Zion Lutheran

October 5, 2008

Text:  Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:7-15, Philippians 3:4b-14, Matthew 21:33-46

This sermon was not recorded, so a transcript is provided instead.

Please join with me in prayer.  Holy and gracious God, you have called us to ventures that we can not see, you strengthen us when we are weak and you grant us hope in the midst of all things.  Mold us into the people you would have us to be for the sake of our broken world.  Amen.

Dear hearers of God’s word, grace be unto you and peace, from God our creator, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I’m curious — how many Bibles do you have in your home?  It’s not a contest just a question?  So, the next questions is what do you with your Bible and how to you see it?  Hopefully it is more than a collector of other important pieces of paper, more than a decorative bookend.  So, the next question is how do you use it?  Is it a divine reference book — spiritual first aide — do you see it as God’s autobiography contain with in the front and back covers — how about the law — church members hand book of do’s and don’ts  to keep others out — ?  How about seeing the Bible as the living word that forms and changes our lives.  Move beyond a reference book of how others did it to entering into the word so that the Bible  can help us make sense of our lives.

Now, with that said, it only works when we open it, when we read and study scripture in our own lives so that as we come together for worship we are ready to give thanks and praise as a community for all the places we see God at work.  Worship is the place where we listen together for God’s voice, God’s claim on our life for how we are to be his people in this place.  We need to move beyond the book — to the living, life giving word.  As Luther said, the Bible is the cradle that holds the message.

With this is mind, knowing that we have shared together in the reading of the gospel — listen to it again — this time from Eugene Peterson’s Message.  What catches your attention:  Here’s another story.  Listen closely.  There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard.  He fenced it, dug a winepress, put us a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip.  When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.

The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up.  The next one they murdered.  They three stones at the third but he got away.  The owner tried again, sending more servants.  They got the same treatment.  The owner was at the end of his rope.  He decided to send his son.  ‘Surely,’ he thought, ‘they will respect my son.’  “But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed.  ‘This is the heir!  Let’s kill him and have it all for ourselves.’  They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him.

“Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?”

“He’ll kill them — a rotten bunch, and good riddance,” they answered.  “Then he’ll assign the vineyard to farmhand who will hand over the profits when it’s time.”

Jesus said, “Right — and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles:  The stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone.  This is God’s word; we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it!  This is the way it is with you.  God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life.  Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed.”

When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was aimed at them.  They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back  Most people held him to be a prophet of God.

What catches your attention, your imagination?  Do you feel sympathy for renters, then ones who do all the work but the owner gets all the benefit?  How are you with the violence — they are down right abusive — but why do they think that by killing the son they could inherit the vineyard  — what claim do they have on the property.

If this is a test for the renters, how did they do?  They changed the story into a test of the master — what should he do to those who entrusted with his property when they screw up and abuse/misuse that trust?

Sometimes these readings are a little too close to home — but that’s why Jesus tells them on his way to the cross — that is the living word working in our lives — because the parable doesn’t end with the death of the son — look at verse 42 it says:  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.’  Well, if you are not reading scripture, not dwelling in the word you probably missed it — but we are clear in Jesus being the cornerstone of our lives.

Paul tells us that we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.  The treasure, God’s living, life giving word has been entrusted to us.  Each and every one of us.  How can you know what it says if you do not read it, dwell in it, listen to God’s voice?

We live in turbulent times.  Election years raises anxiety.  The economy is scary.  Pastoral transitions in churches raises anxiety.  In some ways it feels like everything is fall apart.  Where do you turn?  To the news?  To the latest gossip?  To God’s living word?  You see, God is patient with us.  Yes, very, very patient.  When we stumble, when we screw up and when we are overwhelmed and exhausted God continues to reach to us claiming us as redeemed, guiding us through the Holy Spirit so that we can continue to do his work with our hands to the least, the last and the lost in Jesus’ name.  Not in our name, but in Jesus’ name.

The apostle Paul knew all too well the struggle of moving on, moving past those things that keep us stuck.  Paul understood what it means to be turned around and changed by God.  He says this in Philippians 3:  Friends, don’t get me wrong:  By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us toward — to Jesus.  I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.  So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.  If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision — you’ll see it yet!

We’ve been entrusted with the vineyard, with God’s life giving word — not to control and abuse, not to hoard and hide from others — no it’s life giving, it is our story — it breathes life back into us when the wind has been knocked of us — it kicks us in the seat when we screw up.  For some it gives faith that makes all things better for other it is a way to keep our footing in turbulent times.

Yes – amazing things happen through this life giving word.  Thanks be to God… Amen.