“…I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.’’ (Matt 20:14)
(Year A: The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, 20th September, 2020)
READINGS (COI & paired as between the
Gospel and the Old Testament readings)
Thanks to extraordinary progress in health
and living arrangements, those of us fortunate to live in the economically
prosperous world can look forward, with cautious hope, to retirement. We may
hope to live a life long enough to accompany our children and grandchildren or
other extended family in their life journeys. We might, also, look forward to
good health and an adequate income with a spouse or partner as we face ageing
and, ultimately, birth to new life in the Risen Lord. There are many, however, who do not make it
to the ‘third age’ or, through circumstances and challenges, do not enjoy a
pleasant transition. Nobody can be sure of what lies ahead. We live in the
grace of God day by day and we make our best plans trusting in God’s care for
us.
As Christians, we are in the business of
growth – growth humanly and divinely as members of Christ. Baptism marks us out
as children of God. Nourished by Word and Sacrament we have many possibilities
throughout life to grow in loving, in wisdom and in all of the fruits of the
Holy Spirit. Each of us has been given special talents and gifts. Peter reminds
us (1
Peter 4:10):
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.
Retirement?
When asked for advice about retirement,
Winston Churchill advised someone to take up a hobby. In addition to writing and a busy schedule
which included much eating, drinking and smoking, he managed to complete over
500 canvas paintings in the course of a decade (indicating an average of one a
week!).
I recall reading a pamphlet entitled
‘Called in the morning’ some decades ago when I was struggling with what
vocation meant for me. Somehow, that call never went away though one was held
up in traffic, so to speak. For all of us called to be in Christ, our vocation
is to live out to the full our baptism. This is more important than any other
calling. Our baptismal call is a call to serve and love in a broken world
recognising our own fragility and God-given graciousness. God calls us to
follow him in Jesus just as we are – not perfect, not rounded and not fully
what we could be yet. Some may sense a call to a special ministry of service in
the wider local or universal church. Whatever, our calling – which in any case
remains something to be uncovered, together, rather than assumed or promoted by
one alone – there is much to be done. People are starving for someone to listen
– really listen. People are starving for some words of insight. People are
starving for Word and Sacrament – though they may never know it.
The notion that special callings to
ministry is only for the academically gifted, the relatively young or the
ritually pure is not a Gospel value. God
calls as we are. Of course, those with special commissions to serve or witness
must do so in a way that is consistent with the purpose and message of Gospel
living. The gap between what is said and
what is lived needs to be narrowed as much as possible. After all, people learn
more from how those in ministry act in their whole lives than what they might
say for 10 minutes or so once a week.
This week’s Gospel passage presents us with
a parable about servants who were called at different times of the day. I guess
that, nowadays, we would refer to such servants as ‘if and when workers’
waiting for work in the market place of modern, precarious work. But, this
parable is not, primarily, about fairness or the details of working conditions
in the Hellenistic-Roman world which were, by all accounts, brutal. The parable
is about God’s generosity in calling each one and all in no matter what stage
of life they find themselves.
Called late in the day
According to the story, those called late
in the day responded and received the same recompense. The point of the
narrative is not that ministry is something undertaken for one’s own reward or
recompense. Rather, the story makes the point that God can call anyone at any
stage including those approaching their ‘third age’.
There were those, in the story, who were
standing around idle for most of the day because “Because no one has hired us.”
(verse 7). They were waiting for something to happen or for someone to tell
them what to do. Too often, institutions
(including churches), can engender apathy, passivity and stagnation. We need a
healthy balance of initiation or innovation, on the one hand, and respect for
‘the way things are’ on the other. Many churches here in the Western world have
become (or always were) much too complacent and comfortable. As congregations
dwindle and age it seems not to occur to many that this cannot go on
indefinitely. In some cases, there are still reasonably sizeable congregations
but fewer and fewer priests (such as is the case in the Roman Catholic church
in Ireland today). In other cases, the opposite seems to be the case where
there are very small congregations but quite a few involved in ministry (as is
the case in the Church of Ireland). What is striking in many Christian
traditions is the extent to which we have turned in on ourselves. This can take
many forms including:
- Seeking to conserve the past including ways, manners of doing not to mention ancient buildings and ancestral monuments therein.
- Seeking to draw people into closed circles of like-mindedness and piety while the big, bad world out there carries on.
What many people – including the young who
search – wait for is (a) authenticity of living and (b) a sense of community,
belonging and identity. If churches do not give this they look elsewhere or,
even in a few cases, in new church expressions outside the mainline churches we
are familiar with in Ireland and in other parts of the English-speaking world.
All of this points to a burning need to
rediscover the essential purpose and mission of church today in our localities
and places of social engagement. Perhaps, we need to rethink at least some
parts of the menu we are offering others. Perhaps, we need different courses
and options when it comes to participation in Sunday worship? (I expect ‘blended’
worship encompassing virtual and ‘real’ encounters to become normal as we move
towards a world living with covid for many years).
When we have come through this awful trial
perhaps we need to get out more into the streets and thorough fares not to
preach at people or make them feel even more insecure but, rather, to listen,
to serve, and to stand in solidarity with people where they are and how they
are. The gospels are full of examples where Jesus and his disciples broke
taboos and even annoyed the Temple and Synagogue officials in the process.
The truth is that we have limited time – here on earth – to fulfil what it is that God has given us to do. There is an urgent need to announce, once again, the Gospel story of freedom that can set many people free. For in John 9:4 Jesus declares:
We must work the works of him who sent us while it is day; night is coming when no one can work
The vineyard awaits us at any time of life.
But who will be sent? What does this
‘sending’ mean, concretely, for you, me, others? Do we hear a gentle whisper some time? Might
it say to us:
I have sent you to touch the minds and
hearts of many and to set my people free…
Might there be those, among us, in the
‘third age’ of life who can help in some way?
It’s evening time for many of us and it is the second best part of the
day after the morning (or may be it will be the best?). I conclude with a
saying attributed to the American actress, Bette Davis (1908-1989):
I will not retire while I've still got my legs and my make-up box.
Intercessions 15A
Loving God you are a generous parent to
each one of us. You provide us with what we need from day to day. We entrust to
you our cares and the cares of others as you delight in giving and in asking.
Empower us to go out into your vineyard to
bear witness to your mercy and compassion. Lead us to those in our communities
who need to experience once again kindness and generosity.
Nobody is beyond your call – teach us to
listen and to respond. Help us to encourage those who feel called to minister
in any season of life.
Remembering those who have gone before us as we look to that time when we will, all, be gathered into one in your kingdom.
The door of faith is always open and you
welcome us, O God, whenever our hearts are open. We are grateful for your
loving patience and generosity. Pour out your Holy Spirit on each one of us at
this time in our life. We ask this in the Name of Jesus who, alone, opens to us
the way to paradise.
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