Thought for the Day - Sunday 20 September

Thought for the Day – Sunday 20^th September

‘“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”’(Matthew 20: 1-16)

 

Cast your mind back to your childhood days – you are standing in a line in the playground and someone is picking their team to play either football or netball or ‘British Bulldog’ or whatever childhood games you played. You stand there in anticipation waiting to be chosen, you find you can almost predict who will be chosen first, you stand there longingly hoping you may be next and will not be ‘the last man standing’ and so a reluctantly chosen team member – I wonder if you can you still feel the relief at being chosen by someone to join their team. What a process – a process which left some feeling so ‘valued’ and others not ‘valued’ at all.

 Now think of these workers standing in the market place waiting to be chosen – anyone hearing Jesus tell this parable would know that those first to be hired would be those who looked fitter than the rest or those who were known by the landowner. Those who were left to the end of the day would be those with perhaps a bad reputation or those who were physically less able to work. Again a question of who was ‘valued’ and who was made to feel ‘worthless’.

 Now in this reflection think of the many workers who find themselves in similar situations today all across the world:

Standing, waiting, the sun rising, the heat swelling, uncertainty swirling, looking around at expectant faces, waiting on work, waiting on a wage, waiting... waiting...

A truck pulls up, the foreman jumps down, looks along the line, points, you, you, you... but not me.

Standing, waiting, the sun beating, uncertainty gaining ground, waiting... waiting...

A minibus pulls over, and from our ranks goes another group of workers, their day’s uncertainty over, but not me.

 Standing, waiting, shoulders slumping, head bowing, a vision of empty bowls in front of hungry children, waiting... waiting...

The foreman is back, needing more hands, you, you, you... but still not me.

 Sitting, waiting, forlorn, hopeless, but what else to do, the sun going down, the day almost over, waiting... waiting... for a job that will never come.

The sound of tyres on gravel, a fleeting hope, a finger pointing at me, beckoning me over, it is me, finally chosen!

 An overwhelming relief flooding through my body: a wage to come, food on the table, for today, today.

 And then the waiting will begin again, next sunrise.

 

I suppose from this parable we could talk of who is valued in our world and who is not and it definitely is something we should always consider at Christians – we are all equally valued by God and indeed we have a responsibility as Christians to ensure that the least of this world are always valued.

 However, this story is also about a God who shows no favours when it comes to the giving out of grace. His love is not dependent on anything we do. God’s mercy is freely given to the first and the last in the queue and that means that God loves those who have been present in faith the longest, but also outpours that love on those who have only recently been ‘gathered-in’ and we should not question that grace. As the parable says:  Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ For money read grace!

 

So as this reflection says:

 

Those who have been here forever and those who have joined more recently have equal status in the eyes of God. Those who spend all their time here and those who pop in and out as the notion takes them are equally loved and blessed by God.

For God's love and regard are not rewards to be earned, but gifts freely given. No holds barred. No conditions attached. That knowledge is at once freeing and frustrating, reassuring and incredible, grounding and earth shattering.

So there is only one thing for it – enjoy, share and let God take care of the rest.

 So let’s accept the grace so freely given, let’s share the grace and trust God to take care of the rest!

 

Prayer

 Loving Lord,

Your grace knows no bounds, your love for all creation is equal and eternal. You say to the sun, moon and stars I love you; you say to the oceans, mountains and valleys I love you; you say to the trees and grasses I love you; you say to the wild animals and deep sea beings I love you and you say to all humanity I love you. Each part of creation is loved by you no part more or less all equally loved.

Forgive us for those times we treat parts of creation without love. Forgive us for those times we treat our neighbours without love. Forgive us and give us the desire to love as you love, for you love all things equally. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.