But I worked harder!

Sermon September 18, 2011 But I Worked Harder; I Should Get More! Matthew 20:1-16 Two weeks ago a small group here at Grace in the Desert embarked on a year-long course of study called Kerygma. Kerygma is well-known curriculum used in many Christian formation study groups throughout the country. It is an intensive historical, theological and experiential look at both the Old and the New Testaments. Kerygma is the Greek word used in the New Testament for preaching. It is related to the Greek verb kērússō, to cry or proclaim as a herald, and means proclamation, announcement, or preaching. Paul described Kerygma quite succinctly in his Letter to the Romans when he wrote, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!’” The New Testament teaches us that Jesus launched his public ministry when he entered the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. He identified himself as the one Isaiah predicted in Isa 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.” (Luke 4:17-21). This text is a programmatic statement of Jesus’ ministry to preach or proclaim Kerygma, good news to the poor, the blind, and the captive Mark in his gospel begins with the words, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” In other words, Jesus proclaimed the Good News; Mark, and others taught or wrote about the Good News. Our study of Kerygma is our study of good news. The Good News proclaimed by Jesus as he traveled throughout Galilee and Judea proclaiming and healing. The Good News reported in the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the history of Acts; the Letters of Paul; and the apocalypse of Revelation. Today’s Gospel tells us of good news in a rather roundabout way. It is hidden in a story that describes a master and his methods of employing day laborers. Throughout the day the master goes out into the marketplace and hires those who show up looking for work. Some laborers come early in the day and others at later times throughout the remainder of the day. No matter what time workers showed up and no matter how many hours a day they actually worked, the master paid them all the same amount of money at the end of the day. Those who worked for 12 hours earned exactly the same as those who worked for only two or three hours. Understandably, you might ask where is the good news in that story? What’s so good about those who work hardest and longest getting the same amount of pay as those who hardly work at all? Faced with similar situations wouldn’t we sit back and say, “Oh wow, good news, I work hard every day writing reports and pleasing customers and some guy who just sits around and plays video games in-between coffee breaks gets paid just the same amount as I do. That’s not fair.” Sound familiar? Where in this apparently unjust situation is the Good News? The Good News in both these examples is that God doesn’t care how hard or how many hours we work. Working hard is not the way to win points with God. What God does care about is how faithful we are. He cares about how we receive Christ into our lives. He cares about how we continually grow in our faith through repentance and prayer. He cares about how we proclaim our faith in all areas of our lives. And, finally he cares about how we heal others through manifesting the Christ in us, and reaching out with care and compassion to those who have never heard the Good News and to those who may have forgotten about it. As Paul said, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the Good News.” The Good News is that the reward that we receive for our faith is the grace of God, a place in his Eternal Kingdom both here and in heaven, and the peace that passes all understanding. We receive these rewards in exactly the same way and same amount regardless of whether we are rich or poor; whether we work eight hours a day or only two hours a day; whether we have developed our faith early in life or late in life; whether we are White, Black, Asian, Native-American, or any other ethnicity. The Good News is not just for those of us here at Grace in the Desert, and it certainly is not just for us Episcopalians. It is for everyone throughout the world who holds Christ in their heart and soul; who manifests Christ in their lives. The grace that God bestows on those who have faith is exactly the same for each and every person. No one gets more; no one gets less. There is plenty for everyone. The question then becomes not “how much will I get,” but rather, “do I take advantage of how much I have?” The Landowner summed it up when he said, “Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am too generous? So that last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matt 20:14-16) God is generous, and He has chosen to give us all the same amount of grace – each and every one of us, and that grace has nothing to do with how hard we work – not at all. This is a hard concept to grasp for many of us here in America where materials goods are coveted; prestigious titles sought and envied; beautiful faces and bodies favored; and “money talks.” Living in our highly competitive and largely materialistic world I would bet that it rarely enters our minds that in God’s eyes we are all the same. More importantly, I am quite certain it is not the normal course of events for us to remember that God expects us to see that everyone is the same in terms of the grace that God has bestowed on them. How easy it is to discriminate against the homeless; to judge the unemployed; to mock the physically and mentally challenged; to forget the sick and the lonely; to run from those in need; to dismiss the disenfranchised. How easy it is for all of us – all of us. But to follow Christ is to remember that “the last will be first and the first be last.” That gets me back to Kerygma. Kerygma is foundational to our faith; Kerygma is essential to our formation as Christians; essential in our theological and personal understanding of Scripture if we are to live with Christ as the center of our being. Our communal study of Kerygma enriches the faith of our community and of our individual members. It encourages us to take our faith into the world to proclaim and heal. In the First Letter of Peter there is a section that has the heading, “A Call to Holy Living.” It reads, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly held in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”1 Peter 1:13-16 This week I encourage you to seek the Good News in yourself and in your life. At your most difficult moments, open your hearts and minds to God’s grace and let the knowledge of your place in His eternal Kingdom both in the here and now and for ever and ever heal your anger, your frustration, or your pain and fill you with peace. Then, once you are settled, share your Good News experience with someone else - be holy and let your feet be beautiful.