Love is being interdependent

Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians says, “We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition.”  I like that.  He gives us a perfect example of giving credit to God rather than acknowledging any praise for himself for his work at Thessalonika.  He could have said, “Hey, look at what we did...”  But he didn’t - he gave the credit and the glory to God.  And in doing this he also acknowledges the reason for speaking so, “we speak, not to please men, but to please God.”  

In our gospel lesson when the lawyer asks Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”  He just might have a reason to ask.  The Pharisees prided themselves (remember Paul in the second lesson who didn’t take pride in himself...) on following all the laws...   All 613 of the laws handed down through Moses.

And of those 613 laws, 365 of them are “Thou shalt not’s...”  With that many to remember NOT to do, it just might be hard to remember what you are supposed to do.  The Pharisees were always determined to “get it right”.  Now I don’t know about you, but I have often been plagued with this burning desire to “get it right”.  Especially on tests.  I remember when I first started running into open-ended questions that had no specific answer.  Almost drove me crazy trying to find out what I was supposed to do.  Remember that I taught mathematics, and I like nice logical problems with exact answers.  You know, it’s either right or it’s wrong - with partial credit if you showed your work.  So I understand wanting to get it right.  

Lots of people want to get it right when it comes to worship.  I’ve seen people panic over the slightest little thing - you know, wine spilled on at alb or the fair linen, or a skipped lesson, or the wrong song played.  I’ve come to the conclusion that God probably gets a good laugh at some of the things that we obsess over.  So this lawyer wants to know which of the 613 laws is the greatest.  He’s asking a legally complex question.  Now according to Matthew - this is a confrontation - they are trying to trap Jesus into saying something that can be used against him in trial.  And Jesus once again sidesteps his antagonists as he sweeps away the legal implications by calling the people to love. 

  You see, I don’t think God is so much interested in our ‘getting every little detail right’, as he is interested in our understanding the big picture.  In other words, it’s not the “things” that matter - it’s the condition of the heart that is important.   That is what Jesus is trying to tell us in the gospel today.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind.”  But, it’s very important that we don’t miss the second commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  

You see, even though they are really two separate commandments - they are interdependent.  They have something like of a symbiotic relationship.   Does everyone know what interdependent means?  It’s claimed that there are three stages to life.  Stage one is when you are totally dependent on others – as a baby or small child, you are dependent on your parents and other adults to take care of you - feed you, clothe you, keep you safe.  As you grow up, and especially into your teen years it becomes important to learn to be independent – to be able to take care of yourself and not need anyone else.  That is stage two.  Unfortunately, we all know people who never make it out of one or the other of these two stages of life.  The third stage of life is when you learn to be interdependent – this is usually understood to be the fullness of adulthood.  This is the stage of life where you know that you are fully capable of being independent, but you also realize (or learn) the value of being interdependent with other people in this life.  

This is where you choose to entwine your life with others and allow them to help you even as you help them.  The first two stages are all about self – what others can do for me – and what I can do for me.  The third stage is where we reach out to include others in a healthy way – how we can work together to the benefit of both (or all).

It is this kind of interdependence that is set up with these two commandments.  Each one is stated separately, and in fact, each one has been acted on alone by some people.  Stage one: There are people who get so wrapped up in loving the Lord that they never make it outside themselves to see what He wants them to do in the world.  Stage two: There are also humanitarians who do wonderful work with the poor, or the sick, or the homeless, etc. – but who will tell you there is no God and that’s why we have to be responsible for those less fortunate.  Now that is independent from stage one.  Both of these stages are still about self – the first is what can God do for me?  The second is what can I do for others (I in place of God).  But God calls us to beyond stage one on to stage three – to understand a healthy relationship between the two commandments.

 

There are too many people who claim to love God, but yet they will go out and step all over others to get what they want, or ignore those who need a helping hand, or treat others less than kindly.  They don’t carry what they learn about God out into the world.  What they don’t understand is that our love of God is incomplete if it does not extend to those who are made in God’s image.  That’s what love of neighbor is all about.  It’s about treating those around us in the same way we would want to be treated if we were in their place.  

One of the things we did in seminary was the “Friday feeding” - we would make sandwiches, put them in a bag along with a piece of fruit and bottle of water and take them down to an area just off the drag in Austin where young homeless kids (high school age) hung out.  We pass them out, then if we had any left, we took them down to the Red River Street area where adult homeless could be found, and if there was any left then we would take them to the local shelter.  Putting into action what we were learning in school.

I really liked the way Grace came together right after Harvey to prepare and deliver food for those out working on flooded houses.  That’s the kind of thing God wants us to do - to reach out and help those in need. 

This kind of love is not about passion and it’s not about feelings.  It’s about treating other fairly and honestly and justly.  This love is a decision - a decision to show mercy, to lend a helping hand, to respond to the rights of others.  This kind of love means to be in relationship with the people around us - those who know God and those who don’t.  This kind of love is the fulfillment – the interdependence – the adulthood of the Christian life.  This is an invitation to live into the fullness of God’s love for us and through us.  It becomes a beacon shining out to those around us, calling others to a fuller life in Christ.  Not just obeying the laws of God, but living a life in Christ as well.  And living that life means being interdependent both with God and with the world around us.   Amen.

We bear the image of God.

Sometimes I wish I were more like Jesus.  You know, with the snappy comebacks, and always the right answers.  In general, I’m more like Moses, slow of tongue…   Three hours later, I think of the perfect response, the one that alluded me when I was asked the question.

Have you ever heard someone say that there are three things that should not be discussed over dinner or in polite company?  Those three things are politics, money and religion.  I guess Jesus never heard that expression because he hit them both in today’s lesson.  Of course to be fair, he was responding to a question concerning politics and money.  One of the dangers of reading the Bible, is taking what Jesus says out of context.  So I’m going to spend some time setting up that context.

Our Gospel lesson is an interesting study.  I was really surprised, for whatever reason, to read that this lesson has been used to support separation of church and state.  Once it was pointed out, I could see that in this lesson – I just hadn’t really thought about it before in that way.  I could see the stewardship lesson in it; I thought of it more like we need to pay our taxes and we need to support the church.  But Matthew isn’t so much focused on that as he is on Jesus’ ability to sidestep a trap that has been laid for him.  Matthew is more interested in the crafty way in which Jesus not only avoids the trap, but also turns the focus away from the political arena and brings it back to God.

Let’s take a closer look at what is happening here.  Jesus is approached by the Pharisees - with the Herodians.  A strange pairing, because politically they seem to be very different.  The Herodians (supporters of Herod) earn their living off the Roman taxes, because they are the local government that supports and is supported by the Roman governor.  So they have a vested interest in the continuance of the Roman tax.  However, the Pharisees have a much more tenuous position in relationship to the Roman government.  The Pharisees (and the Sanhedran) are given control of the Temple, but only under the circumstances that they keep the people under control and curtail any possible riots.  But the Pharisees resent Roman control and are against paying the Roman tax.  

Okay, exactly what is this tax?  It is a “head tax”.  It is imposed on every adult male from puberty to age 65.  It is a token of submission to Rome, acknowledging the Romans as your master.  It was a real thorn in the side of the Jews to submit to anyone other than God.

The Pharisees and the Herodians both see Jesus as a potential threat – politically dangerous.  Remember that both groups derive their power for the Romans.  Jesus is a charismatic teacher who stirs the imagination of the people.  The people want to follow him and if he decides to take a political stance, then the people would revolt, and both the Pharisees and the Herodians would be out.  So they team up to come to Jesus – knowing that regardless of his answer, he was going to run afoul of one group or the other.  

Jesus didn’t hesitate when asked the question, “is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”  Jesus couldn’t be trapped by such a blatant question.  The questioners begin with such flattery – false flattery – trying to catch him off guard, “we know you teach the way of God truthfully, and do not regard the position of men.”  And they are right – Jesus doesn’t regard the opinions of men – only being faithful to God.  It is that faithfulness toward God that gives him the freedom to step outside the realm of men and to meet them with such authority and power.

Jesus sidesteps the trap they have laid for him.  He asks them to show him the coin used to pay the tax.  In the temple, only Jewish coins could be used – and some Jews would not even carry a Roman coin.  But one is found – probably from one of the Herodians – and Jesus asks them whose image and inscription are on the coin.  The answer, of course, is Caesar’s.  This actually shows a violation of one of the commandments.  Remember the one about not making any graven image?  That graven image is Caesar’s and the coin therefore belongs to him and should not be possessed by a practicing Jew. 

Jesus doesn’t mince words, he tells them flat out, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.”  That satisfies the Herodians, but now the Pharisees think they have him trapped.  I can just see the sneer on their faces begin to fall, as he continues: “And give to God what belongs to God.”  This puts all of them in an uncomfortable position.  They know the coin belongs to Caesar, because it bears his image.  

But what is it that belongs to God?  So many writers I read claim that he really leaves that hanging; leaves it up to them to figure that out for themselves.  He leaves it up to us to decide for ourselves.  And the first thing that might come to mind for us is the example of the Biblical tithe - and that is a valid point.  But think again, what is the Jewish understanding of God…  

The alternate Old Testament lesson for today is from Isaiah 45.  God says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.  I form light and create darkness, I make (peace) and create woe… “  So, according to Isaiah, it all belongs to God -- there isn’t anything that doesn’t belong to God.  And we are back to “give to God what belongs to God.”

But if you bear out the analogy that things bearing the image of Caesar belong to Caesar, then what is it that bears the image of God? – that belongs to him?  Isn’t it ourselves?  Going back to the first chapter of Genesis, verse 27 

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. NRSV

It is we ourselves who bear the image and therefore belong to God.  That is what we are to give to God,  - It is stated explicitly in our Rite One Eucharistic Prayer that says:  

“And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee…”  

If we live into the theology of that Eucharistic prayer, we give him ourselves.  Everything we are and everything we hope to be, we offer to God as a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice.   Amen.

Come to my wedding feast.

Listen to the sermon.    

There are some scripture passages that I take exception to and this is one of them.  I’m never quite sure what to do with it.  I wrestle with it – and maybe I want to judge it.  Somehow I have trouble reconciling the teller of this story with the Jesus I see portrayed in scripture – who tells us to turn the other cheek - who welcomes all to come in, who turns away none.  Jesus accepts tax collectors and sinners and heals the lame and the ill.  Even in the one incidence where someone (beside the Pharisees and other officials) turns away – it is still the free choice of the person who was invite in.  

Only two gospel writers tell this story, Matthew and Luke.  Luke ends the story with the people coming in and there is still room so he sends the servant out again to bring in more people.  Luke makes no mention of any killing or mis-treating- either by the invited guests or by the banquet giver.

In reading Matthew’s version of this story, he appears to be angry, and I don’t know what to do with his anger.  Luke was a gentile – Matthew a Jew.  I think Matthew is quite angry that his community is not welcome in the synagogue because they follow Jesus.  I think Matthew is like the author of Psalm 137 who wants to smash babies against the rock because Jerusalem was destroyed.

Most of the commentaries report that this parable tells of a king (God) who invited the people (the Israelites) to his banquet – to feast at his table.  But they turned away and even when he sent his servants (the prophets), they were ignored and mistreated and some even killed.  So he dis-invites his guests and reaches out to a new group – blood lines don’t matter – position, power and wealth don’t matter.  Anyone who will listen and come in is welcome.  

Now Luke stops his story right there and we get the wonderful picture of a God who is willing to fellowship with anyone – with everyone – everyone who accepts his invitation - no exceptions.  But Matthew – wants to exclude someone – Matthew, who was raised as a Jew - with the concept of a God who picks and chooses – a God who blesses and curses.  Matthew, as a Jew, wants to exclude certain people. He wants people punished when they don’t do things the way he wants.

Jesus himself invites the rich young man to come follow – he does set a condition – and the young man decides to walk away.  Jesus does not exclude him.

For me it’s the same way.  This lesson ends with “Many are called, but few are chosen.”  Boy, did that ever do a number on me!  For far too long I believed that I was one of those who would never be chosen.  And that was a mantra for me, “Oh yes, I’ve been called, but I’ll never be chosen.”  

What I had to finally understand was that we are all called – each and every one of us.  God is not willing for any of us to perish and he gives us every opportunity to come in.  But we are the ones doing the choosing.  Do we choose to follow or like the rich young man, do we choose to turn away?  

I guess the part I have trouble with is the weeping and gnashing of teeth – the being bound and the cast out.  I think the older I get, the more trouble I have with this.  I suppose I get my vision of heaven and hell from C. S. Lewis.  In his book, “The Great Divorce,” hell is depicted as a dank, dark and dismal place – a place that is continually dusk and where it is always raining – where people wander aimlessly and no one speaks kindly to another.  Lewis posits a place in the midst of this darkness where people are given a last chance to visit bright heaven and to cast off the darkness that keeps them separated from the presence of God.

The other vision of heaven/hell that he gives is from the Narnia series in “The Last Battle.”  As the battle is raging the world begins to crumble and the sky begins to fall in.  Aslan encourages and ushers everyone who will come to enter the ‘hut’ on the hill which is the gateway to the new kingdom.  It is a bright and bold and happy place but the dwarves who had been thrown into the hut earlier sit around the fire with their eyes closed refusing to see the glory that has appeared around them.  They remain in that self-made hell because they have convinced themselves that that was all there is.

So we are back to the man who is cast out.  And why?  Because he wasn’t wearing the proper clothes.  There are places here on earth that there is a ‘dress code’ and if you are not wearing the proper attire, you are asked to leave.  But here we have a guy (Jesus) who is advocating radical hospitality and he tells a story where he invites everyone in and then kicks out one person because he didn’t wear the right clothes.  

What is being said here is that there is a cost - a price - for following Jesus.  We have to be willing to accept him, not only as savior, but also as Lord.  And we have to allow him to come into our life and begin to change us - to mold us into his own image.  We are to put on Jesus Christ and his righteousness.

This is an easy parable, I guess, if you are certain that you have the proper garment, but for those who struggle with faith or what they see of Christianity, it’s not so easy.  The point is that Jesus accepts us right where we are, but he doesn’t leave us there.  All through the gospels we see him healing people and driving out the demons that hold them captive.  He will do that for us also - we simply have to allow him to work within us.  

I remember a young man (college student) in Huntsville who showed up at church one Sunday morning in dirty running shorts, a muscle shirt, with his tattoos and various body jewelry standing out.  He said he only came to borrow a prayerbook and he obviously didn’t meet the dress code for church attendance, but he was encouraged to come in and once there he was treated like everyone else.  The following Sunday he showed up in clean cutoffs and a regular t-shirt.  Once again he was accepted just as he was.  Eventually his dress improved as he came back Sunday after Sunday.  He was looking to be accepted – and he was met where he was, in the condition he was in, and he was accepted.  

Radical hospitality accepts people where they are – and allow them the time and space to grow into the grace that has been extended to them.  And in the process, the rags they wear will eventually become garments of praise.   

And the invitation still goes out even today:

Come, won’t you come, for the banquet is laid.

Won’t you come, for the feast is prepared.

Won’t you come, won’t you come.  

Amen.

Stewards in the Vineyard

Listen to the sermon.   

The sign outside says that this sermon is about the “workers in the patch.”  I would encourage those of you who have not yet signed up for the Pumpkin Patch to check the sheet in the Narthex.  We can all be considered workers in the Patch, stewards of the vineyard, and citizens of the kingdom.  But I want to go back and start with our first lesson.

Exodus 20 – the Ten Commandments is somewhat familiar.  The Ten Commandments were the first laws – handed down from God on the Holy Mountain.  They are really about how to maintain a relationship - both with God and with people.  They can be divided into 2 groups - relationship with God and relationship with others.  

The first group (commandments 1 – 4) has to do with our relationship with God.  This covenant tells us our responsibility to God; we are to love God only; we are not to entertain other gods; we are not to idolize anything other than God; we are not to use his name improperly and we are to spend time with him every week.  

This laws about Sabbath and parents are actually a bridge between the laws describing our relationship with God and our relationship with others.  It’s the beginning of how we are to live our lives here on earth.  We take time to rest – to re-create – to commune (or communicate) with God so that we can begin the new week with renewed vim, vigor and direction.

The second bridge law is about relationship with your parents.  You are to honor your mother and father – they were co-creators with God in bringing you to life.  Without them, you would not exist — you would not be you.

The rest of the laws have to do with our relationship with each other here on earth.  You shall not murder, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness, nor covet your neighbor’s possessions or their spouse.  

And it says the people witnessed the lightning and thunder and trumpet and smoke and they were afraid.  Well, here on the Texas Gulf Coast we know firsthand about the forces of nature that are very scary and the effect they can have on our lives.  No wonder the people told Moses – you speak to us – but don’t let God come anywhere near us.  And Moses told them, “Do not be afraid.”  

And then in our second lesson we see Paul talking about being a born and bred, card carrying, law abiding Jew, righteous under the law – and he goes on to say that he doesn’t want the kind of righteousness that comes from the law – but only that which comes from faith in Christ.

Those ten are only the beginning fo the laws that Jews had to follow.  Now, I admit that I have made fun of those 6 hundred 15 laws that a righteous Jew was supposed to follow.  When you think about it, a lot of those laws dealt with the same kinds of things that today’s laws deal with.  Would anyone here like to give a guess about how many laws there are in America today?  There are whole libraries dedicated to stating and explaining the laws that have been passed by the national and state legislatures.  The reason we have to have laws is because there are always people who are going to do things that end up hurting others – and without laws there would be chaos and anarchy.  

In a perfect world everyone would be kind and courteous to everyone else and we would need no laws.  Problem is we don’t live in a perfect world.  When I taught school, we usually ended up the year with many more rules than we started with – because each time a student would do something (that we had not anticipated) that injured someone or caused some kind of trouble or disruption, a new rule would have to be made.

So could you imagine living without laws?  Even traffic laws – something as simple as coming to a full stop and treating a non-operating traffic signal as if it were a stop sign – can be important if there is a power outage.    

And then we come to one of those gospel stories – it is a parable and it is an allegory.  There are many different layers and we are going to look at several.

 This is a story about stewardship.  This is a story about faithfulness.  This is a story about relationship.

A landowner planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.  

This allegory is telling the story of what is happening.  The landowner, of course, represents God, the vineyard is the kingdom of God and the tenants are the religious leaders of Israel.  The slaves are the prophets and the son is Jesus.  Jesus is telling the story of what has happened in the history of Israel and projecting it into the future concerning his own fate.  

The thing I find interesting as we examine this parable is the patience of God.  He sends his slaves to collect the portion of the harvest that belongs to him - their rent, so to speak.  When the tenants beat one, stone one and kill one, the landowner doesn’t immediately rush in and punish the them.  He sends more slaves to collect the tithe owed to him, and the tenants treat them the same as they had the first.  

So the landowner finally sends his son, the heir to the property.  And the tenants seem to think they can kill him and then the property will be theirs.  We see the patience on the part of the landowner, for he is willing to give the tenants a chance to do the right thing – not just one chance, but multiple chances.  Notice that Jesus leaves the parable there – he does not complete it.  He poses the question, allowing the religious leaders to draw their own conclusions.  They know -  

So if we are the new tenants of the vineyard that means we are the ones responsible for producing new fruit and presenting it to God.  How are we going to respond as the new tenant of the vineyard?   How are we going to be different from the original tenants?  It is now our turn to give back to God from what he has given to us.  

This says so much more about the way we are to live our lives and conduct our affairs. How do we tend our vineyard?  God created this wonderful place for us to live and he filled it with all good things – all the things that combined with the knowledge and wisdom and willingness (or ability) to work – can be used to provide us with a really good life.  Are we careful with the things that God has given us?  Do we tend this vineyard and take care of those things which God has provided for us?  Do we give credit to God for those things which make our life worth living?  Do we have an attitude of gratitude for the things that God has placed in our lives?  That attitude of gratitude can be developed - each day, remember to name one thing for which you are grateful.  Today, I am grateful for the music that Paul provides for us.

So, if God give this earth for our use, what kinds of stewards are we of it and all those things that God has provided?  Do we give back to him from the first fruits of our bounty?  Do we honor that which God has given us?  Those are questions that each of us have to answer for ourselves.  

Just to recap - the law that Moses brought down from the mountain helped to define who the Israelites were – and Paul tells us that we can’t earn salvation simply by obeying the law – and Jesus tells us that we need to be good stewards regardless of the law…  So we follow the laws because we understand that 1) they teach us about relationship [with God and with others] - and 2) they bring order to our life and are for our good and our protection.    We also give God praise and thanksgiving for caring about us and giving us good things in this life, and we need to remember to give back to him from what he gives to us.  

Please pray with me:  Oh Lord God, we praise you for your love, for your gifts, and for your generosity.  Open our eyes to recognize these gifts on a daily basis.  Keep us mindful that it is you who have created this vineyard - this world - in which we live.  Help us to remain faithful stewards in all that we do and to give thanks for all that we have.  In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.  

Getting it right?

Listen to the sermon.      

From our Gospel lesson:  Which son did the will of his father?  The first said "no" but later went and did as his father asked.  The second son said "yes", but he never showed up.  And the Pharisees answered the first son…   This indicates to me that God truly cares more about what you do, than what you say you will do.

____________

Have you ever said that you would do something, and then somehow never got around to it?  I have, more than once.  And that's a little strange, because I usually pride myself on keeping my word, if I say I will do something.

But I have told someone that I would do something, and as the time approached, I just forgot, got busy doing something else and just absolutely let it slip my mind.  I have felt really bad about it, but once the moment is gone, it's really hard to make it up.  That may be something that all of us have done at one time or another.

But I've also done it intentionally - told someone I would do something - and as the time approached, began to feel really insecure about it, and decided that I was not the best person for the job – so I didn’t go.  A lot of us say, "Yes" because we don't want to hurt someone's feelings, or sometimes because it makes us feel important to think that someone believes we have the necessary skills and abilities to do a particular job.  

I am a people pleaser - there is something in my background that had convinced me at one time that I had to do everything I could to make people like me; that if I could just do the right thing, then they will like me.  I understand much more fully now that this is only partially true.  But even though I know it intellectually, believing it and living into it is sometimes very hard.  I know for a fact that God loves me, regardless of what I do or say.  I know that He loves me every bit as much as I love my children, even when they occasionally disappoint me.

I look at today's lesson from Philippians - "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.  -  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus..."  And I wonder how many of us can actually live up to this ideology.  

Quite often, when we regard others as better than ourselves it is from a low or inferior self-esteem - and we allow ourselves to be trampled by those stronger personalities that surround us.  This is not what Paul is talking about, being a footstool for those who would use us.  

But I've also been at the other end of the spectrum, too.  I've taken pride in something that I've done - and it usually happens after the fact.  I get through with something and think back, "Oh wow, I just did something really good!" . . .

When I am in the middle of a situation, I simply respond - I have been told that my instincts are impeccable - and at the end, I feel like I have done God's will.  I believe that it is God's will at work in me.  And then I have time to think about it later and that's when I get into trouble over pride.

The truth is, we are human, and we respond in human ways, and they may be all over the board.  There are times when our insecurities may kick in, or when our pride dominates, but there are also those times when we respond with the heart of Jesus -- and God smiles.

I had a parishioner at Redeemer make an announcement one day saying, "I've decided that I'm not ever going to sin again."  My thought was that this was an arrogant statement, because no matter how hard we try, we are human, and we are going to make mistakes, and we are going to get things wrong, and we are going to make assumptions that will turn out bad.

But thank God, He is not up in heaven keeping score of how many times we do good versus how many times we miss the mark.  And I don't think it matters to him whether the last act in our life is a good one or a poor mistake.  I think God looks at the whole picture: Did we try to live our life in a Godly way?  Did we believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and try to follow his example?          

It was for this reason that Jesus Christ died on the cross - because we can't always do the thing God asks us to do - because we can't always forgive, and we can't always reach out; because we are sometimes selfish, or conceited - because we are human.  For these reasons, Jesus Christ emptied himself and became obedient, even to the point of death; so that we might have life eternal.

The very powerful message in this Gospel message is the news that it is never too late to follow Jesus and become a missionary worker in the vineyard. God will embrace the son who turns and chooses in the end, no matter what they have been doing, to become a member of his community. 

Yes, there are people in our community who sin knowingly. We are human. We know we promise that we will strive for kingdom behavior and we know we will sometimes fail.  After all our baptismal covenant says that "when" we sin we will return.  When - not if.  Christians know we are not perfect. But we as Christians also rejoice when the sons and daughters of God who have been outside, who have led life saying "no" turn and join the other workers in the field. We, the church, exist for those who do not yet belong. We exist so that the vineyard is there ready for the latecomer and for the newcomer.

-_—————————-

  Author Saul Bellow wrote about a rabbi who lived in a small Jewish town in Russia. The rabbi had a secret. Every Friday morning the rabbi disappeared for several hours. The people of his congregation liked to tell people that during his absence from them their rabbi went up to heaven and talked to God. 

When a stranger moved into town and heard this explanation for the rabbi’s weekly departure, he was not convinced. So he decided to find out what was really going on. The next Friday morning, he hid by the rabbi’s house, waiting and watching. As usual, the rabbi got up and said his prayers. But unlike other mornings of the week, he then dressed in peasant clothes. He grabbed an ax and wandered off into the woods to cut some firewood. With the man watching from afar, the rabbi then hauled the wood to a shack on the outskirts of the village where an old woman and her sick son lived. He left them the wood, enough for a week, and then went quietly back home.

  After seeing what the rabbi did, the stranger decided to stay in the village and join the congregation. From then on, whenever he heard one of the villagers say, “On Friday morning our rabbi ascends all the way to heaven,” the newcomer quietly added, “If not higher.”

Philippians -