Septuagesima Sunday, 2021
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Hymn # 479 Zion Rise
Workers in the Vineyard
Prayers and Announcements
- In treatment, Christina Jackson (doing well), Rush Limbaugh, Mary Howell.
- Our country, our actual President, our military justice system.
- Those who spread the Gospel by Word, by art, by voice, by service.
Hans Brorson - "I Walk in Danger." He was a Danish Pietist known for this hymn and often associated with Thomas Kingo and Nicholai Grundtvig. He wrote the ethereal "Behold a Host Arrayed in White" and "Thy Little Ones, Dear Lord, Are We." Over 100 of his hymns are in the Danish hymnal.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
KJV Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Septuagesima Sunday
Lord God, heavenly Father, who through Thy holy word hast called us into Thy vineyard: Send, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may labor faithfully in Thy vineyard, shun sin and all offense, obediently keep Thy word and do Thy will, and put our whole and only trust in Thy grace, which Thou hast bestowed upon us so plenteously through Thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may obtain eternal salvation through Him, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Workers in the Vineyard
KJV Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder [Lenski - Christ manages the Church], which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
The first thing we notice about a parable is the introduction. Sometimes, the word parable is used. At other times, this introduction compares the Kingdom of God to certain actions or observations. Parables are quite short, and the shorter a literary device is, the more difficult it is to make it convey some meaning. The parables are so short that one is simply one sentence - The Kingdom of God is like leaven...Matthew 13.
The parables are examples of genius in communication, because each one is so full of meaning that it can be an entire sermon. Of course, there is also room for mischief. The Medieval analogy used is mocked by Jesus because the Church identified the first laborer as Adam. The penny was eternal life. So, was Adam dissatisfied with his penny, eternal life? Unfortunately, many such efforts started with an error and became the model for more of the same.
My liberal New Testament professor at seminary taught that no one understood the parables, though he wrote a book on them, an effort promptly forgotten. It was said about him and our college professor both, that they were obvious skeptics but loved to sing the hymns and hardly missed a Sunday.
The parables are short stories, given to us as great memory devices, because they connect the lesson with an easy-to-remember image or short story. They have special power because they are directly from Jesus. All those who would like to spend an hour with Jesus (a common question - "Who would you pick to have a conversation with, for just one hour?") can do so by reading His parables. Or His sermons in the Gospel of John. In other words, they do not take up much time, but they offer a wealth of insights. The Word is always connected to the divine power of the Holy Spirit, so that hour is never a waste of time.
This parable is clearly about God and whether we see the reward as earned - or due to His grace alone. We can see it as parallel to Paul, who worked harder than anyone as a Pharisee, observing all the rules and going out of his way to persecute Christians, only to discover righteousness came from faith and the grace of God. The Word, that is the risen Christ, converted him, and that was not an experience he could set aside. It changed his "good works" into a pile of dung compared to the excellency of knowing Christ and His mercy.
This parable can also be seen as establishment Christianity always begrudging their great past and thinking the reward is theirs alone because they were there in the beginning, according to their calendars.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
This is especially vivid for people who live in border cities like Phoenix. Next to the hardware store the day-laborers wait for someone to hire them. When a city grows more wealthy, the expectations grow for working in the hot, desert sun.
4. Hence the substance of the parable in today’s Gospel consists not in the penny, what it is, nor in the different hours; but in earning and acquiring, or how one can earn the penny; that as here the first presumed to obtain the penny and even more by their own merit, and yet the last received the same amount because of the goodness of the householder. Thus God will show it is nothing but mercy that he gives and no one is to arrogate to himself more than another. Therefore he says I do thee no wrong, is not the money mine and not thine; if I had given away thy property, then thou wouldest have reason to murmur; is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own ?
People are forever comparing their situation to another's, so this is not simply about clergy and their work. Or laity and their work, whether in the church itself or in everyday life. One situation has just as many pitfalls and problems as any other, but it is easy to imagine a life of ease and comfort, or glamor and excitement.
We often discuss this in Old Testament class, because I emphasize the Gospel in the Old Testament and cite examples from the New Testament. King David was unusually gifted in leadership, military action, and writing. He was not content with the glory he enjoyed but destroyed another's marriage and arranged a death to cover it up. And yet, from his example God made a perfect spokesman for contrition and forgiveness, for teaching God's grace and our position in His Kingdom.
5. Now in this way Christ strikes a blow first against the presumption (as he also does in today’s Epistle) of those who would storm their way into heaven by their good works; as the Jews did and wished to be next to God; as hitherto our own clergy have also done. These all labor for definite wages, that is, they take the law of God in no other sense than that they should fulfill it by certain defined works for a specified reward, and they never understand it correctly, and know not that before God all is pure grace. This signifies that they hire themselves out for wages, and agree with the householder for a penny a day; consequently their lives are bitter and they lead a career that is indeed hard.
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
"Zion rise" includes this as a verse.
We can see where this is leading, and it is so easy to look at this as our work, our benefit which we earned.
The first-hired, the patriarchs or founders or pillars - they will receive more than the rest, either a bonus for them or less for the late-comers. One bishop said about charter members, "They are pillars of the church. They hold up the congregation, in more ways than one." In many cases they watch out for anyone who seems to threaten their authority. Synod practice the same scheme. A grandson has special benefits, even if he is the grandson of a carpet-bagger.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
So here we see great opportunity for cashing in on ancient claims. "Whatever is right" has great promise for those already sweating and swatting pests in the vineyards. "If they get a penny, we get a penny per hour. If we get only a penny, they get fractions."
The penny or denarius was the pay of a Roman soldier for a whole day, so it was not a tiny amount. The issue is who deserves what at the end of the day and what do the longest workers receive.
8 So when even was come, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
We still use that expression - "eleventh hour." Some came and worked one hour and got a day's wages! Paying last first only increased expectations and frustrations, but it would have been the same otherwise. This payment scheme certainly strikes at our own experiences. When those with the lowest wage got a two-year raise, the established workers asked, "What about us? We were there years ago, working at that wage! Unfair!"
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman [GJ - house despot or steward] of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
I still hear that language today. "Do you realize he is a ____? It was a ____ who helped found the synod!" This is said with a special, awed tone, as if the glories of the past have cast a permanent halo around all the descendants. One family has their own private printing firm - what better way to manage their history and win future elections?
In many cases, a very destructive leader, is protected because he is a son or grandson of the pillar. They said about one, adding more nonsense to his protected status, "Can't we afford one of him in our beloved Church?" His advocacy became the norm and the traditionalists were paid to leave - and they did.
Luther calls it "storming the gates of heaven to get in through their works." The answer to this is Romans 3:23 - all have sinned equally, those who are forgiven and saved are justified by faith equally. The dying beggar at the gate who has faith in Christ is carried to Abraham's bosom while the unrepentant adulterer, and his flatterers, with all their money and frozen food, are cast down because they relied on their glorious works, which are now a burden to the recipients.
Free buildings cost money now but far more in the future. They are sterile in regards to the Christian Faith and become eyesores when the proposed need evaporates. In one case, a building at Fuller Seminary had to have its name chiseled off because the honored person was such a criminal predator. My favorite moment came when this Amazon of Evangelism had to cancel their own building plans because they were shrinking rather than growing. God takes His time for the payback, and the compound interest owed is a terrible burden and disgrace.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
This parable speaks to each one of us, because we are inclined to feel our losses and overlook our blessings. The last three verses are a message to each one of us. God is good, merciful, always eager to help us in ways that benefit us in the long run. An entire series of bad events can lead to what is good for us, so we must trust in His wisdom and bless the moment rather than chase the daydream.
Bad experiences seem to last forever - such as enduring a horrible job. And good experiences seem to be too short. But that means we should ignore the bad times and relish the blessed times. Often bad becomes good because we had a chance to help, to comfort, to strengthen, or in many cases - to observe and listen to a true saint. A saint is not a perfect person but a wise person. A wise believer is the source of courage, faith, hope, and laughter.
Sometime people mourn that they caught onto the truth late in life. They were found idling at the eleventh hour. They are in this parable too. The Gospel found them. Idling does not find anything. They were called by the Spirit in the Gospel, however it came. I opened a book that included a chapter by a pastor I knew, a missionary, LCA now ELCA. His message on inerrancy had more meaning than anything by a great scholar and academic. The pastor who left the ministry had so many books that they filled the fellowship hall, and this one jumped out at me. A coincidence upon a coincidence (a member was the janitor at that church) upon a coincidence (the only missionary I knew in the LCA was related to my father's best friend, and we knew his son) upon a coincidence - Augustana College, etc.
