Sermon: End of the Line

For most of us, we can sympathize with the frustration of the workers in The Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matthew 20: 1-16). Our American and Protestant work ethic tell us that if you work longer hours, if you work harder, then you should get more pay. It’s not fair that someone who shows up later than us gets the same benefit. We’re at one end of the line. And we can’t possibly understand how someone at the other end of the line gets the same treatment.

However, God’s love and mercy is abundant, boundless and unlimited. God’s love is for everyone. And the fact that we become jealous or envious of others who receive God’s love, even though they may not go to church every Sunday demonstrates a personal weakness. Are there some of us for whom the generosity and abundant mercy of God reveals the poverty of our own spirit?

It all depends what end of the line you’re at. But for God, it doesn’t matter.