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A sermon/reflection for The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

The readings for this Sunday are those of Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday:

  • Isaiah 5. 1-7

  • Psalm 80.7-14

  • Philippians 3. 4b-14

  • Matthew 21.33-46

You might like to use the link below to find the above readings and click on any of the reading above that you wish to use:

http://www.katapi.org.uk/CommonWorship/CWLectionarySelV.php

 
Collect of the day

Let us first spend a few moments in silence to centre ourselves,

to gather ourselves in our souls,

to come before the Lord just as we are with our joys and sorrows,

our hopes and our fears, our loves and our pains.

Let us just focus our minds and hearts on Jesus

who is the answer for every problem.

Let us pray that the Spirit will work through our lives

to bring Christ to the world.

Silence is kept

Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
and as you call us to fullness of life:
deliver us from unbelief
and banish our anxieties
with your liberating love

in Jesus Christ our Lord

who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

 

Prayer before the Sermon

Loving Heavenly Father,

we thank you for the words you have given us today.

We know they are words of life and salvation.

Open our hearts Father,

touch our souls,

forgive us our sins especially our lack of faith,

help us to respond to your word.

May we know that you are our Lord and Saviour

who promises us the power from on high,

your Holy Spirit.

May we experience in our hearts

your love and your presence always.

Amen.

 

A short homily

 

“Producing Fruits of the Kingdom of God”

 

Matthew 21:33-46  The Parable of the Tenants

‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
   and it is amazing in our eyes”?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realised that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

“Producing Fruits of the Kingdom of God”

A difficult Parable

This parable is perhaps one of the most difficult to read – the violence and horror we see occurring to the vineyard owner’s servants and his son is shocking. Those who first heard the tale are appalled by the story and righteously offer their view on the justice that must fall on these evil tenants – “He will put those wretches to a miserable death”.

Of course the real shock occurs when, for seemingly the first time, the Pharisees understand what it is that Jesus is saying. It dawns on them that they have just condemned themselves. They are the tenants who have been given the vineyard and Jesus makes clear that they have rejected the servants of the owner and his son – Jesus himself.

The Context

The Chief Priests and the Pharisees had been given authority over the people of Israel, they had been given all that they needed – provided for by a loving God. And yet, in their arrogance and corruption had begun to think that this was their own land and their own people. They had begun to recognise how nice life could be when they were in charge, how comfy it was to be in a position of privilege and so they had lost sight of the true owner of the vineyard, they had stopped listening to his words and they had set themselves in his place. In condemning the tenants in the parable, they realise that they have spoken against themselves and they aren’t happy about it and they begin their plotting.

And what about us as Christians and as a Church?

We ourselves can all too easily fall into the same trap – from our vantage point as readers of the story we can take smug satisfaction in seeing the pharisees point out their own faults. The shock occurs for us, when we realise that we have acted in the same way.

As the church, the people of God, have we become, at times, the tenants in the story? Have we enjoyed our place in society? Have we set ourselves up as the moral arbiters of the world around us, tutting at others without taking time to examine ourselves? Have we decided that the owner is far away and this is our show now?

Perhaps not explicitly, perhaps we wouldn’t phrase it quite like that – but if we’re honest, it is all too easy to fall into that trap.

Understanding it more …

Taking a more literal reading first – the vineyard we have been given is the earth. God set humanity in his garden and asked them to steward it.  As our understanding of the climate crisis grows, it is only too obvious to recognise that we have failed in our task. The world we were given is in a catastrophic state because of our greed and short sightedness.

It goes deeper too, God has placed us as his people on earth and given us the task of bringing his Kingdom to fruition in the world. If we are honest, we have messed that up too. On an institutional level it is perhaps easier to take this realisation, but if we are really honest, if we are willing to be uncomfortable in front of the mirror for a moment, we probably all know that as individuals we have fallen prey to the same sin. We’ve all been given our own vineyards – the people, relationships and circumstances of our lives that God has entrusted to our care.  These vineyards are where we are to reveal the presence and life of God, to produce the fruits of the kingdom.  Yet, we so easily set ourselves up as ruler and seek our own way.

What shall we do?

What do we do with this realisation? When confronted with uncomfortable truths will we, like the pharisees begin our plotting? Or can we take a different approach?

Jesus quotes a psalm – the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

God, in his goodness, has made a way for us. In his wisdom, the very rejection of his son will become the centre of his salvation plan.  In rejecting Jesus and putting him to death, God’s plan for redemption is put in motion.

The death of Jesus, the cross, provides for us a path to forgiveness. God is the God of grace and mercy, even in the darkest circumstance, even in the midst of our rejection God makes away for restoration.

The question we are left with is this – will we exclude ourselves from the fruit of the Kingdom by rejecting the offer of salvation or will we repent.? Will we turn from our ways and come to Jesus who has so mercifully offered redemption?

To conclude …

Jesus offers us the opportunity to say sorry, but more than that, in salvation he offers us a role as partners – he offers us the chance to really be transformed. He offers us a role as those who work with him to bring the fruits of his Kingdom to life. We are offered work again – to be those who grow the fruit of the Kingdom, and enjoy the bounty of life in God’s vineyard, not as servants but as friends.

What amazing grace! Let’s return to him again and offer ourselves once more as workers in his vineyard growing the fruits of the Kingdom to share with those around.

Conversation Questions

Where do we recognise in our own lives that we have become like the evil tenants?

How can we repent of our role in the climate crisis, recognising that we have not stewarded God’s world well?

What does it feel like to remember that even as we rejected God, he has made a way for us?

What vineyard has God given us to work in? Have we forgotten the vineyard owner at times?

How can we see more of the growth of the Kingdom and its fruit in our lives?

Is there anything else from the passage not already discussed that speaks to you? What is it?

What will you do this week in your Monday-to-Saturday ministry in response to what you have heard today? #everydayfaith

Prayer

 

Spend some time in prayer, responding to what you have heard today and listening to what God might be saying to you. It might be appropriate to have a time of confession and repentance and then of celebration as we receive God’s grace.

(cf. Homilectics Project Diocese of Lincoln website)

Pause to pray

Prayer

A Prayer you can say now:

Lord Jesus,
I believe you are the Son of God.
Thank you for becoming one of us.
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.
Thank you for rising from the dead
to give me hope and the gift of eternal life.
I repent of my sins
and invite you into heart and life
as my Lord and Saviour.
Please grant me your Holy Spirit
so that I may know you, love you
and follow you every day of my life.

Amen.

in our thoughts and prayers

 

You might like to use the intercessions given after you have listened to the worship song.