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"Sensing Our True Value" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - September 18, 2005 Exodus 16:2-15; Matthew 20:1-16 Let us turn our attention to the parable in the Matthew passage. If we had been among the first group of laborers who worked all day and discovered that we were paid the same wage as those who worked only one hour, we would have been unpleasantly surprised. We would assume that a mistake was made. It would make no sense to pay laborers the same wage when some worked eight hours and others worked only one. That, however, is what happened. Listen carefully to the owner’s technical answer. “I have not cheated you. Did you not agree to work for what I paid you? I want to give the men I hired at the end of the day the same wage I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do as I wish with my money? Or, are you jealous because I am a generous man?” Place yourselves in the shoes of the workers who had worked in 95-degree heat for eight hours. Feel what those workers were feeling when they saw those who worked only one hour receiving the same wage as they. Let me place this circumstance into a modern setting. A friend of mine told me of an incident that happened to him some years ago that became a true test of character. The Uptown Theater had a blockbuster movie that was about to open. People, including my friend, had spent the night camped out near the box office so they could be among the first in line when the tickets went on sale. My friend said, “The line stretched as far as anyone could see. I was within 25 feet of the window when the box office opened for business. My long wait was almost over when 15 people came to the front of the line and gave money and a handsome tip to some guy who was ahead of me. I couldn’t believe what happened! The guy accepted their bribe and bought tickets for the group. People who had invested hours of their lives waiting in line all night got the same early tickets as those who had just parked their car.” He said that he smoldered with resentment over that incident for days. The complaints were so numerous about this practice that I believe the Uptown changed its policy on multi-ticket sales to one person. We become unsettled when we attach our worth to a particular outcome. Frequently our self-confidence is linked to how much we are valued by those around us. That assumed value might come in the form of compensation or applause. We are trained by our social environment to feel that we were taken for granted when we perform some service and no recognition or gratitude comes back to us. Jesus concluded his illustration with these words, “So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last. Somewhere in the recesses of our spirit, we understand this teaching. After all, Jesus taught that we are servants one to another and should give without counting the cost. Our problem is that we do count the cost. We want our perceived value to assume some form. This kind of reasoning was at the heart of the hostility among the workers who had worked a full day. Jesus was helping his listeners to understand their value differently. He knew we were created in God’s image. Take a big leap now, and put yourselves in God’s shoes for just a moment. Consider the beautiful physical world you gave to humankind. Think about the numerous opportunities that you gave humanity to extend your presence. Remember how you placed within every fertilized human egg all the potential necessary for each one-of-a-kind person to produce a meaningful, purposeful life. Then sense how you go on loving and caring even when some people never express a word of appreciation, while others even doubt that you exist. Jesus knew that, to be extensions of God’s love, we had to love like God with no strings attached. An illustration of this is found in the Exodus passage that we read this morning. The Israelites had been delivered from their Egyptian taskmasters and were camped in the desert. They began complaining, “We wish that the Lord had killed us in Egypt. While in Egypt we could at least sit down and eat meat and have as much other food as we wanted. But you (Moses) have brought us out into this desert to starve us to death.” How short their memories were! They had watched as Moses stood before Pharaoh and demanded, “Let my people go!” When Pharaoh refused, the Jews had witnessed a variety of plagues. First the Nile’s water became undrinkable; then frogs came on to the land, followed by the gnats. Next came the flies, followed by the diseased animals, next the boils on the skin of the Egyptians became open sores, and then the hailstones fell and the locusts came. Finally, there was the death of many Egyptian children. They had witnessed the breaking of Pharaoh’s will and the protection the Lord afforded them as they traveled safely through the sea. They were great fans of Moses who had been the vehicle through whom came miracle after miracle. When the miracles appeared to stop, the people immediately began complaining, “God should have killed us in Egypt.” Just like the workers in Jesus’ illustration, the Jews equated their value by how much God did for them. Often we are guilty of the same thing, but God continues to care for us in spite of how we perceive God’s activity. Keep in mind that Jesus was illustrating something very distinctive. It is not what we receive that matters, but rather the spirit in which we give. God gives to us without hesitation, without judgment and without first considering our worthiness. Everyone, i.e., the just and the unjust, the saint and the sinner, experiences the same sun and rain. Most of our essential accomplishments are not measured by rewards received, but by the seeds we have sown in the lives of those we leave behind. Randy Travis sang a song many months ago that had a chorus, “It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it’s what you leave behind you when you go.” This was Jesus’ message. Recently Frank Grzych and his family left Bowie and St. Matthew’s to settle in Texas where he became the Chair of the Music Department at Texas A&M. Frank sent me a quiz from the late Charles Schultz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip. It has come across my computer screen any number of times, so many of you have no doubt seen it. For those who have not, here is that quiz. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name at least five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name at least a half dozen Academy Award winners for the best actor and actress. 6. Name the World Series winners during the last ten years. Schultz was making the point that most of the highly visible people are known to us because of what they have accomplished. He pointed out how applause dies; awards tarnish and achievements are forgotten. Most accolades are buried with their owners. To make his point, Schultz added five additional questions: 1. List the names of three teachers who have aided you on your life’s journey. 2. Name three people who have helped you during some difficult times. 3. List five names of people who have taught you something essential about life. 4. Think of three people who have made you feel appreciated and loved. 5. Think of five people with whom you would enjoy spending time. Again, Schultz’s commentary suggests that the people who have made the most difference in our lives are not those with the most credentials, money or accomplishments. But rather they are the ones who made us feel cared for and valued. Jesus was teaching his listeners to be such people -- givers who pay no attention to how deserving someone is. The owner valued all workers the same way and gave each of them the same reward in spite of how many hours they labored. The only reason we would not applaud the owner for his generosity is because of a thought that his generosity was unfair. The truth is, this is what God does for each of us every day. Again, if we are going to reflect God’s likeness, we have to give ourselves away in the same way that God does. We should never attempt to calculate our value by any other means. Jesus has value to us not because of who he was but because of what he gave away. This kind of value cannot be measured. One of the fascinating mission efforts in which the Angel Gang of St. Matthew’s became involved this year was to process thousands of letters sent to our men and women serving in the Iraq-Afghanistan region. The Angel Gang sent several teams to Walter Reed Medical Center over a number of months. They had to open each piece of mail directed anonymously to members in our armed forces and process the pre-paid telephone calling cards that were inside. The warm supportive letters people wrote to our soldiers will never make the headlines. The authors of such notes brought tears to members of our teams. We are touched emotionally and spiritually when others take time to give to us from the goodness that dwells within them. This is why the rescue effort by volunteers along the Gulf coast is such a powerful expression of spirit. The workers want nothing for themselves. They are too busy making God’s love visible to consider what kind of gratitude might return to them. When I spoke to Pete Saderholm on Friday night he was exuding energy levels that were well above those normal for him. His call came at 9:30 p.m., after having worked an exhaustive day. As you know, he and Dan Blades are in Laurel, Mississippi. Laurel United Methodist church has become an UMCOR distribution center. Pete’s energy and words reflected those of the young girl I mentioned in last week’s message. The nine-year old and her friends raised over $1,600 for Katrina relief with her lemonade stand. The quote I used last week was this, “Helping people who lost everything makes me feel good.” Pete’s energy level was communicating that same spirit. Jesus wanted his disciples to know that giving our efforts a monetary value is to limit our worth. God loves each of us equally and that may be challenging for us to imagine. However, Jesus wanted our discipleship to radiate the same spirit as God’s. This is our mission. Our faith reminds us that God will work miracles in the hearts and minds of those we touch. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER We thank you, God, for your mercy and patience. Too often we sense only the limitations of our faith. We have flashes of thoughtfulness alongside the remembrance of our insensitivities. We celebrate our areas of growth while knowing how controlled we are by the tyranny of little things. We often hide behind our smiles, while recognizing how under appreciated we feel. Lead us, O God, to learn that our faith is also a journey of learning. Our attitudes are not always honorable. Our thoughts are not always wholesome. The value of our deeds may be tarnished by our need for validation and praise. Heal our sense of incompleteness by helping us realize how much you value and love each of us. In that recognition, inspire us to remain committed to our continued growth. Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER We thank you, God, for your faithfulness. Your spirit is beside us during our joys and sorrows, during our failures and triumphs, during times of peace and fragility and during times of health and illness. We thank you that we have met your son who has provided guidance for our living. He has taught us to think in terms of possibilities, creative alternatives and different ways to expand the loving spirit by which we live. Jesus helped his listeners to overcome the need to receive. His invitation to us is to follow his lead so that we learn how to care and share, as we give form to kindness and generosity. As each of us seeks to make you visible, may we examine more closely how we spend our time. May we become more selective of the words we use and learn to treat others as we would treat your son. Help us to remember that we are only students here. Some of us are of humble means while others are economically comfortable. Some of us have limited education while others carry many letters after our name. In spite of the various paths that have brought us here, guide us to understand that we are your sons and daughters through whom you speak and create. With that knowledge within us, may we walk into each tomorrow in such a way that the walls of fear crumble and mountains are moved. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, who taught us to say when we pray . . . |