Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - A September 21, 2008

Isaiah 55: 6-9 Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a Matthew 20: 1-16

It is truly an amazing world in which we live. Among the many opportunities which we have through cable and satellite dish television reception is the fact that in the comfort of our own homes we can travel to and experience the vast array of peoples, places, cultures and history that make up our universe, both large and small. We can lean about things we did not know. We can see and hear about things we did not imagine. We can easily realize that so much that we take for granted ought to be appreciated for the simple fact that it is present and available to us.

This thought has been brought out to me in a type of television program which I have found to be particularly fascinating. These are the programs that reveal some of the “worst jobs” that people do. Some tell of the jobs that people do today so that we can live and enjoy so much that we have. Others about jobs which were performed at different times in history, jobs which were learned and done so that needs of the society at that time could be addressed, jobs from which we still have results which we can marvel at and enjoy even today.

A common feature of these programs is to have a narrator who is a type of “Everyman,” someone who represents us, the viewers, as he attempts these jobs, with varying degrees of success and often with disgust. While the person who is instructing him, the one who does the job regularly, stands to the side, often amused by what is observed, as the narrator discovers what it is exactly that some people will do for a job in order to keep all us going in our daily lives.

As I was thinking about programs like this, using them as sources of meditation, thought and prayer, I realized that it is not so important what we do, what we happen to have, what we happen to possess. These things are not what give anyone of us dignity or worth or value or importance. They are not the reason that every one of us deserves respect and honor. Rather, what is the source of the genuine dignity and value that each of us possesses is that we are all, each of us, creatures of a good and loving God. This is what we proclaim in the fundamental document of our country - the Declaration of Independence - “all men are created equal.” This is what is acknowledged universally in the referring to human rights for all. This equality which is ours as creatures of our God is the basis for the efforts made to live out and to acknowledge the dignity and worth of every person.

Now this might sound like some sort of high-minded philosophy of life, some fancy principles that have little to do with the day to day reality of life. I believe, however, that it really is the basis for the story which we have just heard from the Gospel of Saint Matthew. It is a reminder, like the words of Isaiah the prophet which we heard, and the story in Matthew recounts, that God’s ways, the Creator’s ways, are not our ways.

Basic to the story in Matthew is an understanding that God, the Creator, constantly reaches out to us, day in and day out, at all hours of the day. As the owner of the vineyard went out throughout the day to find workers, God, in the same manner, seeks us out, no matter the hour of the day, no matter the circumstances. We are all called to be part of God’s work, reaping the benefits of Creation, bettering Creation. The measure of our response, the willingness we show, is to be found in the response of the workers. Whatever the circumstances of our lives, whatever the time of day, the opportunities are given to us. Our willingness to respond, our willingness to join in this work, the work of the owner, the work of God, will achieve benefits for us, earn our pay.

All of us are, all of us are to be, equal in the opportunity, the offer made to us by our loving God. How we respond, as I have said, is not just a high-minded philosophy or attitude in life. Rather, our response involves the way we live out today, this day, these moments. What we say, what we do, now, in this church, in the street, in our neighborhood, in school - in the down-to-earth activities of life, in our encounters with one another and in the world - this is how response to the invitation of God is measured. We can ask ourselves: How are we productive today in sharing, in making known, the goodness and love of God?

God’s ways arr not our ways. The generosity of God is equally available to all of us. This is our basic equality. This generosity of God is most clearly evident to us in the presence of God-with-us, Jesus Christ. In our faith God is with us, just not in history, but with us now in this Eucharist we share. That is why we are here, to encounter God, to be nourished by God. The response we can make, the response we are to make, is not to grumble or complain or question the goodness of God like the first workers. Our response is to willingly accept that goodness, experience that generosity and to show it, to reflect it no matter what we do. Whether what we do is the most menial job or one which is considered most important. Each of us, all of us, are equal in what we can do in giving honor and glory to our good and loving God.