Reverend Ref +

SERMON
19 PENTECOST
PROPER 21A
(Matthew 21:28-32)

My last sermon, and the lessons from two weeks ago, focused on forgiveness. That sermon, to put it mildly, pushed a lot of buttons. It was one of those sermons with which you either agreed wholeheartedly or disagreed wholeheartedly, there was no middle ground. And believe me, I've heard from both sides. That's okay though, because regardless of personal opinions, people have been willing to continue to engage me in conversation. And that's good; as a friend is fond of saying, "Don't ever stop talking to me."

With regards to the point about pushing buttons, I figure I'm in good company because that is one of the things that Jesus did best. You get a sense of that in today's gospel; but to really understand that full impact of what's going on, you should look at the entirety of Chapter 21. It is here that we read about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, what we call Palm Sunday. It is here that he cleanses the temple. It is here that the question of John the Baptist comes up. It is here that he tells the parable of the ungrateful tenants. And it is here that the religious leaders realized he was after them. You want button-pushing? This chapter has it in spades.

Two weeks ago, the lessons revolved around forgiveness. Do you remember my definition of forgiveness? "I will not continue to be hurt by what you did to me." Today we get the other side of that equation -- repentance. My definition now is, "I apologize for hurting you and wish to restore our relationship."

Repentance is more than an apology though. Notice that in that definition you recognize that you have hurt somebody. It's recognizing that you were more focused on yourself than anything else. In the epistle to the Philippians, Paul wrote, "Look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others." This statement is basically echoed in the general confession when we say, ". . . we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves."

After recognizing that we have caused pain, the next step is to move towards restoring the relationship. If we are focused on ourselves, it's hard to have a relationship, or to be in communion, with another. So we turn our self-centered ways back towards a willingness to be in relationship. Ezekiel says, "Repent and turn from all your transgressions." He calls this, "getting a new heart and a new spirit."

Repentance is an acknowledgement of your faults and a willingness to change.

And that is the point of today's parable. A man had two sons. The first was asked to go work in the vineyard. At first he says no, but later changed his mind and went. The second was asked also to go work. He said yes but never went. The first son thought about his selfish actions and how they might hurt his father, so he repents and goes. The second son is convinced that his selfish actions are actually in accordance with what his father has asked him to do, so he doesn't bother going.

This is just one of several attacks on the chief priests and Pharisees in this chapter. Jesus elaborates on the parable saying, in essence, that those who said they would do God's will, the religious people, weren't doing it; and those who initially refused God, tax collectors and prostitutes, would eventually change their minds and do it. Then he says that the scoundrels will get into the kingdom of God ahead of the religious folk.

Jesus is trying to get the chief priests and Pharisees to see that, beginning with John the Baptist, something new and different and exciting is happening. He's trying to get them to realize that they've been overly focused on themselves and that they need to turn around and work at being in communion with God. In other words, they need to repent. Talk about pushing buttons.

Just because they were religious, just because they went to temple, just because they knew the rules, didn't mean that they were doing God's will. And we can't fall into that same trap. Just because we go to church, just because we think we know the rules, doesn't necessarily mean that we are doing God's will.

I had a conversation the other day that, while out of context for this sermon, in part mentioned the issue of forgiveness and repentance. This part of the conversation revolved around communion, and the gist of the question was, "If I don't feel worthy, or am angry, should I be taking communion?"

My answer to that comes from the pre-confession in Rite I: Have you examined your life, do you forgive you neighbor, and do you intend to lead a new life? Two of these questions are addressed in today's parable. The first son examined his life, repented and led a new life. The second son didn't feel the need to examine his life or to make any changes.

God calls us to work in the vineyard. The scoundrel initially says no, but thinks better of it, changes his/her mind, and goes. The religious person says yes, but sees no reason to examine his/her life or change their behavior, and does not go. The scoundrels will enter the kingdom of God ahead of the religious folk.

I've got good news: We are all scoundrels. The question is whether or not we are willing to admit that fact, examine our lives, change our minds and get oursleves a new heart and new spirit.