A curious thing happened at the county fair this year. Once again, our
parish won the bid on a cow to the delight of a 4H student who had won his
division. Now his prize would be used to feed many poor families in the county.
A person questioned why would the church pay so much money and then give it
away. The answer that he was given was profound.
You see the people of this parish have made a choice that when they come
to church it not about the buildings, paying the mortgage, or working on a
committee. Rather, it’s our opportunity to be another Christ. She shared that all
are welcomed in this faith community to learn about the love of the Lord who
rejects no one. But our gospel story took her message up another notch.
Once upon a time, a pastor received a note from a family that had become
inactive in the church. After listing a series of familiar reasons for their
absence, (summer time at the lake, busy weekends with soccer and basketball and
vacation trips at Christmas, etc.,) they closed their letter with these words,
“But one of these days, don’t be surprised when you look up and see us out
there in the congregation, because we just love you, and we just love our
church.” “We just love our church;” we just can’t be bothered with showing
up and participating in any noticeable way. That is a pretty clear example
of saying yes while living no.
Week after week we gather in church and will pray the Lord’s prayer and
say, “Forgive us our sins while we forgive those who sin against us.” And yet
we go on for years harboring resentments, nursing grudges, withholding grace
and forgiveness and reconciliation from others while accepting it for ourselves
from God. Saying yes while living no.
In the parable, it is the Chief Priests and Elders who are accused by
Jesus of saying yes while living no. Jesus tells the parable about the two
brothers, each of whom was told to go to the vineyard and work. One says
no, but later changes his mind goes to work. The other says yes, but
never shows up at the vineyard. Then Jesus asked the Chief Priests and Elders: “Which
of the two did the will of the father?” They say, “The one who went to the
field and worked.”
Now, Jesus drives his point home. The tax collectors and
prostitutes may have turned their backs on God at one point in their lives, but
because they eventually repent and obey and serve God – they are way ahead of
the Chief Priests and Elders, who have spent their lives professing their love
for God but who have never done any of the works of love and mercy which God
asked them to perform.
So, like that person at the county fair who was shocked by the
generosity of the parish, we have our excuses for saying no to God. Times
when we have resisted the burden of the cross, when we have made it clear that
we prefer to go our own way rather than God’s way.
Perhaps we thought it would be easy, but then found out that walking the
way of Christ was harder than we thought. Or perhaps we really, really
meant to, but got distracted and waylaid by the troubles and trials of
life. Either way, we all need help, we all need to find a way to say yes
and live yes.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who make time to come to
church, pray for their family and friends and give a little extra of themselves
when least expected.
