What fair means… 9/20/2020
Call to worship:
L: Come to the Lord who alone is our God.
P: Let us forsake the gods we have forged with our hands.
L: Come, and bow down before the Lord your Maker,
A: And declare God’s wonderful works together.
Opening Hymn: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise #103
1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all, life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish, but naught changeth thee.
4. Thou reignest in glory; thou dwellest in light;
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all laud we would render: O help us to see
'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.
Opening Prayer:
O God, you run to greet us even before we turn toward home. Even though we are constantly trying to flee from your presence, we never really succeed. When we crouch in the shadows, you are there. When we cower in the cold, you are there. When we pass through the fire, you are there. So we call upon your name, O God, no matter where we are, for you are near. Help us this day to be alive to your presence. Amen.
Epistle Reading: Philippians 1: 21-30
21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Hymn: Make Me a Captive, Lord #421
Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be.
I sink in life's alarms when by myself I stand;
imprison me within thine arms, and strong shall be my hand.
it has no spring of action sure, it varies with the wind.
It cannot freely move till thou hast wrought its chain;
enslave it with thy matchless love, and deathless it shall reign.
it lacks the needed fire to glow, it lacks the breeze to nerve.
It cannot drive the world until itself be driven;
its flag can only be unfurled when thou shalt breathe from heaven.
if it would reach a monarch's throne, it must its crown resign.
It only stands unbent amid the clashing strife,
when on thy bosom it has leant, and found in thee its life.
Prayer of Dedication:
God of the ages, whose hand led all the generations before us, we bow in gratitude for our rich heritage. Many of these generations did not have the wisdom of the ages on which to rely. Yet they were far from alone in the world, for they could rely on something even better than the wisdom of the ages. They could rely on the God of the ages. Thanks be to you, O God, for you did not abandon them in their search for life’s meaning and purpose. And thanks be to you, O God, for we know that you will remain with us as well and guide us to the attainment of your purpose for us. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 20: 1-16
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 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? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Sermon Title: What fair means… (video link)
How many times have we heard someone say in disgust, “Life’s not fair!”? I imagine that if you are anything like me, not only have you heard it said quite a few times, but you have also been the one to say it. Usually, it is said by whoever is not getting their way at the time, and rarely do we stop to think about the fact that fair for one is not necessarily fair for all.
The other night I was watching the National Geographic Channel on television. I’ve always had a fondness for the beautiful, big cats such as lions, cougars, tigers, and leopards. The thing is, though, that in order for these beautiful big cats to survive in the wild, they have to eat and their food of choice is meat; which means that something is going to die a tragic death so that they can enjoy a filling meal. And many times, the animal that dies is either young, old, hurt, or sick. This is where stomachs start to turn. It is one thing to see these majestic creatures play in the grass with their cubs or take a chance at the watering hole to re-hydrate their tired bodies. But when they crouch down in the grass, watching some antelope walk by and then chase it down and kill it so that the whole group can eat and live another day, we wince and feel sorry for the antelope or rabbit or elephant or whatever it may be that they killed. We feel sorry for them because it is just not fair that they should die so that the big cat can live.
I suppose that it depends on which side of that battle you’re on. The big cat feels like it is fair because they worked hard for that kill and needed it to feed their family. The antelope probably does not feel it was fair because it’s dead. The antelope’s herd, however, may have been wondering just how long the little runt was going to last out in the wild and so having it end up as food for the big cat was justified.
So then we come to the situation involving the laborers in the vineyard. The man who owned the vineyard went out early to find people who would work in his vineyard to work the crop, (it is not specified whether they are planting or harvesting.) These laborers agreed to work for the land owner and were told that they would be paid the “usual daily wage.” A day’s wage was generally one denarii, which only sustained a subsistence existence for the poor day-laborers. The land owner then went out at 9 am, noon, 3 pm, and 5 pm. Each time, he hired even more workers to go out and work in his vineyard and each group of laborers were told that they would earn the daily wage of one denarii (they will be paid what is right).
At 6 pm, when the day was over and it was time for the laborers to be paid for their work that day, the owner had the last one hired paid first and they received the fair days wage of one denarii. (In today’s dollars one denarii would equal about $3.62) The laborers who had been working all day also received a fair days wage of one denarii, which is exactly what they signed up for.
“It’s not fair!” they grumbled against the land owner. But he told them that they indeed received a fair days wage and should be happy with it.
Many people who hear this parable get hung up on the money. It’s not fair that the laborers that only worked for an hour go as much as the one who had been working in the vineyard all day. The thing is, though, that it is not about the money. The “wage” that is actually being offered here, is eternal life with God in heaven. Those of us who may have grown up going to church and Sunday school; perhaps even singing in the choir and leading Bible studies tend to think that it is not fair when someone who grows up not going to church and breaks laws and goes against everything that the churchgoers may have been taught, suddenly turns to God in the last stages of their life and also get to go to heaven. “It’s just not fair!” we proclaim.
But just like the landowner, God has something wonderful to offer us. For the day-laborers it was further existence (life-sustaining income). For all who ask for it, it is eternal life in the arms of God.
I think that it is prudent to add here that none of the laborers were given the daily wage of one denarii for doing absolutely nothing. They all worked for it in one way or another, just as we work on our relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ on a daily basis to assure us a place in heaven.
What does fair mean? I don’t know, but if you go, maybe you can bring me back some cotton candy.
Amen.
Closing Hymn: Are Ye Able #530
1. "Are ye able," said the Master, "to be crucified with me?"
"Yea," the sturdy dreamers answered, "to the death we follow thee."
Refrain:
Lord, we are able. Our spirits are thine.
Remold them, make us, like thee, divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be
a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty.
2. Are ye able to remember, when a thief lifts up his eyes,
that his pardoned soul is worthy of a place in paradise?
(Refrain)
3. Are ye able when the shadows close around you with the sod,
to believe that spirit triumphs, to commend your soul to God?
(Refrain)
4. Are ye able? Still the Master whispers down eternity,
and heroic spirits answer, now as then in Galilee.
(Refrain)