Sermon for 17th Pentecost
Never Too Late
By The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer -
We pastors hear lots of excuses from people, especially excuses from people as to why they cannot join a congregation or attend a worship service. One of my favorites, and this one usually comes from men for some reason, one of my favorite excuses goes something like this, “If I come into your church building, the walls will fall down.” Another variation of the same excuse goes something like this, “If I come near your church building, I will be struck by lightning.”
Usually, these are just lame excuses, throw away lines to let me know they really are not interested, but do not want to say that directly.
But, sometimes, they hold a deeper meaning. Sometimes behind the lightning striking and walls falling down excuses are real feelings that this person has done something so wrong, so unforgivable, been away so long, and/or treated others, or even themselves, so poorly, that they really cannot imagine any way God would want them as a part of a church community.
In today’s Gospel lesson from St. Matthew Jesus shares a brief parable about a man with two sons. The man asks both his sons to go into his vineyard and work. One son says yes but does not go in. The other son says no but then changes his mind and does go into his father’s vineyard to work. Jesus asks which of these two sons does the will of the father. Those listening to Jesus, who is now teaching in the temple courtyard, those listening to Jesus respond that the son who first said no but then changed his mind and went to work for his father, that that son had done what his father had asked, while the other son who had said yes but not done any work, had not done what his father had asked.
Now, of course, Jesus is not talking about a vineyard owner and his two sons. No, Jesus is talking about the religious authorities of his day, accusing them of not doing God’s will. Jesus’ reaction is pretty understandable, as we just heard in this text, since it follows directly an attempt, an unsuccessful attempt, by the religious authorities to trap Jesus.
And then Jesus adds a kicker, so to speak. Jesus adds that tax collectors, hated because they worked for the Roman rulers and tried to squeeze every last penny out of the people, and even that prostitutes, considered immoral by most people in Jesus’ day and in ours, Jesus adds that even the tax collectors and prostitutes will be favored by God ahead of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day!
Not exactly the way for Jesus to win any friends among the religious leaders of his day, people who already at best do not know what to make of Jesus, and at worst want to just get him out of the way. And we know how they will soon enlist those hated Roman rulers to do just that.
But, today, I want to focus on another theme in this parable, that someone, by example the son in the parable who said no and changed his mind, that someone who has refused to listen to God may yet change her or his mind and, thus, that it is never too late to respond to the grace and love of God.
If we take this parable seriously, there is hope for that person who fears associating with a church, who fears reaching out to God because of their past.
Jesus is stating that one’s past actions do not have to determine one’s future. Jesus is stating that even those who others might consider beyond the pale, so to speak, of decent society, people like tax collectors collecting for hated rulers and prostitutes, that even these sorts of people are not, are never, ever beyond the reach and forgiveness of God. And, by extension, Jesus is stating that we, you and me, that we are never, ever beyond the reach and forgiveness of God.
No matter what has happened in our past, the mistakes we have made, the wrongs we have done, no matter what has happened in our past, God is still willing to meet us in the present, to meet us in the present and to offer us, to secure for us, an open future.
It is not too late for us, you and me. God is here, inviting us, each of us, to meet us in the present and to secure for us an open future.
God is here, inviting each of us into God’s kingdom. God is inviting us to let God help shape every moment of our lives from this time forth. God’s grace and love is here for us. No matter what has happened to us in the past, no matter what wrongs we have done, no matter what wrongs have been done to us, we can receive God’s grace and love, repent what we have done, forgive what has been done to us, and then help God return us, bring us into relationship with God and those around us, celebrating that our past does not determine our future as far as God is concerned.
I know some families are torn apart by politics these days. God has a message for those families, for your family and friends. God loves us all. God loves those who disagree with you. And God loves you when you disagree with them. God loves the candidate you are supporting for political office. And, God loves the other candidate or candidates. That is just how God operates.
I am not belittling the differences between political candidates and parties or making light of the real issues, the important issues I believe are before us in the coming election. God does have some political preferences. Some of these are very clear in our Christian and Jewish tradition – concern for the poor, for refugees and immigrants, for all those rejected by those in power in the world, just like the tax collectors and prostitutes of Jesus’ day. And I believe God is telling us that our politics should reflect God’s love for people on the margins of our society – the homeless, the immigrant, and the refugee among many others. And I believe God is telling us that it is far past time for racial justice in our society and that we are fast running out of time to take better care of the world God has given to us.
Yes, God has some preferences that can and should influence our own politics and political opinions.
However, beneath all of the values, beliefs and concerns that rise out of our faith traditions, there is the commonality that all of us, even those of a very different political stance that ours, there is the commonality that all of us are still children of God, among those God loves and adores.
There is hope for us all. It is never too late to let our faith guide our life. It is never too late to acknowledge God’s love for us and then let that love rule our relationships with others.
We may have our excuses. God does not care about them. God cares about us. And God wants to remind us that it is never too late to accept God’s love for us, to change our hearts and bring our actions closer to what God would have them be.
Everyone is welcome in God’s kingdom. God cares for us all.
And for any who seriously think a relationship with God or with God’s church will result in lightning striking or walls coming down because of something in their past. No. Not today. Not any day. Just not the way God works in this world.
It is never too late to recognize that God loves us and then to live in this world in ways that show God’s love.
It is never too late to live in God’s love for us and this world.
Amen.
(With thanks to the Rev. Dr. David Lose whose Bible work is used in this sermon).
The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer
Senior Pastor - Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California
Sermon for:
September 27, 2020
