| "Why It's Never Too Late" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - September 22, 2002 Exodus 16:2-15; Matthew 20:1-16
This theme has been portrayed
in dozens of movies featuring romantic adventures. One story-line
appears like this: A couple meets and they have a whirlwind
romance. To test the quality of their love, they decide to detach
for a period of time. They make a pact to meet at the top of the
Empire State Building at midnight on New Year's Eve. If one chooses
not to honor the appointment, the other will know that their
experience had been more like a mutual infatuation than a
relationship of substance. The magical day arrives and
both are racing to get to the Empire State Building at the appointed
moment, each hoping beyond hope that the other will be there. In a
moment of carelessness while crossing the street the woman is struck
by a car. While her injuries are not serious, they are enough for
her to be rushed to the hospital by an ambulance. High atop the observation
deck he waits and waits. Eventually his heart sinks as he imagines
his worst fear -- she is not coming. The movie devotes itself to
playing with the emotions of the audience with the obvious tension
the drama has created. There is no closure to the relationship so
they both seek endlessly for the completion of a love which
circumstances prevented. This theme also appears in
the Gospels numerous times. The form, however, is vastly different.
The best example is the story of the Prodigal Son. Here the romance
is of another kind. A son who has everything one could possibly want
decides that it is not enough. He approaches his father and wants
the share of his inheritance immediately. He wants to experience
life with greater meaning and fullness. As this story unfolds, we
learn that his father never gives up on the love he holds for his
son. We imagine every night before he goes to bed, he looks out of
his window still hoping to catch a glimpse of his son coming home.
We may picture him doing chores around the farm, always looking in
the direction of the road.
Meanwhile the son is being
consumed by his passions for the shadowy, illusionary side of the
physical world. He was engaging in every kind of unsavory activity
imaginable. Dr. Luke leaves little to the imagination when he wrote
this account. Then Luke wrote, "He was still a long way from home when
his father saw him; his heart was filled with compassion. He ran, threw
his arms around his son and kissed him." A magnificent reunion occurs.
For that father and his son, it was never too late. Neither could rest
until their relationship was restored. Whether this idea finds
expression in the story of Job or during the tests of faith that came to
Mary as she stood at the foot of the cross, it is the same theme. Do
they walk away from the unfolding drama in front of them, feeling
forsaken by everything in which they had hoped, or do they cling to the
impossible dream that says, "Regardless of what I am experiencing, it
will never cause me to give up hope."? Many years ago, Lois and I took
our children to see Cinderella at the old Glen Echo Park in the District
of Columbia. There was a time when the Park offered live, outdoor
dramas for children in a small amphitheater. Cinderella made a comment
that has stayed with me through the years. She said, "I believe God
gives everyone the ability to dream about wonderful things just so those
of us who will never experience them may never be without them." Of
course, the children assembled that morning were thrilled when the glass
slipper fit and the prince took Cinderella back to his castle to become
his bride. When we cling to possibilities
even in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances, we finally
personalize the message of the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning.
For God, it is never too late for any of us regardless of how dark
the night appears. When we think otherwise, our god is too small.
In this morning's Gospel lesson,
there is a marvelous example of this understanding. The theme we have
been discussing comes in yet another form. In fact, this version can
evoke disappointment and frustration even among the faithful. Let us quickly review the story.
A vineyard owner hired some workers early in the morning. He hired more
people at 9:00 a.m., at 12:00 noon, at 3:00 p.m. and at 5:00 p.m. At
the end of the day, he told his foreman to pay each their wage beginning
with those who were hired last. Each received a silver coin, the going
wage for a full day's work. Naturally there was considerable
grumbling among many of the workers who felt slighted. The owner said
to them, "I have not cheated any of you. Did you not all agree to work
for a silver coin? If I wish to pay the men I hired last the same wage
as the rest of you, is this not my right? Or, are you jealous because I
am generous?" Jesus is very skillful with this
story. He added the financial element knowing that everyone understands
thoroughly the meaning of economic rewards for what they do. Jesus
went right to the heart of what people value. That is why they
listened. To a large extent we still reverence economic wealth above
many other elements of life that are far more substantive. Jesus' message was not about
equal pay for unequal work; it was about the nature of God's love. There
is no timetable for God. It is never too late for anyone to receive
their total inheritance even for those of us who feel we have remained
outside the fold of the faithful for most of our lives. Is Divine
Justice really this generous? Is this really what Jesus meant to
communicate? If we return to the story of the
Prodigal Son, we find frustration within the landowner's other son who
had remained faithful. He found himself in the same category as the
laborers who had worked all day in the hot sun only to receive the same
wage as the newcomers who were hired at 5:00 p.m. He was so angry at
his father that he said,
All these years I have worked for you like a
slave. I have never disobeyed anything that you asked me to do. What
have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my
friends! But this son of yours wasted your property on prostitutes, and
when he comes back home, you kill the prize calf for him. How am I to
understand this, Dad? What about me? Dad, do you love me the same as
you love him? In the same spirit as the
vineyard owner who hired people at various times during the day, the
farm owner said, "We have to celebrate and be happy because your brother
was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found."
In a much kinder, gentler manner, the father had just said, "Do I not
have the right to love as I wish? How is it that you do not understand
the nature of my love? My son, I would have done the same for you had
you been the one in trouble."
One of my favorite stories is
about a Roman Catholic priest who visited a woman who was dying of
AIDS. She was confessing her sins while lamenting tearfully about the
mess she had made of her life. She talked about what she would do
differently if she could live her life over again. She regretted so
many of her choices. She was just like the Prodigal Son who, once he
squandered his wealth, found himself eating the same food that was being
fed to pigs. In an attempt to stop her
spiraling cycle of despair and self-hatred, the priest noticed the
picture of a lovely young girl on her dresser. He said, "Who is looking
at you from within that picture frame?" She said, "Oh Father, that is
the love of my life. That is the one good thing I have done. She is my
daughter. She is now married and has a wonderful family." The priest
said, "Would you ever abandon her because of the mistakes she has
made?" She said, "Oh, no. I could never do that." Before the priest had his prayer
with her, he took hold of her hands, bent over and kissed her frail,
thinning face. He said, "I happen to know that God has a picture of you
sitting on His dresser." His words produced a stream of tears from her
eyes and she said, "Really?" He said, "Yes! God is here now wanting
you to know that your mistakes can never damage the depth of His love
for you." Because of God's nature, it is
never too late for anyone. Of course, we all have our thoughts about
this. There will always be people who ask, "But suppose someone dies
never believing in anything sacred? What about the terrorists who flew
our aircraft into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and into the
Pentagon? What about all those who died before Jesus was born? What is
to become of those who do not profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior?" So many people believe they
have an iron-clad insight into how God "is suppose to love." Their
understanding of God's love very often reflects a god who has been
created in the image of man. There is but one answer to all such
questions. That answer is this: Let such details up to God. We will
consistently fail each time we try to fathom the depth and breadth of
the love that created all possibilities for all people. When we judge
anything, we are only revealing ourselves. God knows how many hairs we have
on our head, the exact number of grains of sand on the earth and the
number of stars in the sky. From our lesson today, the Spirit of God
could say these words to each of us: While you cannot understand me on the depth
that you would like, I want you to know that it will never be too late
for you to open your eyes. I have never left your side, not even once.
I know every one of you, even those of you who believe you have lost
your way. While this may surprise some of you, I always
have and always will be successful in reaching the mind and heart of
each of you. I am not as inept at doing this as some of you suppose.
Nor do I rely only on you to do my will. Pay attention to how you order your days and
let the details concerning the lives of other people remain in my care.
I love all of you. Not in your time, but in my time will each of you
understand this. Be at peace and trust me with the details of how
creation unfolds.
THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER We thank you, O
God, that Jesus consistently walked the high road as he scattered his
seeds of wisdom. We are grateful that many of those seeds found their
way into our gardens. In the midst of such an abundance of treasure and
truth, our fragilities are still present. Our hurts cause us to respond
with defense. Our insecurities point out how much we are unloved and
unappreciated. Our minds often form perceptions which easily blind us
to productive possibilities. Encourage us to leave behind what produces
isolation. Entice us to become involved with life so that our lives
radiate the values we hold sacred. May we learn that, while the hour is
late, your spirit never tires of waiting for our "yes" to discipleship.
Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER Loving God, help us choose everyday to live
together peacefully in this world you gave us. We are thankful that you
created us with the ability to have visions, to dream and to have the
courage to walk toward those visions and dreams. As we worship, our nation once again appears
to be preparing to enter the space of people we have labeled, "a rogue
nation." We agonize over the uncertainty of using confrontation as a
means of resolving differences. O God, we admit that many of our
national and international leaders struggle with how to decide. When is
it right to intervene for the safety of the world, and when is it right
to allow the world to evolve on its own? While the world's people may be in pain and
indecisive, move us to invest our energy in communities that share
peace, kindness and creativity. May what we radiate become so powerful
that swords will be molded into plows, and that resources used to
manufacturer weapons of mass destruction may be converted into what will
produce more food to feed the hungry. May the world of many nations
learn that we are one and only by serving one another will we truly be
free from the fears that inspire war. We pray these thoughts through
the spirit of Jesus, who taught us to say when we pray . . .
[Prayer] |