For
Sunday, October 8, 2017, 18th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Psalm
19, Philippians 3:4b-14,
Matthew 21:33-46
Let the words
of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer. [Psalm 19:14]
...forgetting
what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward
the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. [Philippians
3:13b-14]
Jesus said [to the Pharisees], "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that
the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'...Therefore I tell you, the
kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces
the fruits of the kingdom.[Matthew
21:42-43]
A now infamous
Vineyard scenario is once again in the Gospel. This time Jesus tells
us a parable about the tenants who are running the place
and when the owner's representatives come to collect the owner's share of
the produce, the tenants beat one, stone one, and kill another. The owner sends
a second group who received the same treatment. Finally, the owner sent his son,
naively perhaps, assuming his son would be treated with all due respect. But
even the son was killed so the conspiring tenants could "get his
inheritance." [Mt 21:38b]
At first glance, I can't help wondering if some of these tenants had been the
disgruntled workers of the previous vineyard parable who worked longer
hours and received the same pay as those who worked fewer.
At second glance, I feel as if I'm reading a headline about
a local, national, or even international situation. Hateful rhetoric, tragedy,
and rage seem to be so commonplace as to almost desensitize us from shock. Violence, even in mere language, has
become frighteningly normalized as otherwise “nice” people make vicious and
disturbing comments on social media. The
headlines on air and in print show us that every-day life is getting meaner by
the moment, as, not unlike in Jesus' own time, brutality in word and
deed is the tool of vengeful cowards who know no other way to express their
own fear and impotence.
And then there's the third
glance, Jesus is giving a lesson to the disciples about
what is happening then, what is to come, and the ever-watching
Pharisees unhappily get the picture about who's who and what's what in
this parable. And as they should know, God is pretty clear in Exodus about
The Law ~ how we are to behave ourselves and toward one another. Legal scholars
often argue about interpretation of the differences between the spirit of the
law – the intent of the framer – and the letter of the law – defining its
literal understanding. Paul cuts through to the heart of it and tells us in
Philippians: ...this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize
of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:13b-14]
As we travel this temporary road of life, let us gather together
often at the Corner of Hope and Salvation, for sustenance, renewal, and the
revival of our souls, that readies and steadies us for all that is to come. We
may not be able to make the world less mean, but we can add a little more
Christ-meaning to the world.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
O Lord, our God, grant us, Your
humble tenants, the desire and consciousness to recognize our call to live in
and through your perfect Law, to produce the fruits of Your kingdom, and to
love and give to others as You love and have given to us.
Living
God
RESPONSE: Deliver
us from sin
~ O Lord, our God, strengthen our courage
and our voices in the halls of the political leaders in our World, our Nation,
and our Community to urge justice, mercy, and peace in every facet of policy
and legislation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Living
God
Deliver us from sin
~
O Lord, our God, lessen the pain
of all who are chronically ill in body, mind, or spirit, and lift the hearts of
all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
Living
God
Deliver us from sin
~ O Lord, our God, revive our souls and fill
our hearts with the joy of our loved ones who now live again in the peace and
glory of Your eternal sunshine. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Living
God
Deliver us from sin
~ O Lord,
our God, we pause in this moment to
offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and
memorials, aloud or silently…
Living
God
Deliver us from sin
~ O Lord, our God, renew the energy and
excite the hearts of all who are chosen to lead and enlighten our path to You.
We pray especially for:
Living
God
Deliver us from sin
The Celebrant adds:
O God, our Strength and our Redeemer, cleanse us from our known and secret
faults that our every thought, word, and deed may be acceptable in Your Sight.
Let us seek the prize of salvation through You as the Cornerstone of our life
and faith. We ask through Jesus, our Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate,
who together with You, are One God, forever and ever. Amen.
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