New Members Welcome
Matthew 20:1-16
by Jim Westmoreland
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter say's, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in." Okay, " the man says, "I was married to the same women for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart." That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points." Three points?"
He says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service." Terrific!" say's St. Peter. "That's certainly worth a point." "One point? Well I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans." Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says. "Two points!"
The man cries. "At this rate the only way to get into heaven is by the grace of God!" St. Peter smiled. "There's your 100 points! Come on in!"
Grace is an experience that is easier to sing about than it is to experience and live. Grace that is extended to us is welcome; it is sweet and amazing. But sometimes, grace that is freely given to others is often offensive. Our text today is regarded as the second most offensive text in the bible behind the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Our text is offensive because it leads us to think about our sense of fairness, values and belonging, and it goes against most of what we have been conditioned to believe.
Why is this story so offensive? There are at least three points of view, but only one of them seems to find offense, and that is the one that we often identify with, the point of view of the workers hired first or early in the day. They see the last ones hired get paid a normal full-day's wage, and they start thinking, "I worked ten times longer than that. I'm really going to be paid well for my efforts all day long.
Then they are paid the same, normal full-day's wage that they had agreed to work for and that the late-hires had been paid, but now they gripe and are not satisfied. Why? That morning, it was fair, but now it is not. What has changed? Envy and jealousy have changed their perception of fairness and values. They griped saying, "you have made them equal to us." Their suggestion is that the owner's generosity to the late-hires had de-valued their contribution. The fact is that it is our attitude that diminishes the value of our contribution. When we feel envy and jealousy because someone else is being blessed and we think that we have been around longer or worked harder, we are undermining our own contribution by our negative, envying, jealous attitudes.
The vineyard owner gives his point of view in vs. 13, saying that it is his vineyard and he can choose to give to the last ones what he gave to the first ones hired. Looking at the owner's perspective from the realities of getting in a harvest helps us understand what he did. When the grapes are ready, they are ready. He hired some people first thing. He saw their progress, went back to the day-laborer pool and hired some more workers. He wanted to finish gathering the grapes that day so that he could begin processing the harvest. He went back again near the end of the day and hired some to get out there and get the job finished. He was glad to get the harvest completed. He rewarded everyone who made it possible with a day's wage. To be sure, he was generous in giving the whole amount to the late-hires.
Now, what if we were one of the ones who were hired late in the day? What would our values be? Would we be complaining about how unfair the owner was? I don't think so. We would be grateful. Perhaps we had gone to find work every day, but the same people got picked every day. We took whatever we could get whenever we could get it. It is hard for us in the middle class to identify with this last group. We identify much stronger with the owner or with the ones who got hired early and worked all day. What is it like to not have a full-time job, to wait for work and not be hired, to get hired at the end of the day? Sometimes, our mouths talk about fairness while our hearts feel envy and jealousy or we feel better than others and resent being treated on the same level as those who came late or who we see as beneath us.
I am reminded of a story about a large church in downtown London. The church had planted three mission churches, and on the first Sunday of each new year they would all gather for a combined Communion service. One year the pastor happened to notice a former burglar their kneeling at the altar beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England. The same judge that had previously sent this thief to prison for seven years! The thief had since become a Christian and was now in Christ's service.
Neither the ex-thief nor the judge seemed to notice the one next to him. Following the service, the judge was speaking with the pastor, "Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail?" The pastor said he had noticed.
Then the judge commented, "What a miracle of grace!" To which the pastor agreed. There was a brief pause and then the judge asked the pastor, "Who are you referring to?" The pastor said he was referring to the conversion of the convict. The judge nodded and said, "Yes, that was God's grace. But, I was referring to myself, not him."
Then he went on to say, it did not cost that burglar much to get converted. "When he came out of jail, "He had nothing but a history of crime behind him." When he confessed Jesus as his Savior, he knew he could now receive salvation and joy. And, he knew how much he needed that help."
Then the judge said, "But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live like a gentleman. That my word was my bond. That I was to say my prayers, go to church, and take communion. I went to Oxford and took my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. It was nothing but the grace of God that could cause me to admit that I was a sinner on a level with that burglar. It took much more grace to forgive me for all my pride and self deception than that convict that I had sent to prison."(1)
Biblical commentators compare the vineyard in this parable to the Kingdom of God. We are called to participate with God in doing His work. Many talk about the Kingdom of God in relation to the church. It is through the church, the Body of Christ that God is laboring in the world today. We have been called to participate with Him. We are co-laborers with God in caring for the poor, in preserving justice for those who do not have powerful lobbies influencing the professional politicians to tailor laws, policies and benefits to the interests of the rich and powerful.
The church does not exist only for the benefit of those who were hired at the beginning of the day, for those who have been here the longest. For those who have been a part of their church from the beginning or for a long time, I am not saying anything to take away from your love and devotion to the church. You have sacrificed. You have given your time, energy and financial support to keep this church engaged in ministry.
There is a message for us who identify very strongly with the church and give ourselves to it and its ministry. This is the message. Its not our vineyard. It is not our church. It is God's church. In God's grace-giving extravagance, He brings new people to join with us to work in His vineyard. He blesses their lives. He uses their gifts of service, their talents. There is always the temptation in a church to take the attitude of the servants hired at the beginning of the day.
Earlier I said that this text causes us to think about fairness, values and belonging. We've talked about fairness and what values are represented by the attitudes of the owner, those hired first and those hired last. Now, we are talking about belonging. All whom God calls into His church belong. However, this passage makes it very clear to me that belonging is a gift of God. It doesn't matter when you started. If you were placed in the vineyard by God, you belong, and part of belonging is doing the work that God has put you here to do.
When God goes out into our community to bring new people back to the vineyard, that tells me one thing from God's perspective, New Members are Welcome! And when we sing the hymn we call an Invitation Hymn inviting you to join with us in this church, this vineyard, it is God's reminder that New Members are Welcome. Amen.
Century Christian Church, September 18, 2005 - Sermon by Jim Westmoreland
www.centurychristian.org
1. By James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 257.