Amazing Grace

Reflection on Matthew 20: 1-16 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like this ...”, said Jesus. Then, he would then tell a story. This passage is one of those parables. How do we find the kingdom of heaven in this story? We know the story: A man went out in the morning, to the market, where he hired some casual labourers, to work in his vineyard. They agreed on the standard daily wage; let’s say, in today’s terms, 10 hours at $10, or $100 for the day. Then, between 9 am and 5 pm, he went four more times, each time hiring more labourers, each time, they agreed he would pay them “whatever is right”. Then, “when evening came, the owner of the vineyard” told his manager to pay the labourers. Now, every worker received the same amount: $100, no matter how long they had worked. But notice: they were paid “beginning with the last [ie: those hired at 5 pm], and then going to the first [to be hired]”. Do you picture it? Those who worked since before 9 am stand watching, while all the others (who had worked less, some only a couple of hours), are being paid. Then, when their turn comes, they get the same $100! So, naturally, they register a complaint. “You have made them equal to us! But (the owner explains to one complainer), he has been paid exactly the wage they had bargained for, and agreed upon; so he has been done no wrong. The owner simply wanted to give the same wage to all ~ “I did it because I wanted to!” How do we respond to hearing this story? What was your first reaction? Surprise? Puzzled? Threatened? Anger? (Well, after all, don’t those who worked all day have a legitimate grievance?) But the owner suggests that maybe the problem is in the mind of the complainer. “Are you envious,” he asks, “because I am generous?” Remember, the grumblers did not complain because they had been under-paid. They complained, not because they had received too little, but because they thought the others had received too much.(!!) (Ever heard of friends or family being jealous, when someone wins the lottery?) They were angry, not because they were treated unfairly, but because others had received a windfall. “Are you envious,” he asks, “because I am generous?” The kingdom of heaven, Jesus said, is like this. In his teachings, the kingdom of heaven is not some sort of future dreamland paradise, with angels, harps, and pretty music, where everything turns out as we wanted it to, and expect it to be. For Jesus, the Kingdom of heaven is a point in time – a moment of opportunity, of crisis, of choice. It is a time when the possibility of God’s reign breaks in, and requires our decision. And it usually requires a decision to change, to change an attitude, or an expectation. One of the most difficult attitudes, and expectations to change, is the idea of merit; the idea that we should all get what we deserve: If I have worked harder, or longer, or better, then naturally, I deserve, I merit, more; if I am a better Christian, then I deserve better favour, and more love, from God ~ certainly better or more than those less deserving ones. Remember the complaint of the grumblers: “You have made them equal to us”! They cannot accept the goodness, the generosity, the sheer grace, that makes these “latecomers” the same rank as them. The grumblers are not against grace; they are only against real grace being shown to others. Grace is, as the hymn says, utterly amazing; and surprising, and perhaps offensive. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch ~ like me. “: But the sound is not as sweet, it may be even is offensive grace, when it saves a wretch ~ like that undeserving he or she!! Grace is utterly undeserved. That is the essence of grace; if it is deserved, it is not grace; it is merit. God’s grace, God’s unconditional welcome, does not depend upon any merit system. But, because it doesn’t, it is the insiders, the hard workers, the longsuffering faithful ones, who may be inclined to grumble. After all, grace cancels any reason for trying to be good, for keeping standards and rules and report cards, for our system of rewards and privilege for the better qualified or harder working, veterans. One cannot measure grace. One cannot have bits and pieces of God’s compassion, or acceptance. Jesus told this story in a society which had deep divisions among religious groups. There was an enthusiastic group, fiercely righteous, of those who resented Jesus associating with despised “sinners”, with the “less enthusiastic” members of the community. These “insiders” were offended, that Jesus would eat, and drink with people who didn’t measure up to their standards of what is “acceptable”. However, Jesus taught that God’s dominion was breaking in, with a totally different way of “measuring up”. And the only condition of belonging to God’s reign was to turn around, change one’s attitude, and accept God’s welcome, God’s grace. In the vineyard of God’s new age, the same wage would be paid to all - no! ~ the same gift would be accepted by all. Those who were the first would rejoice in the good fortune of the late arrivals. All would rejoice in the gifts received, by self and by others, not compare the merits earned. This parable challenges us to rethink our values, and our temptations to superiority. Since her very beginning, the church has had tensions between the old, original members, and the new ones, who always have different opinions. Today’s parable speaks quite clearly of the equality of all, in grace. The parable still has a message for us, in situations where we find intolerance, or jealousy, lack of acceptance. The parable threatens any who see themselves as the privileged insiders, or those who claim a special place, or a special knowledge, of God’s intentions. Our system of value is too often based on finding the difference between others and ourselves; on a hierarchy, with “levels” of value. So we will grumble, when the balance does not favour us, or when our wishes and expectations are not fulfilled, or when others don’t measure up to my standards. We can even end up blaming other people, or God, when the good fortune of others seems to outrank our own. ~ When the kingdom of heaven breaks in, the last will be first, and the first will be last.

Some Hazards

Reflections on 1 Peter 2.2-10 "... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people. ... Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ..." To whom is such high praise being offered? It may come as a surprise that this letter is not addressing members of the emperor’s court, nor the leading established business people, not even the clerical hierarchy of the churches! No. This letter was written to new Christians. And who were they? They came from the ranks of the displaced, or with the status of slaves. They were the dispossessed, the outcasts of the Empire. These people were socially, economically, and politically marginalized. When we know that, we may hear the words a bit differently. This young Church was in a precarious position, within the Roman world; a position which we can hardly begin to imagine. It was not a “pillar of society”, not a comfortable gathering of like-minded people of similar backgrounds. It was not a social club, created to meet the needs of its members. Neither were the clergy a respected group in the city, who could organize a Consul’s Prayer Breakfast, or a Remembrance Day Service. They were not a “force to be reckoned with”; any letter of protest from the bishops would carry no weight with the government. But the Church certainly did understand it had a purpose. They were called to take the risk of offering hospitality. Their mission was to be a safe place of refuge, for those who were not welcome in the society. Those newly baptized would have found, in the Christian community, a new standing, a new status. They discovered the good news, that God, in Christ, had created, for them, a new place; a place where they were valued; a home for those who had no spiritual home. A “holy nation”, that is, sacred, made separate from, not ordinary. A “chosen people",that is, chosen by God, for God’s purposes, to reflect God’s values. Being “chosen” means that it is God’s church, not ours. We need constantly to remind ourselves that we have been chosen to be set apart from the world. Set apart in order to proclaim God’s acceptance of the unacceptable, God’s hospitality, and God’s mercy to those who receive no mercy. But far too easily, the church identifies with society, and with our cultural values. In particular, our North American church has so bought into the established economics, and values, that little difference can be seen. We are to take our identity from Christ; but his values have little to do with keeping busy, striving for status, or getting more money and more stuff. This should provoke us to be aware of some hazards; let me suggest three. 1. The first is the enticement to which small churches are particularly susceptible, any church that pictures itself as “small”, and understands that smallness as “not good”. The lure is to try to grow, bigger or better, by means of various schemes and gimmicks. Unfortunately, many of these programmes or methods tend to view things through the eyes, and values, of the very world from which we need to be providing a place of refuge. [“Bigger is better, so is faster, and louder”, etc.] But, where are we, when we attempt to make ourselves “attractive”, by taking up the values, and the structures, of the surrounding culture? We are called to offer an alternative household, to those who are “weary and heavy laden”. 2. The second temptation is in how we hear these phrases: "... You are a royal priesthood ..., [and are to] be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices ..." It is the newly Baptized who have this status. This means, these words are addressed to lay persons. Not to the clergy. One certainly could get a different impression today, when taking part in a Diocesan service at a cathedral, where the fine robes (signs of power and status), are worn by those in the highest seats, and in strict hierarchical order! 3. In this passage, all of us are called “God’s people, a royal priesthood”, etc. Those words certainly point to a high status. It is easy to begin to believe that this status is a result of our own goodness, and worthiness, and effort. We may forget this is a gift, from God. When we do that, there soon appears the temptation to exclude others. We see them as not to be included, because “they” are not as good, righteous, or hard working, or they fail to show the same level of commitment or of contribution, as “us”. All of which are variations on “they have not earned our place in the household”. There are many dwelling places in our Father’s house; Christ has prepared, for each of us, a place.