Download september 21, 2014 - First Lutheran Church | Lafayette, LA 70508

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September 21, 2014
Matthew 20:1-16
Our Love for God
Rob Miller, Pastor
Story: A quiet forest dweller lived in the mountains on the east side of the Alps
above an Austrian village. The man had been hired many years earlier by a young town
council to clear away the debris from the pools of water in the mountains that fed the
spring water flowing through their town.
With faithful, silent regularity, “the keeper of the spring” patrolled the hills,
removing the leaves, branches, and the silt that would otherwise choke and
contaminate the fresh water flowing into town. Over time the town became a favorite
vacation spot. Swans floated along the crystal clear water, various businesses located
along the waterway, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from the
restaurants was picturesque beyond description.
Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As
they reviewed the budget, one man who was “the keeper of the purse” noticed the huge
salary being paid to an obscure “keeper of the spring.” “The keeper of the purse”
asked. “Who is this old guy? And why do we keep him on year after year. No one ever
sees him. For all we know ‘the keeper of the spring’ is doing us no good. He isn’t
necessary any longer!” By unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man’s services.
Everything was good for a while – nothing changed at first. But then in early
autumn the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches began to snap off and fall
into the mountain pools, hindering the flow of sparkling water.
One afternoon someone noticed a yellow-brownish tint in the spring water. A
couple days later the water became even darker. Within two weeks a slimy film covered
sections of the water along the banks. Soon after that a foul odor was detected. The
swans left and so too did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness began
to reach deep into the lives of the townspeople.
The town council called a special meeting. Realizing the error of their judgment,
they hired back the old keeper of the spring. Within a few weeks the river of life began
to clear up. And new life returned to the town once again.
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I tell you this story because it is more than just an idle tale… This story is an
analogy related to the times in which we live. What the keeper of the spring is to that
little Austrian town, Christians are to the world.
As Christians we may seem small, feeble, needless, and unimportant to the vast
majority in the world. But God help any society that attempts to exist without the
influence and services that we provide. We are called “Christian” for a reason. Our job
is to re-present Christ and his love to a hurting and hostile world.
We have been “hired” by Jesus to clear away the debris - any debris that
prevents God’s love from flowing into people’s lives.
Nowhere do we get the impression that Jesus calls us to live in isolation –
separated from the world. We are to live our lives in such a way that we make a
difference in the lives of the people around us. We are to live our lives in such a way
that God’s love comes flowing into the world.
Question: if it was a crime to be a Christian here in the Lafayette area would
there be enough evidence to convict you?
Our love for God is revealed in our love for one another. This is one of those
rare occasions in life where we want to be found guilty – guilty of being faithful to Jesus
and his ways.
Sometime – even the best of us get distracted. Sometime – we face challenges
that cause us to focus on the wrong things. Sometimes – life is not fair. And
sometimes – because of that unfairness – we develop an attitude that leads us away
from Christ and the work he calls us to do…
Attitude is everything. It can make us or break us… It can do great harm or
great good… It can lead to fear or faithfulness… Attitude is everything. And
sometimes – even the best of us need a little attitude adjustment from time to time.
So….
I want to introduce you to Nick. Nick is living his life in such a way that he is
making a huge difference in people’s lives. He has an awesome attitude. He is
committed to clearing away the mental and emotional debris – so that people can
experience the love of God flowing into their lives…
Watch this… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HGQHgeFE
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WOW!!!! No arms - nor legs - no worries. What an awesome attitude. Nick is
doing the kingdom work wherever he goes.
We’ve been hired by Jesus to clear away the debris so that people can
experience the love of God in their lives. That’s what the kingdom work is all about. It
begins with an attitude of acceptance. Accepting who we are and accepting the work
that Jesus has “hired” us to do…
That brings us to our reading for today from Matthew’s Gospel. It’s printed on the
back of today’s bulletin if you would like to follow along. Jesus tells a story about
workers in the kingdom of God. It’s a story about attitude. The world promotes an
attitude of fairness. But Jesus is teaching us about an attitude of faithfulness. We
have been hired by Jesus to do his kingdom work in the world. And there is always
room for more labors…
Jesus said, (read text)…
This is one of those parables that rub us the wrong way. The person who
worked one hour gets paid the same as the person who worked all day. That doesn’t
seem fair. A parable is a metaphor to teach a life-lesson. This parable is told in
response to a question that Peter asked Jesus at the end of chapter 19…
Peter asked, “Look we have left everything and followed you what then will we
have?” He seems to be wondering what he was going to get in return for his labor. And
so in response Jesus tells this story about the laborers in the vineyard.
The owner of the vineyard went out one day to hire some laborers to gather in
the grapes. The harvest was ready and it needed to be gathered A.S.A.P. or it would
go bad on the vine. After hiring the first crew early in the morning he realized that he
needed more labors to get all the harvest in so he went and hired more laborers and still
more later on in the day. Some worked all day, and some worked for a few hours, and
some worked just one hour. It happens. They all worked together to bring in the
harvest. No problem…
The problem emerges when the laborers come to get paid. This is when Jesus
exposes the destructive attitudes of jealousy, position, and score keeping.
We read: "Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but
each of them also received the usual daily wage. When they received it, they grumbled
against the landowner, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made
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them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he
replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for
the usual daily wage?... I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you'" (vs. 1014).
This parable reveals the grace of God. God’s grace is given to everyone the
same.
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Whether we’ve served God all our lives or come to know God in our final
days.
Whether we’ve given sacrificially over the years or struggle every day to
share what we have.
Whether we’ve spent a lifetime doing what was right and good or we’ve
messed up every day of our lives.
God’s gift of grace is the same for everyone. This parable tells us that God does
not give based on who we are or what we’ve done, God gives based on who God is.
The parable sounds so reasonable when we realize that it’s all about God’s
grace. God is the landowner. We are the hired hands. God does not do us any
wrong. God can do what God wants. Besides that we are not first. There have been
many people before us who have been about the kingdom work and there will be many
people who come after us. We are in the middle. For us it’s all good.
It’s all good… until someone who just joined the church is elected to the church
council.
It’s all good… until a new person at church is honored instead of a faithful
member who’s been around for years.
I’ve heard it debated whether or not a death-bed confession really ought to bring
eternal life. The problem is we are not the giver, God is.
That’s why around here we say that God is good, All the time And all the time,
God is good. We don’t want to forget that…
I enjoy asking people, "Whose church is this?" The answer of course is, "It's
God's church," or it isn’t a church. It's a club.
This parable teaches us to reject those attitudes and behaviors that get in the
way of seeing God as the author of all good things AND that God’s grace is for
everyone. We are to remove the debris (our attitudes and behaviors) that gets in the
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way of living a life of faithfulness. It’s not about who gets what but that everyone gets it
– the it is God’s grace.
Faith house is for abused women and children here in Lafayette. Abuse is
something that should not be happening in the world. Our men and women’s LIFE
Groups went there this yesterday for a service/outreach ministry.
We spent the morning staining the fence and cleaning up the debris on
playground and cleaning up a large tree that had fallen on the property. We received
so much more that we gave. Relationships and lives were being changed. I hear that
more and more when people serve others. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.
That's why jealousy, position, and score keeping are irrelevant to the kingdom work we
have been hired to do.
We have been hired by Jesus to clear away the debris so that people can
experience the love of God. That’s what the kingdom work is all about. It begins with
an attitude of acceptance. Accepting who we are and accepting the work that Jesus
has “hired” us to do.
And oh… our pay is from out of this world. Our pay is the amazing grace of God.
God does not give to us based on who we are but rather God gives based on who God
is. God’s grace is truly amazing. May we work to help more and more people get it –
get God’s grace that is. Amen.