Sisters and brothers in Christ, God’s grace and peace be with you.  Amen

This story probably is the hardest to hear if you’re the oldest child.  Can’t you just see it?  You’re the one who has to mow the lawn, clean your room, empty the dishwasher, and help pick up the family room, while the younger kids get by doing half the work that you do.  And the littlest one skates through, picks up one sock and puts it in the laundry bag, and gets treated to the same trip to Dairy Queen that you were promised.

There’s something simply not fair about the way this story goes.  If God plans to be good to everyone, to shine light on the whole world, to shower goodness and mercy and loving-kindness on people everywhere, no matter how little they’ve contributed, no matter how few times they’ve forgiven others, no matter what kind of a person they’ve been…  then what’s the point?  Why be faithful if God treats everyone the same in the end?

This story reminds me of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  Like the older brother, we struggle to accept God’s lavish acceptance and praise of those who get away with squandering the family treasure and come home with empty hands.  It is simply not fair that the fatted calf is offered for the one who didn’t deserve it. 

In fact we struggle with a life that way too often feels extraordinarily unfair.  We are disheartened by an economy that no longer rewards hard work or sound investment.  We watch unemployed friends become jaded by too many rejections.  We hear of corporate fat cats accepting huge incentive packages while their companies lay off thousands of employees.  As nearby as our nearest corner we notice the rudest child taking advantage of the classmate with the least ability to respond.  And across the globe we witness the most powerful tyrants abusing masses of people who have no means of demanding justice.  Closer to home we watch as loving and goodhearted people get sick with cancer, innocent children fight horrendous illnesses, and the sweetest families in the world face enormous challenges.

Why can’t God give the bullies cancer?  Why aren’t the terrorists in the path of the hurricanes or wildfires?  Why can’t the scoundrels lose their jobs, and let our neighbors get back to work?

And if the marketplace and the school yard are unfair, If the global economy, or the random pattern of cancer diagnoses are never equitable, at least when we deal with our faith we’d like to think there would be some justice. 

But no.  Instead we encounter a God who is willing to love those who have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.  We discover a God who embraces the neighbor, even the Ninevites!, even those who have been standing by idly while we’ve tried to be faithful.  In fact, according to the story of the workers in the vineyard, none of the hard work we’ve offered makes any difference at all.

It’s easy to be resentful.  It’s easy to feel like the eldest children who have been at it since the beginning of the day and complain about those who didn’t joined in the work until the final hour.  It really is not fair.

But, maybe because I’m the youngest child, I wonder if perhaps we’ve been looking at this all wrong.  Perhaps the reward is not the gift that comes at the end of the day, but the chance to be connected to the vine all day long.  Like the Forgiving Father reminding the older brother, those of us who have worked all day have always known the Parent’s love.

We have always benefitted from the goodness of the vineyard.  Life has always been gift for us.  In fact, it is God’s choice to be gracious to all of us.  That’s better than fair.  That’s good.

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul describes this most beautifully.  Paul writes from prison, his life threatened by authorities opposed to his preaching.  He wrestles with whether he even hopes to face more oppression and resistance, or whether his life is even worth it any more.  But rather than despair or complain about the injustice of his predicament, Paul says, “Living is Christ, and dying is gain.”

Living, he says (from prison), is good.  Living, even in spite of the labor, and the risk, and the hardships, is so good, so meaningful, so rich, that Paul calls it, “Christ!”  Living connected to the vine of life, and experiencing the joy of life in a Vineyard run on grace is in fact experiencing Christ.

I’m not really trying to claim that the oldest child doesn’t have a complaint about the youngest getting out of work.  I get that!  I’m trying to claim that our life in the family of God is much more meaningful, much more valuable than a list of chores on our to-do lists.

In fact our life in the realm of God is a celebration of the gifts that the vineyard offers us.  We are called as workers in a family where our “work” immerses us in grace, where our tasks can be called living and where living is Christ. We are invited into an experience in which the work we do is expressed through forgiveness and hope and the gift of peace which passes understanding.

Those who work longest get much more than the usual daily wage. Indeed they get the opportunity to daily feast on the bread of life, and drink from a fountain of grace.  That’s better than fair.  That’s good.

Don’t believe me?  Ask those who have launched our new GAPP- that’s Grace & Promise People—a new ministry with our 5^th and 6^th graders.  As they exited their first meeting with their small groups last Sunday, they glowed as they expressed their delight  in being able to share faith with young people.  They beamed when they described a chance they have to respond to the challenges one of their students faces, and have come up with a fabulous way they can work together to show their support of his family.

Don’t believe me?  Ask those mentors who met a 9^th grader last Wednesday night and committed to walk with that young person through their confirmation journey for the next two years.  Ask those who eagerly entered their choir rooms in the last two weeks to begin another year of leading our congregation’s music program.  Ask those who worked behind the scenes getting our classrooms ready for Rally Day last week.

Ask those who have served on our Mission Exploration Team over the last twelve months, nd who are finalizing our Ministry Profile in our path to call a new senior pastor. They may tell you about the hard work they’ve been involved in, or the pressure they have felt to respond faithfully to the tasks they’ve been given.  But they will also tell you what an honor it is to be involved in a ministry that is rich and meaningful, tasks that give life and allow them to witness God’s Spirit at work in this place.

Still don’t believe me?  Then, come see for yourself.  Maybe you’ve been standing idly in the marketplace, waiting for the landowner to put you to work.  Don’t resist the invitation.  We are still looking for a few Sunday School teachers to make our ministry with children complete.  You have the chance to join a team of other faithful teachers and to watch faith grow in a young person.  We are still signing up members of small groups to read and discuss The Faith Club together.  You have the chance to meet with others and consider how we respond to the diverse faith communities of our neighborhood.

We are still hoping for extra hands in our office during the week to help us complete tasks that need to be done.  We are still signing up extra hands to cook and serve meals at Loaves and Fishes every other month.  You can learn about still more opportunities at our Ministry Fair next month.  There is work in the vineyard that is real and good and life-giving, and we still need workers to join us.

This isn’t fair.  It’s way better than fair.  It’s as good as coming home every day to a golden ring and a fatted calf.  It’s as joyous as living life so fully, that we can call it Christ.  It isn’t fair.  It’s good, and it’s the gift we have each been given by the owner of a Vineyard of Grace.  Thanks be to God.  Amen

Texts:  Jonah 3:10 – 4:11; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16