Matthew 21: 23-32 (2026)
\nSend us your Spirit of wisdom, O God, that we may hear your Word speaking through the Scriptures and understand what you are saying to the church today. Amen.<\/p>\n
Point of view is a powerful thing, as the following story shows
\nIt is a true story from the June 1996 Presbyterian Record
\nIt is the story of the son of a minister
\nRev Art White was a freelance writer who lived in Clementsville, NS when he wrote the story
\nHe wrote of being in a funeral home and trying to talk to the family of Jeff Eaton who had died at the age of 15 from leukemia
\nJeff\u2019s family had no religious ties, and the funeral director has asked Art to take the service
\nIn talking with the family, he found out that Jeff was a good student
\nHad lots of friends
\nJeff didn\u2019t complain much about his treatments either, even though they made him nauseous for days
\nThe Eaton family was profoundly sorrowful and told Art of the depth of their feelings
\nAs Art listened, he saw his own son enter the room and walk to the open casket
\nHe stood there quietly for a moment
\nThen went to speak to other Eaton family members who were talking to no one
\nNow as Art looked at his son he felt he was dressed more for a trip to the Y than a funeral home
\nSleeveless T shirt, cutoff jeans, unlaced high tops sneakers
\nArt went across the room to speak to his son
\n\u201cHi Dad\u201d the boy said
\nArt said hi. Then \u201cI didn\u2019t expect to see you here,\u201d
\nHoping his son would take the hint
\n\u201cI wanted to come by and pay my respects\u201d the young fellow said
\n\u201cYou knew Jeff?\u201d Art asked
\n\u201cWhy yes we played baseball together\u201d
\nAt this point the son prepared to leave
\nHe said to his dad, \u201csay some nice things about Jeff Dad; he was a real good guy.\u201d
\nThen he said, \u201cSee you Mr. Eaton. I was proud Jeff was my friend. I know he was proud he was your son.\u201d
\nThe two dads caught each other\u2019s eyes
\nThe pastor gave the grieving dad a handkerchief to wipe his eyes
\nAnd in the few more minutes before the service was to begin folks continued to circulate and quietly talk
\nJust before the service was to begin the funeral director spoke to Rev Art White
\nHe asked about the young fellow who came in looking a fright
\nHe said \u201cI was just about to speak to him to ask him to leave when I saw you speak to him.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what he thought he was doing here looking like that.\u201d
\n\u201cThe nerve.\u201d
\nArt said, \u201cThey played on the same ball team a few years back. He was here to pay his respects to a friend.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe so \u201csaid the funeral director, \u201cbut couldn\u2019t he have shown some respect for the living?\u201d
\nAfter the service and the internment, as the two dads walked together to the car
\nMr. Eaton returned the handkerchief that had been lent and thanked Art for a very meaningful service.
\nThen he added, \u201cI want to thank your son for coming to the funeral home.
\nNo offense Rev White, but his being there meant more to me than anything else that went on today.
\nYour Brad is a fine boy, a fine young man, you must be very proud.\u201d
\nWhite said \u201cI was\u201d<\/p>\n
To one man Brad was a rude eye sore
\nAn intrusion into a dignified space
\nTo the grieving father Brad was a source of comfort
\nMaybe even the way the love of God was shown that day
\nOur gospel lesson also talks about point of view
\nThere is the point of view of the first son
\nHe seems to be a bad guy from the outside
\nHe defies his father
\nThe father says \u201cgo and work in the vineyard today\u201d and the son says \u201cI will not\u201d
\nBut then he changed his mind and went
\nThe second son when told the same by his father said \u201cI go sir\u201d
\nBut he did not
\nNow said Jesus, which one did what the father wanted
\nThe crowd of leaders to whom Jesus spoke answered \u201cThe first\u201d
\nJesus said \u201cTruly the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going to get into the kingdom of heaven ahead of you\u201d
\nSo is Jesus saying that it doesn\u2019t matter what you say as long as you do the right thing in the end?
\nDoes Jesus prefer the company of bad people over proper people?
\nThis parable could throw a lot of beliefs on their ear
\nDoes appearance count for nothing?<\/p>\n
I think there are a couple of things to think of here
\nOne is that Jesus sometimes used hyperbole to make a point
\nBy exaggerating he could get the attention of the target group
\nHere he is talking to the leaders
\nAnd he says, \u201cthe tax collectors and prostitutes will get into heaven ahead of you!\u201d
\nHe doesn\u2019t tell the leaders they won\u2019t get into heaven
\nHe says they won\u2019t be first in line
\nAnd the ones who will be ahead in line are the two most despised groups
\nThe tax collectors and prostitutes
\nMaybe today Jesus would tell us that street people and politicians would get into heaven before the Presbyterians
\nJesus is shaking up the point of view of those who thought they were better off in God\u2019s sight than others
\nHowever; there is always room in God\u2019s kingdom
\nWe don\u2019t get to decide who is in and who is out<\/p>\n
Secondly Jesus is drawing the attention of the leaders and any others who might be listening to a definite fact
\nThe fact is that that it is not enough to merely say you want to obey God, you must actually do it
\nThe first time that I preached on this text I said from my point of view neither of the sons did what the father wanted
\nAs a mother I have been on the receiving end of both a son who would say he would do something and then did not do it
\nAnd of the opposite
\nI wasn\u2019t too impressed in either case
\nI thus drew the conclusion that fathers must be more patient than mothers
\nI doubt very much that the lesson Jesus intends for us is that we may to do a half- hearted job at being faithful
\nOr that partial obedience is our goal
\nRather he wants us to know that even when we fall short there is room for repentance<\/p>\n
The sons were in a relationship with their father in such a way that there was room for improvement
\nJust as we are with God
\nJesus is telling a story that shows the importance of repentance
\nThere is room for change and growth
\nThose who first heard this parable of Jesus\u2019
\nWould also know another parable about a vineyard
\nThere is a Jewish parable in which God offered his field (Torah) to all the nations
\nBut only Israel was willing to take the responsibility for cultivating it
\nAnd even though Israel let it lie fallow it belonged to the Israelites because they were willing to undertake the task
\nThus the parable teaches that it is better to make resolutions to try to do God\u2019s will than to than to never commit at all
\nJesus takes the teaching even further
\nWhat counts with God is actual righteous conduct
\nAnd even those who do not know they are working for God will be rewarded
\nThrough this parable we can see that we may come to God expecting to be welcome
\nThere is no entrance exam set
\nThere is no choice of only the pretty, smart and talented
\nIn fact in God\u2019s kingdom
\nSometimes the choice as to who is doing God\u2019s work may be surprising
\nIf the kingdom is made up of those like tax collectors and prostitutes
\nWhat do we have to learn?
\nIn our story I told at the beginning about Brad White we saw a messy teenage boy was the way a grieving father was comforted
\nThere are times when we can see that the established people,
\nWhether they are Jewish leaders in biblical days,
\nOr government leaders in modern times,
\nOr church leaders today,
\nThere are times when we can miss what we are to be doing
\nAnd there in the midst of our work and stress we can find
\nA business man who takes time to discuss the scripture for Sunday\u2019s sermon
\nOr a literacy learner who prays for all the people she knows
\nOr an elderly woman who graciously accepts an act of kindness
\nGod uses us as we are
\nWe aren\u2019t asked to be the best vineyard tenders in the world
\nTo have the highest productivity
\nTo discover the best fertilizer
\nTo employ the most efficient means of harvesting
\nWe are asked to be faithful<\/p>\n
This Sunday is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
\nA day to remember many things
\nTo remember to love our Aboriginal sisters and brothers
\nA day to recognize how much they have to teach about loving and serving
\nGod the Creator
\nThis is a day to recognize the damage done by the doctrine of discovery and the resulting colonization of Turtle Island
\nThis is a day to thank God that \u201cFrom one person God created every human nation to live on the whole earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.\u201d (Acts 17:26)<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s sing our chant<\/p>\n
Take O take me as I am
\nSummon out what I shall be
\nSet your seal upon my heart
\nAnd live in me<\/p>\n
Think of that
\nGod takes us as we are
\nAnd summons out what we will be
\nThere is more to who we are and want we are about that we can see or know
\nBut God sees potential
\nWhen we say we will do something and then don\u2019t
\nThere is room for repentance
\nGod can summon something more out of us<\/p>\n
We have the vineyard
\nThe torah
\nThe law of God
\nThe torah has been given to the world
\nAnd only the Israelites would take the responsibility to care for it
\nBut in Jesus\u2019 parable
\nThe one who said he would work in the vineyard wouldn\u2019t
\nAnd the one who said he wouldn\u2019t did
\nAnd the work of the one who changed his course of action was accepted
\nThe vineyard, the law of God
\nIs available to not only the nation Israel –
\nThat is the ones who could identify themselves as God\u2019s people –
\nBut the gift of God is for all who will walk with God
\nIt is for all who will undertake to do the work of the vineyard
\nNot just for the ones who stood and listened to Jesus on that day
\nNot just for the ones who studied the law
\nWho were identified as holy
\nBut for the tax collectors and prostitutes
\nThere are a few lessons to be drawn from this parable
\nOne can be \u201cdon\u2019t be fooled by appearances\u201d
\nGod knows what we look like for sure
\nHe knows what we own
\nWhat our job is
\nHow well we do in school
\nAll of the things that may get us attention in our community
\nBut more importantly God knows what we think
\nWhat we desire
\nWhat we intend
\nThose who seek to offer themselves to God, who want to be labourers in the vineyard may do so
\nWe pray together as we sing our chant:<\/p>\n
Take O take me as I am
\nSummon out what I shall be
\nSet your seal upon my heart
\nAnd live in me<\/p>\n
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
\nWe bring you our prayers for the world, for people and communities harmed by conflict and war, discrimination and hate, poverty and injustice. We pray for our loved ones, and for our neighbours, both friend and stranger.<\/p>\n
Creator God, you created us in your image and set us in the world to live in peace with you and one another. We pray for those facing hunger or housing insecurity. We pray for those who are hurt and hurting because of discrimination related to race, class, or gender. We pray for those facing conflict and war, and those who love and are afraid for their sake.
\nBring your comfort and justice.<\/p>\n
Comforting God, we pray for strength and healing for Survivors, intergenerational Survivors, their families and communities, and all people who were impacted by residential schools. May your loving care bring strength and courage for healing.<\/p>\n
God of transforming love, the wounds of injustice continue to this day, imbedded in the fabric of our institutions and governments. Let your compassion and wisdom flow through all public policies and practices. Where power is horded, bring your equity and justice. Where racism is resisted, bring your courage and strength to acknowledge and address it. We pray that our communities, churches and country will be places where there is justice and where people protect the dignity of all creation.<\/p>\n
We pray:<\/p>\n
\u2026for people whose bodies, minds and souls are in pain and those struggling with physical or mental illness;<\/p>\n
\u2026for people who experience violence in their relationships, in their home, workplace, community or country, and for those who have been displaced by war, unjust economic systems, the climate crisis, and ongoing impacts of colonization around the world;<\/p>\n
\u2026for people living with housing insecurity: where home is inadequate for the needs of the people it must shelter, is unsafe, unaffordable, or inaccessible;<\/p>\n
\u2026for people who are struggling with economic insecurity, barriers to education or employment, unfairness in policies or practices, for those struggling with the cost of food;<\/p>\n
\u2026for people at the frontlines of social support systems who daily face the evidence of systemic injustice and continue to strive for the safety and dignity of people and creation.<\/p>\n
\u2026for human rights advocates, land defenders and peacebuilders; strengthen and empower them.<\/p>\n
Hear us now as we pray in silence\u2026<\/p>\n
And now we join our voices into one prayer and pray in Jesus\u2019 name
\nAmen<\/p>\n
Commissioning and Benediction<\/p>\n
Go into God\u2019s good creation
\npraying that the Spirit will open our minds to receive truth,
\nopen our hearts to seek peace,
\nand strengthen our bodies to work for justice.
\nLet the Spirit guide you in ways of love and justice,
\nto walk lightly and humbly and seek truth, reconciliation, healing, and wholeness.
\nAnd may the blessing of Creator, Christ and Spirit rest upon you this day and everyday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Matthew 21: 23-32 (2026) Send us your Spirit of wisdom, O God, that we may hear your Word speaking through the Scriptures and understand what you are saying to the church today. Amen. Point of view is a powerful thing, as the following story shows It is a true story from the June 1996 Presbyterian … Continue reading “Written sermon for Sept 27th, 2026”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t