Rev. Dustin ParkerIs God fair?
Concordia Lutheran Church
Pentecost 14, September 18, 2011
Come Worship the Lord (with us),
for He is More Than Fair!
Isaiah 55:6-9
† IN HIS NAME †
May you gain a greater insight into the ways and thoughts of God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is compassionate and abundant in His healing His people!
If They had known…
Would they have asked to gather their unemployed friends?
The work was sufficient,
But they couldn’t think as a master, they didn’t know His ways
As you read the parable from Matthew, together with the words from Isaiah that, we have heard this morning, there is a strong parallel that begins to stand out.
God’s people struggle with seeing things from His perspective, and have for a long, long time. It is as Isaiah so clearly states,
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The hired hands obviously could not grasp the vineyard Owner’s intention. They focused on the work, looking forward to the pay. Nothing else. A simple transaction – we work for you – you pay us.
If they had grasped the Owner’s thoughts, if they understood His ways, they would have rejoiced, they would have picked up on His ways, and His intent. Instead they saw themselves simply as tools for a task.
If they had realized His intent, their complaints would never have been given a thought. Instead, the Owner would never have had to return to the market and found people standing around idle.
There would not have been anyone idle to hire…. The workers would have called out to them hours earlier.
The owner after all, didn’t go into the market to get enough employees to complete the job, He just went to find laborers to be part of His vinyard.
We don’t grasp the nature of God
Is it about “the work” – is God’s judgment performance based
Right versus wrong, Good versus Evil
When Isaiah’s words are heard, that we don’t comprehend God’s ways or thoughts, the words aren’t just about the people of Isaiah’s day, or non-christians or unchurched or dechurched people today. Surely they struggle with grasping God’s ways! Often because they hear about Him from church people; the church people who also struggle with comprehending the depth and width, height and breadth of God’s love for us. The love revealed to us, in Christ Jesus.
What most people think about God, and indeed, about the Vineyard’s owner is that his actions are all business – all “work-related” and about one’s performance. The world see us talking about the judgment, about sin and holiness, about confession and absolution, and the opinion that is formed is that Christianity is like every other religion – about being judged on performance! If you take some passages out the context of the cross and what it means, you easily end up with those sort of views.
So often the world thinks Christianity is about the battle we see in society and in ourselves – the war between right and wrong, between getting punished with God’s wrath, or paid/rewarded for you good works. The idea that there is an angel sitting on your right shoulder, encouraging you to do what is boring and therefore good, and a devil on your left, trying to convince you to do what is evil, enjoyable and fun! This theory what philosophers call dualism – the great war of whether good will prevail, or whether evil will dominate!
Because of that philosophy, if the world thinks about God, they see Him as the one who determines how the battle ends for you, are you good or evil? They see His primary concern being – did the job get done – did good prevail in you, or did that little demon on your shoulder get the best of you. Under that view, it makes sense that those that do good longer, or better, should be rewarded more! That logic, that reasoning seems betrayed when the Vineyard Owner gives all an equal reward.
Here’s an example of that philosophy. Someone asks whether Hitler or Bin Laden could be in heaven, and gets mad if you say yes. Another if someone asks if you have to be a certain type of person to come to church, or if they ask if someone “like them” would even be welcome here.
Or when we wonder “why would they want to be here….don’t they know this is a church?”
Admit it, each of us has people in our lives, who if they entered through those doors right now, it would cause us to wonder, people we think would never step through those doors.
Remember though, His ways are beyond our ways, His thoughts, His desires are so radically different from ours!
Isaiah’s Message!
Compassion
Thriving Pardon/healing
Come work with/for me
Isaiah explains this in today’s reading, a saying we all have heard, even if we forget the context. We do not get His ways, indeed, we are challenged by His thoughts. Remember though, when Isaiah mentions this, he is not talking about Creation, or End times – the context is the same as the parable – the kingdom of God is like a Owner searching for people to join Him in His work…
God calls people to Him, desiring to care for them with compassion, the incredible word that pictures a mother caring for a distraught child, or a King responding to provide for his people in the midst of a disaster. The idea of responding with love to people overwhelmed, people you care about, people you long to help. And can help That’s compassion, not just a feeling of wow – they are in tough times, but the driven compulsion to help someone you love, who is less fortunate, less able to help themselves.
Pardon is more than God simply and freely forgiving debts either. It is a medical term – for restoring through pouring out healing, without thought to the cost. It is about freeing them from what binds or restricts them from living a full life. God’s ministry to us! so abundant! He desires that granting of healing to thrive, to grow, to become abundant! Not just a limited amount of healing – but God wants it to become radically growing, as people from every walk of life, from every language receive that pardon, receive that freedom, and are healed.
I suppose we should remind ourselves about whom God is calling to this – it’s not the people who were the most productive, the most successful at being good and holy and perfect by their own right. He calls to himself, he brings into the vineyard all who are idle, all who aren’t productive, those who Isaiah calls evil, and unrighteousness. They are welcome to find not the God of wrath, but God who reveals to them His personal name, who establishes a relationship with them. The God who then invites us to call upon Him, for He is here – the Lord is with You.
God wants to pour out on every murderer, every adulterer, every prostitute and embezzler, every terrorist and heartless power hungry government official, ever rebellious child, every gossip and liar His grace. That is just a few of those in scripture He healed and granted freedom from sin. Would they be welcome here? In His kingdom, in His presence?
He will hire everyone, no matter how late in the day, for the kingdom isn’t about the work, the Vineyard is about the people harvested, the unrighteous and evil being changed, by God’s work, into His people. You see, the parable never mentions the scope of work needing to be done, it just mentions the desire of the Owner to bring people into the Vineyard.
Here is how Paul described the Vineyard owner, and His work, with those He would call to His side…
3 It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. 4 But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, 5 he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. 6 Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. 7 God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! 8 You can count on this. I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone. Titus 3:3-8 (MSG) .
Our sermon hymn title is so reflective of this, “come, worship the Lord, for we ARE His people!”
Or as our Vineyard Owner called to us, late at the ninth hour, as we realized no one had claimed us, “You come into my Vineyard too, there is a place for you” Seek me, I will be compassionate, Find me I am Here.
There is one group left, that needs to be hired this day, the group still idle and unrighteous, even at the eleventh hour…
May the peace that we have, knowing our Lord’s heart, knowing His thoughts and ways are to give us a place in His kingdom, lead us to share this place with those that know it not…..that they may come worship the Lord with us, rejoicing in His grace, His love, His compassion and Healing. AMEN?
Pentecost 14, September 18, 2011
Come Worship the Lord (with us),
for He is More Than Fair!
Isaiah 55:6-9
† IN HIS NAME †
May you gain a greater insight into the ways and thoughts of God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is compassionate and abundant in His healing His people!
If They had known…
Would they have asked to gather their unemployed friends?
The work was sufficient,
But they couldn’t think as a master, they didn’t know His ways
As you read the parable from Matthew, together with the words from Isaiah that, we have heard this morning, there is a strong parallel that begins to stand out.
God’s people struggle with seeing things from His perspective, and have for a long, long time. It is as Isaiah so clearly states,
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The hired hands obviously could not grasp the vineyard Owner’s intention. They focused on the work, looking forward to the pay. Nothing else. A simple transaction – we work for you – you pay us.
If they had grasped the Owner’s thoughts, if they understood His ways, they would have rejoiced, they would have picked up on His ways, and His intent. Instead they saw themselves simply as tools for a task.
If they had realized His intent, their complaints would never have been given a thought. Instead, the Owner would never have had to return to the market and found people standing around idle.
There would not have been anyone idle to hire…. The workers would have called out to them hours earlier.
The owner after all, didn’t go into the market to get enough employees to complete the job, He just went to find laborers to be part of His vinyard.
We don’t grasp the nature of God
Is it about “the work” – is God’s judgment performance based
Right versus wrong, Good versus Evil
When Isaiah’s words are heard, that we don’t comprehend God’s ways or thoughts, the words aren’t just about the people of Isaiah’s day, or non-christians or unchurched or dechurched people today. Surely they struggle with grasping God’s ways! Often because they hear about Him from church people; the church people who also struggle with comprehending the depth and width, height and breadth of God’s love for us. The love revealed to us, in Christ Jesus.
What most people think about God, and indeed, about the Vineyard’s owner is that his actions are all business – all “work-related” and about one’s performance. The world see us talking about the judgment, about sin and holiness, about confession and absolution, and the opinion that is formed is that Christianity is like every other religion – about being judged on performance! If you take some passages out the context of the cross and what it means, you easily end up with those sort of views.
So often the world thinks Christianity is about the battle we see in society and in ourselves – the war between right and wrong, between getting punished with God’s wrath, or paid/rewarded for you good works. The idea that there is an angel sitting on your right shoulder, encouraging you to do what is boring and therefore good, and a devil on your left, trying to convince you to do what is evil, enjoyable and fun! This theory what philosophers call dualism – the great war of whether good will prevail, or whether evil will dominate!
Because of that philosophy, if the world thinks about God, they see Him as the one who determines how the battle ends for you, are you good or evil? They see His primary concern being – did the job get done – did good prevail in you, or did that little demon on your shoulder get the best of you. Under that view, it makes sense that those that do good longer, or better, should be rewarded more! That logic, that reasoning seems betrayed when the Vineyard Owner gives all an equal reward.
Here’s an example of that philosophy. Someone asks whether Hitler or Bin Laden could be in heaven, and gets mad if you say yes. Another if someone asks if you have to be a certain type of person to come to church, or if they ask if someone “like them” would even be welcome here.
Or when we wonder “why would they want to be here….don’t they know this is a church?”
Admit it, each of us has people in our lives, who if they entered through those doors right now, it would cause us to wonder, people we think would never step through those doors.
Remember though, His ways are beyond our ways, His thoughts, His desires are so radically different from ours!
Isaiah’s Message!
Compassion
Thriving Pardon/healing
Come work with/for me
Isaiah explains this in today’s reading, a saying we all have heard, even if we forget the context. We do not get His ways, indeed, we are challenged by His thoughts. Remember though, when Isaiah mentions this, he is not talking about Creation, or End times – the context is the same as the parable – the kingdom of God is like a Owner searching for people to join Him in His work…
God calls people to Him, desiring to care for them with compassion, the incredible word that pictures a mother caring for a distraught child, or a King responding to provide for his people in the midst of a disaster. The idea of responding with love to people overwhelmed, people you care about, people you long to help. And can help That’s compassion, not just a feeling of wow – they are in tough times, but the driven compulsion to help someone you love, who is less fortunate, less able to help themselves.
Pardon is more than God simply and freely forgiving debts either. It is a medical term – for restoring through pouring out healing, without thought to the cost. It is about freeing them from what binds or restricts them from living a full life. God’s ministry to us! so abundant! He desires that granting of healing to thrive, to grow, to become abundant! Not just a limited amount of healing – but God wants it to become radically growing, as people from every walk of life, from every language receive that pardon, receive that freedom, and are healed.
I suppose we should remind ourselves about whom God is calling to this – it’s not the people who were the most productive, the most successful at being good and holy and perfect by their own right. He calls to himself, he brings into the vineyard all who are idle, all who aren’t productive, those who Isaiah calls evil, and unrighteousness. They are welcome to find not the God of wrath, but God who reveals to them His personal name, who establishes a relationship with them. The God who then invites us to call upon Him, for He is here – the Lord is with You.
God wants to pour out on every murderer, every adulterer, every prostitute and embezzler, every terrorist and heartless power hungry government official, ever rebellious child, every gossip and liar His grace. That is just a few of those in scripture He healed and granted freedom from sin. Would they be welcome here? In His kingdom, in His presence?
He will hire everyone, no matter how late in the day, for the kingdom isn’t about the work, the Vineyard is about the people harvested, the unrighteous and evil being changed, by God’s work, into His people. You see, the parable never mentions the scope of work needing to be done, it just mentions the desire of the Owner to bring people into the Vineyard.
Here is how Paul described the Vineyard owner, and His work, with those He would call to His side…
3 It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. 4 But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, 5 he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. 6 Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. 7 God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! 8 You can count on this. I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone. Titus 3:3-8 (MSG) .
Our sermon hymn title is so reflective of this, “come, worship the Lord, for we ARE His people!”
Or as our Vineyard Owner called to us, late at the ninth hour, as we realized no one had claimed us, “You come into my Vineyard too, there is a place for you” Seek me, I will be compassionate, Find me I am Here.
There is one group left, that needs to be hired this day, the group still idle and unrighteous, even at the eleventh hour…
May the peace that we have, knowing our Lord’s heart, knowing His thoughts and ways are to give us a place in His kingdom, lead us to share this place with those that know it not…..that they may come worship the Lord with us, rejoicing in His grace, His love, His compassion and Healing. AMEN?
