard-isn't it wonderful?

I think this story by Jesus is to get us off our duffs. Each and every person here is a worker in the kingdom and we need more workers to get the job done of getting people into the security that is a relationship with Jesus.

All the griping and complaining should be banished when we see others not yet in the vineyard of God's love and protection.

God wants you to be the first of the last-the first of those in these last days of inviting others into the vineyard.

Should we not do everything to get those in this 5 o'clock time of history to see how they can participate. So what if God give them what he is giving us? Should we not shout our hurrahs and thanks to our generous God?

Now you tell me whether you think God's accounting plan is for you, for this church in this day and time?

retired pastor Walter W. Harms
Austin, TX U. S. A.
E-Mail: waltpast@aol.com

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