Life is pretty challenging these days and we deeply want to believe that we are all in this together. But sometimes it does not seem that everyone is showing up on time to help. So how do you feel about “late arrivals to the party”? How do you feel about “arriving late” yourself? Say you’re cleaning the kitchen and you are almost done, and at the last minute, someone says, “Hey, can I help?” Or you’re mowing the grass on a hot day, and you have just a little left in the back yard to finish, and a friend comes over and says, “Hey, let’s finish this up, and reward ourselves for this hard job with a nice cold glass of lemonade.” Or maybe you’ve been involved for years in a process to bring change in an issue of justice, and someone who has joined your group recently is interviewed in the local paper about their having contributed to the project. How do you feel? Are you glad they came to help? Or do you carry some irritation that they have done so little, and you have done so much. Or do you recall, in your honest heart, that at certain times, you showed up pretty late in significant ways?
There is a story in the Scripture that has this as its theme. In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the story of a landowner who hires laborers to work in his vineyard. But throughout the day, even up to very late in the day, the landowner kept hiring others to come in to work. When it came time to hand out the pay for the day, those who came in late in the day received the same amount as those started early in the morning. The “all day” workers who had carried on in the heat were miffed, and began to complain to the landowner about this “injustice”. But the landowner replies, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
Clearly, this is one of those stories of Jesus that is intended to get people asking questions? How is it fair to reward people differently who did different amounts of work? How does mercy dance with justice in the parable? Is this story about salvation, in a strictly ‘spiritual’ sense, or does it include the biblical economic mandates about real landowners and real laborers and what a just wage might entail. At the very least, the story indicates that God has a deep compassion for those arrive late, who for whatever reason are not the first in line.
We’ll see where that story takes us as the sermon on Sunday is titled, “The Stunning Mercy Awaiting Those Who Are Late to the Party,” arising from Matthew 20:1-16. In our live stream worship service on Sunday morning, the biblical lesson will be read by Gene and Leana McClain. we’ll sing hymns, prayer, and have a children’s moment. We'll also have a moment for ministry as Dan Hughes brings a word about our Stephen Ministry. Our singers and organist Nara Lee, under the direction of Gerry Sousa, will bring us some great music.
We look forward to connecting with you on the livestream at 10:30 at www.smumc.church.