2023 10 1
PROPER 21 (26) Pentecost 18 A
Exodus 17:1-7 and Psalm
78:1-4, 12-16 • Philippians 2:1-13 •
Matthew 21:23-32
Modern life could almost be titled, “The exhausted life.” There seems to be so many demands. It is, in many ways, a dry and barren
wilderness and we too need to come to the rock of Christ from whom living
waters flow. In this world of so many
varied and passionate opinions we need that solid rock of Christ that we can
trust in, stand on and rest. We are
nourished by the living waters, Christ’s Holy Spirit, that brings us the life
and teaching of Christ. Yet spare a
thought for those Israelites who travelled by stages from the wilderness of Sin
to Rephidim. They were exhausted and they
were frustrated. What’s more, this place
had no drinking water. So, they grumbled.
God had already feed them with quail meat and bread from heaven,
but the people are grumbling again. They
have good reason to grumble, but they are so slow to learn that they only need
to ask. They are God’s chosen people and
he WILL provide. We also, are God’s
chosen people. What is the message for
us? God will provide. In all our
confusion of modern life, Christ is our rock.
His ways are life, and from Him flow living waters.
The number of Israelites who left Egypt was about 600 000. I say, “about”, as it is unclear whether this
number included women and children. Mackay’s
current population is under 138 000. These
people needed leadership, and the feeding and watering of them was also no
small feat.
The people questioned; “Is the Lord among us or not?” In times that test our faith, we too cry; “Is
the Lord among us or not?” – I do. I
confess, I’m no better than these quarrelling Israelites. When there is a need, no matter what it is,
we tend to become anxious and question whether God really does care for us. –
Or is that just me?
God has proven himself over and over again, in our lives
and in the stories that we read. God’s
love for His people is such that He provides, even though there is quarrelling
with Him. Last week we read about God
providing the quail meat and manna in the desert. What can we learn from these ancient
interactions with God? If nothing else, these
stories speak so loudly about the faithfulness and provision of God.
As an individual, do we have a need, that we are thinking
can’t be provided? What is God saying to
us? As a church, do we have a need, that
we are thinking can’t be provided? What
is God saying to us as a church about this?
Last week we discovered the provision of God – He sent the
manna, but the people still had a work to do… they had to collect it and make
it into bread. Yet God also provided for
them so that they were not just nourished, but could enjoy a time of rest. Last
week I left us all with a question. What
is the work that God is calling us to do?
I would like us all to continue prayerfully contemplating this question,
as we place ourselves in the shoes of the two brothers mentioned in our Gospel
reading, asked by their father to do some work for him.
To recap; Jesus is asked what his authority is for the
healings he performs. Jesus was getting
quite a following and the more established groups saw him as a threat. Jesus’ teaching came from God. John the Baptist’s teachings were from God
also. Jesus answered their question with
his own question, making it clear that the baptism of John and Jesus’ own
authority were both from God himself.
John the Baptist and Jesus had a God given role. They fulfilled that role perfectly. All God’s people are called to fulfill a God
given role. Those Pharisees were called
to fulfill a God given role. The nation
of Israel was called to fulfill a God given role. As God’s chosen nation, Israel was to be a
light to the nations around. They had
the law and ways of God that would be a standard of goodness and good life. Those things included caring for the widows
and the poor, providing impartial justice and caring for the land such that
even the land enjoyed a time of rest each 7th year. This way of living included a year of freedom
for slaves and a year of Jubilee. Many
good things!!
Much like the son who said, “Yes” to his father’s call to
work in the vineyard, the nation of Israel said yes to being the chosen nation
of God, and “Yes” to following the law with it’s many traditions, but they didn’t
actually follow through to present the mercy, grace and goodness of God to the
rest of the world because, although they kept the letter of the law, they
followed their own self interests instead of God’s call to love and mercy.
The first son said, “No” to the father. Basically, No, I don’t want to do the work –
I want to go my own way and do my own thing. Jesus explained that this “Son”, represents
those who were the religious outsiders, the tax collectors and prostitutes. These initially rejected the ways of God, but
later, upon reflection from the teaching of John the Baptist, realized that God’s
way was a better way and they accepted.
They accepted God’s truth, they repented and were baptised by John.
“Repent” – there is a word loaded with connotations
of sin and sorrow! However, to repent simply
means to change your mind and go in the other direction. The Pharisees
and the religious of Jesus day didn’t see that they had anything of which to
repent. They believed they were the
keepers of God’s ultimate truth and they were following God. They kept the law of God, gave sacrifices and
kept the Sabbath as a day of rest.\ They
kept the letter of the law but failed to understand the spirit of the law. The Spirit of the law is not a New Testament
idea. In the book of Micah it clearly
states that what God requires is simply this; (Micah 6:8) “ He has Showed
You, O Man, What is Good. and What Does The Lord Require of You? to act justly
and to Love Mercy and to Walk Humbly with Your God.”
Every single one of us who are called to be God’s people,
are called to work in God’s vineyard. We
all have a God given role. For each of
us the call is different, but we know from the many great characters in the Old
Testament that age, gender, occupation and social standing is no barrier to the
call.
In some way, shape or form, God is calling each of us today,
to some action today. God also calls us
collectively as a church. The Anglican
church acknowledges this and has this thing called the five marks of
Mission. These five are: 1. To
proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom 2. To teach, baptise and nurture new
believers 3. To respond to human need by loving service 4. To
transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and
pursue peace and reconciliation 5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of
creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth. The church may collectively say “yes” to the
calling, but the church collective is made up of many individuals who also need
to be saying “Yes”, otherwise we are the son who says “Yes” and does nothing.
Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians urges the believes
in how they ought to live and the attitudes and values he encourages are
attitudes and values for a mission-based church, as he encourages them; “Do
nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as
better than yourselves. Let each of you
look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”
When there are conflicts in organisations, you can bet the
root of the problem will be that one of more of those involved is striving to put
themselves above others. And the most
difficult offenders do this out of selfish ambition and conceit, usually
because they feel that no one will treat them with respect unless they grab
hold of that little bit of perceived power.
The Christian counter-culture encourages us to regard others as better
than ourselves.
It was drummed into me as a little girl, that none of us
should think poorly of ourselves – the nuns taught us, that is false pride. Each of us are so valuable to
God, that Christ willingly came, suffered and died for us. BUT, along with this we were taught that others
are also, so valuable to God that Christ willingly came, suffered and died for
them. Do you recall the parable of the
lost sheep, where he leaves the 99 who are safely together and seeks out that
one that is lost. We need to understand
that we are meant to have this heart of God.
When I celebrate a baptism, I tell a story, and part of
that story speaks about how, just as we look to see who a new baby looks like…
we later notice parts of their personality that might echo members of their
family also. But NOW, as a baptised
child of God, we expect that with God’s Holy Spirit alive and working in us, we
hope that people might look at us and say, “Oh look, they are just like their
heavenly Father!”
When we say, “yes” to God’s call- and put that “yes” into
action, we allow God’s spirit the freedom to grow in us and mould us into His
image. Saint Paul encourages the Philippians;
“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is
at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
This doesn’t mean that we have to work to earn salvation,
but there is a meaning lost in the translation.
Our salvation was made sure by Christ.
It is a done deal, accomplished once and for all by Christ. However, as we live, carrying out our God
given role, we know that it is God at work in us, enabling us to will and work,
and as we do, that God in us… in the inner part of our being, is worked outwards
so that the God in us becomes obvious to others.
In fact, we are the rock in the wilderness of a thirsty and
exhausted modern world. We stand as a firm witness to the goodness of God. That goodness of God in us needs to be worked
out so that the water of the Holy Spirit can flow and bring nourishment to our
community. We each have a God given role
in this life. For all of us, there is a
call to allow that Holy Spirit, living water to flow. If we are exhausted, we may need the gift of
God in each other to nourish us, or to spend time at the rock of Christ and to
be refreshed by the Holy Spirit, but we are also called by God to work in his
vineyard. Will we say yes and not go? Or will we actually go out into the world God
loves, reflecting His love and offering the living water?
In our post communion prayer, we actually say yes to this
call. But are we saying yes and not
following through? Father, we offer
ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us
out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Our modern world needs this living water that
comes from the rock of Christ – Can we say, “Yes” and go?
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