Always Expanding the Base – 24 September 2017 – 16th Sunday after Pentecost/ Lectionary 25

Matthew 20:1-16

As is often the case in Matthew’s gospel, there is no clear context for the parable. Nor is there a parallel to this parable in another gospel. We may guess that in telling this parable, Jesus was responding to criticism that he was paying more attention to those outside the law (e.g., tax collectors, prostitutes) than to those who abided by the law of Moses. . .

The evangelist gives his own interpretation by locating the parable after the exchange between Jesus and his disciples about what the disciples will receive for having left everything to follow Jesus. Jesus promises great rewards to his disciples, but he also adds the warning: “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (19:30). The parable of the laborers in the vineyard reminds the original twelve that other disciples will follow them, and God’s generosity is such that they all receive the same reward: eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. . .  

The . . . parable is neither a lesson in economics nor in morality. It is about the generosity of God’s grace to the last as to the first. –– Frank C. Senn

Jonah 3:10––4:11

The prophet Jonah had been called to proclaim to the great Syrian city of Nineveh that unless the city repented of its evil ways, God would destroy it. After evading God’s call once (and being thrown into the sea and swallowed by a great fish), Jonah did the job God had given him. . . and the whole city repented. . .

Jonah is angry that God relented and did not punish the Ninevites. God uses the bush that shades Jonah and then withers (further angering Jonah) to make a point:

. . . If Jonah cared so much for the bush, which he didn’t even cause to grow, why should God not care for the great city of Nineveh?

Since Nineveh was a gentile city, the whole story of Jonah can be taken to be an expression of God’s concern and grace for God’s gentile children, with the implication that God’s Jewish children ought to . . . sympathize with . . . all God’s wayward children. –– Frank C. Senn

Philippians 1:21-30

Remaining faithful in the absence of the apostle to lead them must have been an issue for this church since Paul’s letter emphasizes persistence in the faith in the face of opposition. This opposition perhaps came more from the pagan society of Philippi. . . than from opposing parties in the church since Paul does not get into particular theological controversies in this letter but does make the Christian faith a life and death matter.

Since Philippi was a military town, the Roman civil religion probably flourished as strongly as any local cult. We are aware that Christians were not considered good citizens because of their refusal to participate in emperor worship. . . .

Perhaps in this context, Paul presents the example of his own situation as an encouragement to the Philippian Christians. Paul is apparently under armed guard, but this has given him an opportunity to witness to Christ. He . . . sees positives no matter what happens. If he lives, he continues to witness to Christ. If he dies, he gets to be with Christ. . . . The bond between apostle and church is that they suffer together because of their faith in Christ. –– Frank C. Senn

Frank C. Senn, an ELCA pastor who served Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston, Illinois, from 1990-2013, has also taught liturgy courses at a number of seminaries and divinity schools and published thirteen books mostly on the history of the liturgy.

Homily Service 38, no. 10 (2005): 33-45.

The Last will be First – 21 September 2014 – Lectionary 25

The story of Jonah finds its way into the Revised Common Lectionary only on this day and on the Third Sunday after Epiphany (Year B). It is too good a story to hear so seldom, and today, preachers, is your chance!

Jonah’s resentment of Nineveh’s repentance, coupled with the aggravation of those in the Matthew story who are angry about the pay they’ve been given, offer plenty of latitude for the preacher to consider vocation, calling, work, envy, and God’s never-failing love for those who come last and those who “do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals…” (probably one of my favorite phrases in all scripture). 

Those animals! We forget them easily. But God does not forget them. Today could be a time to talk about creatures other than humans! If that is your choice, consider not a law-oriented diatribe on what we all ought to be doing to save the planet (important as is that concern), but tell us, rather, how much this entire creation is beloved by its creator and how grieved God is to groan with its plants, elements, and animals when they struggle for life. Help us to care and to turn toward nourishing all our neighbors. 

Matthew 20:1-16

Might we see in the readings for this day a pattern for living that extends love to all “others”––not just our families and friends or even human neighbors, but to all.

In the middle of these stories of being first or last, the parable of the workers in the vineyard stands adjacent to Jesus' third passion prediction. The whole sequence of stories seeks to undermine ordinary human aspirations of being first. Because God in Christ has given believers everything that matters, striving to be first in status or wealth profoundly misses the point of living. The only “first” that matters is to be first in serving, which finally means taking one's eyes off of self so as to tend to the needs of another. 

            – Aaron J. Couch

Jonah 3:10––4:11

The book of Jonah tells a tale of divine generosity and human stinginess. That God would extend mercy to a nation renowned for its cruelty and brutality strikes the prophet as scandalous, causing him to feel betrayed and angry. Telling God “I told you so,” Jonah appears much more like a cartoon character than a real person. God prepares a living parable for Jonah: a bush that grows to provide shade, then withers and dies after being attacked by a worm. Absurdly, Jonah feels such great loss at the death of the plant that he wishes himself dead. God invites Jonah to imagine how God might feel about the living creatures of Nineveh, both people and animals. Those living creatures have been, in a sense, invisible to Jonah. Dismissing the people of Nineveh as the enemy, he had not seen them as possessing any value. The story ends without revealing whether Jonah was surprised to discover God was concerned for the fate of the city, and its people, and even its animals. By remaining open-ended, the story invites the listener to consider whether there are people he or she may have dismissed as strangers or enemies, who may yet be precious to their Creator.

            – Aaron J. Couch is co-pastor of First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland, Oregon.

Philippians 1:21-30

Paul’s admonitions echo these same themes of last being first: “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…” The vision Paul calls us to follow is one in which Christ Jesus is foremost, and that is the vision this day needs explicated.

What does extravagant over-abundance look like in our lives? We see it on the cross and in the empty tomb. Where do we see it in our own communities, families, friendships, state, and nation?

Some questions to ponder:

In what ways do we currently live our lives in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What does this life look like?

How is Christ exalted by our living?

What tools do we have for living in the present—in the world but not of the world?

            – Beth Herrinton-Hodge, Presbyterian minister

Homily Service 41, no. 4 (21 July 2008): 26-36.