Reverend Ref +

Sermon
20 Pentecost
Proper 22A
(Matthew 21:33-43)

A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, in the beginning, God planted a garden. But being God takes alot of work, and God didn't want to spend all his time taking care of the garden, so he created humans and put them in charge. It became their job to till it and keep it and tend it until it was ready to be harvested; at which point they were to render the fruits of the harvest to God and God would share the best of the harvest with both the humans in the garden and those outside the garden.

The people worked very hard and very diligently at their task. They did such a good job that all of the plants in the garden thrived like they were on Miracle Grow, only better. Bushes and vines and flowers all grew big and healthy. And the trees grew so tall that several children could climb them at once; and they made swings that launched them out over the warm water of the swimming hole.

And the plants grew. And the children grew. And the children had children of their own. Eventually the children's children's children grew and had children of their own. But still the harvest had not come, because, like everything else that belongs to God, the garden would be harvested when God was ready.

As time passed, the people slowly began to think of the garden as their own. After all, it was the people who trimmed and weeded and watered the garden day after day after day. And when anybody would question why they continued to care for a garden that gave them only enough to live on but never reached harvest, their leaders would say, "Because we've always done it this way."

One fall, the morning dawned bright and clear and crisp. The leaves on the trees had turned vibrant shades of reds and oranges and yellows. You could see your breath, but you knew it would warm up to a comfortable temperature. In short, it was a perfect day for football. And as the people headed outside they saw all of the plants laden with fruits and vegetables and melons, and they knew that the harvest had finally come.

As they began preparing for the harvest, they noticed some strangers come into the garden. They wore white shirts with black pants, black suit coats, black ties and dark sunglasses. When the people asked who they were, they said, "We're on a mission from God, and we've come to collect the harvest."

This made the people rather angry. Who were these guys, coming into their garden and taking what the people had worked towards for generations upon generations?

"Well," they said, "these guys aren't taking our harvest." And they ran them out of the garden.

Have you ever had a conversation with God? I've had a few, and let me tell you that God is one of the most persistent and stubborn people I know. He doesn't give up easily.

So he sent more guys in white shirts and sunglasses who also claimed to be on missions from God. None of these other guys were any more successful than the first two had been, and in some cases, less.

Finally, wanting to avoid having to show up personally, God sent his own son in an effort to get the harvest so that he could inspect it and give the best of the produce to the people. But the people have spent so much time taking care of the garden and so much time figuring out what they would do with it, that they lost sight of the fact that it was all God's to begin with. And they forgot that God was planning on taking care of them. So much so that when the son arrived, they found a way to shut him out of their lives forever.

I guess even God's patience can run out, and he removed the people from the garden and invited other peope to take over; and these other people have promised to give the harvest to God so that he, in return, can give the best of the harvest back to the new caretakers. And for their part, the new caretakers take their share of that harvest and share it with those around them.

Take a look around you. The mountains, the cattle, the wheat -- we live in a wonderful garden. And all of it belongs to God, none of it is truly ours; we are simply the caretakers. We till it and prune it and trim it and water it and maintain it, but the harvest belongs to God. And he turns around and allows for us to benefit from the harvest.

How do we work the garden? With our time. By giving our time, we are blessed with friendships and relationships that bind our lives together.

With our talent. By giving our talent, we are blessed with facilities and an organization that can reach out to the community in a variety of ways.

With our treasure. By giving our treasure, we can afford to keep the doors open, a priest in the pulpit, a goal to be self-sufficient without relying on others to hold us up, and the ability to reach out to those in the community who need help.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that all of this belongs to you. All of this belongs to God, and it is our job to share it, not keep it; because it's only through sharing that other people receive the fruits of the kingdom.