Readings for Pentecost 20, celebrating the Reformation
October 26, 2014

• Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 and Psalm 1  
• 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8  
• Matthew 22:34-46

On Being Right, by Pastor Kinsey
Yesterday, a wise person said to me, I treat every day, whether something good, or bad, happens to me, as if, that is exactly how I had planned it would happen – and that has freed me up, the person told me, in a spiritual way, to be fully accepting and much more hopeful in my life. 

Usually, it’s not just about getting the right answer, it’s about being the right answer.

In the last year and half, or so – our Mental Health Justice Team at ONE Northside, in our negotiations with the Chicago Police Department, to increase the number of officers trained in Crisis Intervention Training – we’ve had a number of hurdles to cross. Each time when I thought we were about to win our campaign, another road block would appear. And the last one was the biggest to jump over. We had finally come to agreement on an increased number of officers trained, but when we brought up the need to be accountable in some way, to those numbers – to report how many officers were being trained each year, quarter by quarter, to us, or in some public fashion – they thought we were trying to trap them. We’re not going to let you get all the credit by reporting our numbers to you, or anybody else, they said. We’re doing Crisis Intervention Training! But we’re not going to give you all the glory, and, in the process, look bad ourselves!

And the negotiations broke down again. We walked out of the room, with only a promise they would think about it and get back to us in x amount of days.

In our gospel reading today, Jesus is getting very close to his final Passover celebration, and the leaders of Jerusalem are closing in on him, trying to lay the perfect trap, and do away with him once and for all. They know he is too popular to arrest, for there would be an outcry from the people. So the Sadducees and the Scribes, the Pharisees and Herodians, are all in competition with each other to be the one party to entrap Jesus, to be the winner, and take the credit.

Why are we like this? Competitive, split-off Lutheran denominations, and the same with Baptist’s and Presbyterians, and every religious group through the ages; the Tea Party and the Republicans, the mosaic of disagreeable Democrats, Microsoft and Apple. I guess that’s why, as followers of Jesus, we confess, first thing when we gather for worship: “Though you made us your people, we treat strangers with suspicion. Though you forgave our debts, we collect without mercy.” And all too often, it’s not just strangers, but we treat those closest to us, with suspicion and collect without mercy, as well. “Have mercy on us, O God,” we pray, “and remember your promise to us, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord!”

And so, because we are just like the Pharisees, who no doubt, are snickering under their breath, how badly their cousin Sadducees’ failed in putting Jesus to the test, they gather together, confident that, in one of their finest lawyers, they have devised the perfect entrapment question: “Teacher,” he asked Jesus, “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Of course, out of 613 laws, it is hard to say which is the greatest. It was a topic of debate in those days, but who can ever say definitively which one is the greatest.

Jesus answers from the Shema, the most popular and the daily affirmation of Judaism, from Deuteronomy chapter 6, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Nothing controversial there! This is the greatest and first commandment, as Jesus says, which few would dispute. But, he quickly adds, a second is equal to it. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [And] on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Now that was a shocker! Not because Jews didn’t also believe that. It was another law, which, as you’ll remember, we read earlier from Leviticus 19:18. But the reason it was a slap in the face was because he was talking to the Jerusalem elites who only wished to win the competition amongst their own parties, and to be right. And now Jesus had underscored how love is not just about being the holiest, or smartest, or knowing or having the right answer, but about putting that love into action, in our lives, and in the world, every day.

In our negotiations with the CPD, what really surprised me– and was a flawed assumption on their part – was that we were asking for accountability to the numbers of trained officers in CIT, not so we could look good and make them look bad. I didn’t feel in competition with them. But we were asking because we wanted to insure, what they agreed to, would actually happen in the real world, out in all the neighborhoods of Chicago. We didn’t want to win – at least not for ourselves, in competition with them – but we wanted real change for those living with mental illness, and every day being stigmatized in the communities they lived in, every day running the risk being treated differently, every day living in a fog of fear that they could end up in jail.

For the gospels, the real issue is not who is smarter, or who can trick who, but, is Jesus really the Messiah, and what does that mean for us? And if the competitive parties in Jerusalem can’t dismiss and deny who Jesus is becoming in his populism, by their arguments of entrapment – which I suspect, looked a lot like the endless competition of political ads we see on TV now leading up to the election, that try to entrap us, as voters – Jesus, in turn, decides to test them: What do you think of the Messiah, the anointed one that we are all expecting, he asks? Whose son is he? He asks this of the Pharisees, who know the scriptures best. And, of course, they know the “correct” answer, “The son of David.” And so do we, think, Palm Sunday, when we sing, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ remembering Jesus riding into Jerusalem! But for Jesus, there is more than just a correct, right answer. And so he asks them, How is it then that David himself, by the power of the Spirit, calls the Messiah his Lord, and quoting David’s own words in Psalm 110, ‘The Lord [God] said to my Lord [the Messiah], Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet? If David thus calls [the Messiah] his Lord, says Jesus, how can he be his son? That’s just the kind of bible trivia that the Pharisees normally steeped themselves in, and yet, they hadn’t thought of that. And, No one was able to give him an answer.

For Jesus, it’s not about getting the right answer, but about being the right answer. Jesus is the son of David, through Joseph, but also, by the power of the Spirit, will be the one called Lord, Son of God, and Messiah. He doesn’t care about winning and being right, in the games of Jerusalem, but he cares about being the right answer for the salvation of his people, about removing the stigma of winners and losers amongst us, about increasing God’s Crisis Intervention for those wounded in society’s wars instigated by its elites, about rescuing the world from the powers of evil that infect us all, and giving us the power and tools – of faith and hope and love – to see and combat those powers.

Martin Luther and the Reformers understood this, that Jesus came to free us up, not by being, ‘holier than thou,’ but by living and being the right answer, that we might live lives based on God’s grace. Jesus lived a life of spiritual freedom, not by winning competitive tests. But by accepting the mantle God gave him, the good and the bad, the suffering and the glory, as the plan for him in his life. Living into the life of Messiah, a life whose only weapon was God’s Word, as Luther liked to say, Jesus gifted us with his very life, so that, God might triumph over the powers of death, and we would have a model of non-retaliation, for our lives.

Almost 500 years ago, Luther, a simple German monk, nailed 95 debating points on the Wittenberg Castle door, on October 31st, not primarily to win the debate, but because he believed the Spirit of the living God, as it was being portrayed in the church in his day, was at stake. He believed that reforming the church was what the Spirit was calling him to do. And that the freedom of all Christians, and the good news of the gospel, were imperiled, if he didn’t.

We too, in this day and age, are being called, not to know the right answer, but to be the freedom, and live the good news, of the love and grace that we have received, in our Lord – and as reformers, to make real change.

That’s the plan!

Readings for Oct 19 2014

• Isaiah 45:1-7 and Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)  
• 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10  
• Matthew 22:15-22

“What’s in your wallet?”  Do you know that one?  Can you see it?  The commercial? 

Of course you can, good branding works its magic on us, whether we like it or not.  Which is why I have such a love-hate relationship with, “Under the Influence,” that Saturday morning CBC show.  I’m not sure if you’re up at 6:30am on the weekends to catch it.  I’m usually making coffee and doing the dishes though, so it’s perfect.  I remember when the show first aired 10 years ago.  It captivated me immediately!  “Hi, I’m Terry O’Reilly,” said the host in his distinctive and deliberate voice, “and you’re, under the influence.” 

He went on in detail to deconstruct the behind the scenes machinations of the advertising world, and what it is that puts us under the influence of society’s saturation in commercial advertising.  And, in his new book, he even argues that it is the dominant influence of our culture today.  How could he know us so well, and understand how to influence us – the guys Canadian after all?!  But each Saturday morning, I couldn’t wait for the next story in the art of advertising.  I felt like I knew exactly, the influence, Terry O’Reilly was talking about, and he was illuminating it like never before.  I knew they were doing this!  And I’m so glad I’m not under the influence!

But slowly it sunk in, to me, that not only was Terry delving into the who, what and why of advertising, but was in some sense weaving and reinforcing the spell, increasing the influence, that drew me unconsciously and unwittingly, to fit in to the consumer life-style.  Not only did the show cleverly entertain, as it revealed parts of the backstory about the very influential Mad Men of Madison Avenue, but at the same time, I was also was being hustled into the very place I felt so uncomfortable inhabiting and thought I could avoid.  Because the show is so smartly done, so entertaining, even informative, my defenses and critical edge, usually so reliable in keeping me, at least at arm’s length, from believing I live in the consumer world, were being broken down.

The Mad Men of Jesus’ time were great hustlers too.  The elite leaders of the Pharisaic Party in Jerusalem were not as good at it, as their brothers, the Herodians – and neither, in point of fact, got along with the other very well.  But, at the top, the Pharisees and Herodians were united in one thing – their fear of Jesus, and his loose cannon, truth-telling, at their expense. 

In Terry O’Reilly’s new book, “The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture,” he calls the Mad Men of advertising, ants in a colony, except, not ants that work together, but ants all in competition with all the other ants, for, a small, but significant piece, of our imaginations.  The same goes for the opposing parties of Jerusalem leaders, which is why it’s unusual how they team up this time.  But the leaders of the Pharisees have been unsuccessful at trapping Jesus by themselves.  So this time they called on the political bad boys, who everyone agreed, had long ago, sold out to Herod – thus the name, Herodians(!) – and were rendering allegiance, not to YHWH, the LORD, but to Rome, in exchange for political favors.  And so having little or no scruples, they were a good choice, thought the Pharisees, to “entrap Jesus.” 

“Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality,” they say.  When Jesus calls them hypocrites, he’s referring to that half-sincere setup.  “Hypocrite,” my bible notes say, “refers to actors who play a part.  Hypocrisy involves a public role of [looking] compassion[ate] but not [having] genuine concern.”  Think, Bill Clinton’s, “I feel your pain,” and then turning around and signing the NAFTA Free Trade Agreement!

And finally, the entrapment question comes: “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”   It is a brilliant trap.  The Temple Tax, as it was called, was a tax imposed by Rome to embarrass the Jews in their colonized subservience.  Every Israeli citizen had to pay it, or face the consequences.  And for leaders like Jesus, to pay it, could make him look like he was putting Caesar before God – not to mention it would violate his own aphorism: “no one can serve two masters, God and Wealth.”  Surely this will force Jesus’ hand – the perfect trap!  He’ll either subject himself to Roman retribution, or lose authority among his followers, either way, he’ll be out of our hair, thought the Jerusalem leaders. 

Jesus, of course, will, find a way out.  Asking to be shown a Denarius, the amount of the tax owed, a coin equal to a day’s wage, Jesus concludes: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Boom!  Jesus beats the trap, just like that.  How smart!  Why didn’t I think of that!  But, then again, what does he actually mean?  What precisely is Jesus getting at? 

Some people see his wise retort as proof that God and politics should be kept strictly separate – tax laws should have absolutely nothing to do with one’s beliefs. Others say that this story proves that religion is a matter of the heart, private, and so Jesus doesn’t really care about what you do with your money.  And still others have suggested it means that we have a Christian duty to support the government, without question, no matter what.  All three of these interpretations are dubious says Homiletics Professor, Lance Pape. 

What do you think Jesus meant?  What’s in your wallet?
 
When Jesus responds to the question of entrapment, he first asks them to pull out the coin used in the Temple Tax, and they easily produced the denarius from their wallets.  And bringing it to Jesus, he held it up asking them to identify whose image and title was inscribed on it.  This in itself is suggestive.  Jesus, likely doesn’t have any money in his wallet.  And, all the Jews, pretty much despised the Temple tax.  But the Herodians have no trouble producing the coin, they have just suggested, is tainted.  In effect, Jesus asks them, “what’s in your wallet?” 

And so, that’s our question today too, on this 4th of 4 Sundays, as we consider the Stewardship theme of ‘Fearless First Responders’ – what’s in your wallet?  Who do you give your money to?  What do you do with the wealth you have, the wealth we believe comes first and foremost, from our Creator God, maker of all things? 

Through their ads, Capital One wants us to believe we’ll have more buying power with their card, we’ll have more rewards, and less fees, and so, we’ll just have more, for ourselves!  And what Jesus is saying?  What image does our wealth bear?
 
I too once thought you could keep money and God separate, that somehow we could know when to render to each, without conflict.  But now I actually think that that is impossible.  Wealth, and our allegiance to God are so intertwined – that now seems naïve to me.  Yet, each decision is important.  And where we choose to spend our daily wage, is always, an expression of our values and beliefs. 

When you fill out your Sealed Financial Pledge and your Time and Talent forms today, this is an expression of your values too.  Even though everything comes from God, obviously, you cannot give everything you have, back to the church, that’s not the expectation I want you to take away.  But only in so far as this church, Unity Lutheran, is an assembly that is carrying out the mission of the living God in our community and world, are you under any compunction to give your tithes, and give your offerings more generously in the coming year.  If Unity Lutheran Church is the place through which you find and connect with God, if the people here represent a people of faith active in love, than I’m asking you to be ‘Fearless First Responders’ in pledging your offering and giving back. 

What’s in your wallet?  Probably not nearly enough!  We can always wish for more, right!  But Jesus goes beyond the competition of cards and coins – asking us the ultimate question of – whose image do we bear?  Our faith teaches us that God has provided all that we need, that the creation in which we find ourselves, all originates from God.  There is nothing in our wallet that is powerful enough to create out of nothing.  The culture of consumerism, however influential it is, cannot do that.  We are fearless and gracious stewards, called to be good managers of all we have been given.  We don’t work just to fill our wallets.  We have work and wallets, that we may carefully manage the entirety of God’s creation. 

What’s in your wallet?!

Readings for October 12, 2014
Pentecost 18/Proper 23A

• Isaiah 25:1-9 and Psalm 23  
• Philippians 4:1-9  
• Matthew 22:1-14

Where’s the wedding couple? Pastor Kinsey
Where’s the wedding couple?!  Perhaps it was the greeting line after the service that delayed them?  Or maybe it was the pictures that followed?  Pictures with both of the couple’s families, then pictures with the attendants, and any number of combinations of wedding-goers.  It always takes longer than you expect.  And… there may be a few other stops along the way to the reception – I’m just saying!  I’m not usually privy to these stops.  Though at Sasha and Roberts wedding this June, Sasha’s mom thought I should know, that everyone was going to Burke’s for a celebratory toast!  Are you coming, she asked? 

Another recent couple forgot to pick up their cake before the wedding – just blanked out – and had to send someone out to pick it up after the service on the way to the banquet-reception!  Stuff happens at weddings!

In any case, it may not strike us as unusual in today’s parable that the bride and groom have not been announced yet at the reception.  They haven’t made an appearance, and so it seems like, it’s all about “a man, a king,” the father of the groom. 

In pre-marriage counseling, I always tell the wedding couple, that inevitably something will go wrong, in the wedding service, or something will happen that day that you don’t expect, which will be – well – memorable.  It may seem like a big deal at the time, but usually, for everyone else, it helps them remember in a good way, and down the line, after some time, you too will be able to laugh about it.  I tell them this, to relax them, and encourage them not to worry so much about all the many details they are fretting about in their planning, which presently, are driving them crazy.  But the kind of mishaps in the parable Jesus tells, in today’s gospel, aren’t the kind I have in mind, they really do go a bit beyond!

The wedding banquet that a man, a king, threw for his son, in this parable, is so disastrous that there aren’t enough first responders in all of Jerusalem, or Chicago, to put out all the fires.  When the servants are sent out again by the king, after being ignored the first time, saying - I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet, already - it’s time, where is everyone, the king’s servants are made light of, mistreated and some even killed.  But the king, a particularly brutal ruler, sends out, not just a few police, but his full combat troops, escalating the situation in a vengeful fit, to utterly destroy the invited guests, and just for good measure, because he has the fire power at hand, has their whole city burned to the ground! 

Then the king gathers himself, his hands still dripping with blood, to say in his polite voice, those who were invited were not worthy to come to my banquet.  Why don’t you go into the streets and invite everyone you find there? 

Well, who would want to dare to come into this guy’s house, who rules by scorched-earth policy?  Or, I suppose, who would dare not to come?  Best to say, yes sir, and try to stay under his radar.  Who knows what will set him off next, and when? 

And sure enough, the servants found regular good and bad folks out on the streets that were cajoled to fill the wedding hall.  Yet, out of this whole house-full of guests, one single townsperson, not quite dressed up enough, perhaps a beggar or someone without time or money to change or buy a wedding robe, sets the king off again.  “How did you get in here without a wedding robe,” he says to the poor guy, even though they were pulled off the street without warning?  Understandably, the poor, profiled guest, is “speechless,” and surprised by the king’s irrationality, or maybe hoping to yet fly under the radar like everyone else there, he remains silent, like a sheep before its shearer, as was said of Jesus, before his interrogators. 

“Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness,” says the despotic king, “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”   

In Jesus’ time, the kingdom of heaven, it seems, was believed to be full of both sinners and saints, both God and Lucifer.  According to the book of Revelation, the ousting of Satan from heaven doesn’t occur until after, the Lamb is slain, that is, the crucifixion of Jesus. 

So what I’m trying to say is, that the most logical interpretation of this odd and difficult parable, just might be that the king is not supposed to be a metaphor for God, as we often assume!  Certainly, this is not the God we know from the gospels, one who is vengeful, predatory, and abusive.  But we do know, that Jesus will go to the cross to overcome the powers of evil, and bury the tradition of vengeful kings that continually create war and cycles of unending violence; tyrants in our homes who abuse, and apologize, and abuse again; and the list goes on, politicians and pastors, corporate CEO’s, and every institutional leader who has even a little bit of power.

What this parable is desperately begging for, finally, is the wedding couple to arrive, already!  Where are they?  If anyone can give us hope, it is the newlyweds, right! 

Implied in the gospel parables (and other books like Revelation) is that Jesus is the groom.  And, who is the bride?  That would be us, of course, the people of God, and all those hungering and thirsting for righteousness.  This wedding couple, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, can create a new way, on the 8th day of creation.  That new thing, is the resurrection power that cannot and will not accept throwing anyone out, from the heavenly wedding banquet, that we are all invited to.  There can be no celebration, no opening of the first bottle of wine, no toast, no feast of rich food (Isaiah), if it is at the expense of the latest scapegoat and displaced group of people in our communities and society.  That is the kind of Messiah-King Jesus is.  And that is the only kind of wedding banquet he will attend.  As Christ’s bride, this is the feast of victory that we are called to birth into this world.  The guests at this banquet will be free to come without fear of retribution or profiling.

The wedding banquet is where beautiful art, and God’s justice, meet.  Today on this 3rd of 4 Stewardship Sunday’s celebrating “fearless first responders,” Unity Lutheran Church needs you, to step up and express the depth of your faith, by becoming a fearless first responder, in the sharing of your time, talent and treasure. 

If you didn’t get a Time & Talent, and Financial pledge form last week, please take one today at the end of the service and take it home with you.  Pray over the gifts that God has given you, and then begin to fill the forms out.  If we believe that everything is God’s – as we know from the Creation story – and that we are called to be God’s stewards, then Stewardship is all about taking responsibility for the gifts we have as individuals, and community, for the good of God’s world.  We, are God’s ‘fearless first responders!’

The gospel parable today leaves open the question of our responsibility, as the bride of Christ, and where we will fit in, and whether we are ‘fearless first responders.’  Are we ready to enter the wedding banquet?  Christ is anxious to marry his bride!  Christ loves us, and has given us all the gifts we need to live life, and live it abundantly, and to support us in our “fearless living, fearless giving, and fearless service.” 
 
Christ is yours, and you are Christ’s, to have and to hold, to comfort you, honor you, and keep you, in sickness and in health, and be faithful to you – and death cannot part us.  Come to the banquet, a feast of rich food and well-aged wines, as Isaiah said, everything has been made ready for you!

Readings for October 5, 2014
Pentecost 17, Proper 22A

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

Where's the Fire? by Pastor Kinsey
Where’s the fire?  Well, last night, it was on the Chicago River!  In a celebrative re-enactment of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the ‘Great Chicago Fire Festival’ was inaugurated.  Choreographed by Chicago’s own, Redmoon Theatre, fire and fireworks lit up the sky, all under control, of course, for the pleasure of 10’s of thousands of Chicagoens!  It was 143 years ago this week, when over 3 square miles, most of Chicago, burned for parts of three days, decimating the young city.  Redmoon and the City want to make this into an annual event, hoping to celebrate the grit, greatness, and renewing spirit of Chicago – a celebration of the resilience that overcame the fire’s devastation and made it a thriving metropolis.  Redmoon’s creative director, Jim Lasko, fears, that spirit is under attack today. 

There is a fire, and an attack going on, in the Parable of the Vineyard Owners Son, too.  It’s an emergency that intensifies and heats up, as two sets of servants, and finally the Son, are sent into the vineyard, where they are beaten, stoned or killed.  The Son was sent, last of all, to put out the fire and emergency situation, in his Father’s Vineyard, once and for all.  Was God’s Son, a First Responder?  Was he fearless in the face of the fire he walked into on Good Friday, and when he rode a donkey into Jerusalem? 

The Son of the Owner of the Vineyard, was the heir to the property, and the Vineyard Owner had a right to expect that the tenants who were leasing the land would respect the Owner’s own flesh and blood.  But instead, their eyes grew wide at the thought of, offing the heir, and taking possession of the vast property itself.  They could take the place of the heir and the Owner, and could have it all.  That was the tinder-box situation the Owner kept trying to avoid.  This fire was set deliberately by the Tenants, seeking to attack and replace the maker and creator of it all, and claim that they, the crafty tenants, owned it instead, or at least, desired to run the show, and take the profits, for themselves, according to their own rules. 

Fearless First Responders are always at the ready to go put out the fire.  They don’t create the fires, and so they aren’t responsible to put them out, but they volunteer to be First Responders none-the-less, to put their lives on the line, and save others, for the good and safety of all. 

As we know, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 didn’t keep the city down for long.  Plans were already being made to rebuild before the last smoldering coal was put out.  And part of the rebuilding plans, were newly created, building and fire codes.  Steel beams became the commercial standard, replacing wooden structures.  Exit signs and sprinklers soon came into being.  Between 250-300 lives were lost, here in October, in 1871, and 1/3 of the city was homeless – more emergencies than the fire department could possibly handle.  So, First Responders have had a stake in government regulations, and being proactive in structural reforms, as well as just waiting for the next fire to start. 

And to help get them through, I think it’s worth noting, First Responders, for well over a century, have had fire-house dogs as their companions, offering relief and comfort, in times of great stress.  Whether pure breed Dalmatians or mixed breeds, fire-house dogs were essential back in the early days of horse-driven fire trucks.  Dogs led the way, running ahead and alongside of the horses to protect them and to calm the horses, who are naturally afraid of fire.  The fire-house dogs were also known to protect the fire equipment from would be thieves at the site of fire calls.  And back at the fire-house, of course, they were welcome companions, a First Responders’ best friend. 

Today, as we remember St Francis of Assisi, on this Sunday closest to his Commemoration day, we welcome all pets in worship for a blessing.  Francis, namesake of the new Pope, and, I think we could say, original animal whisperer way back in the 11th Century, famously called all animals his brothers and sisters.  And, St Francis was a First Responder to the fires, which were caused by the rampant corruption in the empire of the church and society, of his day.  Born into nobility, Francis sold all he had, to live in solidarity with the poor.  Francis loved God’s creation and was a devoted servant to it.  He abhorred those who tried to steal God’s beloved Vineyard, and taught what his followers would later coalesce into the Franciscan Order, which in a word, is that we are all to be good stewards of God’s creation.  God owns it all, God has given us everything, and as caretakers, we have been given responsibility to tend and keep the Vineyard, to return a harvest of healthy grapes, for the good of all God’s creatures. 

Where’s the fire!?!  The chosen people of God have had many ups and downs, many fires and First Responders, throughout the long relationship with our God.  Isaiah, in our First Reading, describes the time when, because of the disobedience of God’s people, when God expected high quality grapes from God’s Vineyard, they produced wild grapes.  “The Lord of hosts… expected justice,” said Isaiah, “but saw bloodshed.” 

What had gone wrong with the empire that David and Solomon had inaugurated, who brought the people of God to the top of the world, and at the height of their power, when they were called to be a beacon of light for the world, symbolized by the magnificent Temple built on top of Zion, their great capital city – and then fell so far?  But empires are good at self-deception, while crumbled from within.  The Temple leaders and managers of it all, became corrupt stewards, cheating the poor, and forgetting the covenant God made with them.  They produced wild grapes and shed the blood of the innocent.  And so Isaiah is describing the fire which was never put out in those days, a fire without visible flames, and so without First Responders willing to volunteer, a corruption from within, we know as sin – this was the story of their Exile to Babylon, one of the lowest of the lows, for the people of God. 

In the parable of the Vineyard Owners Son, only a few centuries later, Jesus describes his own story, the story of a seeming tragic ending, how he is rejected and thrown out of the Jerusalem empire, and killed.  Jesus, the heir of God’s Vineyard, did come as a Fearless First Responder, to put out the fire of corruption within the leadership of his own people who had cast their lot with its occupiers, the Roman empire.  Instead of producing good grapes, the leaders in Jerusalem had become like wild grapes, sour and worthless for winemaking.  And so Jesus fearlessly offered his own blood, poured out for many – “shed for you,” he said, holding up the cup of Passover wine. 

And though he was rejected and thrown out of the Vineyard – of which he was the rightful heir, and was killed, a truly tragic fire that seemed to rage out of control and smolder for three days – miraculously, God rescued his Son, the heir.  The owner of the Vineyard raised up the rejected one, the one who was betrayed and beaten – and the dishonest tenants, the jealous and misguided managers, all tendencies each of us has in our lives, if we are honest, were exposed for what they are, corrupt and unjust, living at the expense of others, and claiming ownership of what is God’s, instead of acknowledging it, as a gift. 

But meanwhile, in the death and resurrection of the Son, a new cornerstone had been laid, and the old empire had been conquered, once and for all.  We live, because Christ lives.  We are able to share the Vineyard and be its good Stewards, because we live in the new building, that is not made with human hands, but is built by Christ Jesus, the rejected Son.  We share the cup of salvation which is made from the grapes of God’s Vineyard, and we are renewed, a pleasant planting of the LORD of hosts, as Isaiah prophesied.  It gives us grit, grace, and revives us for the rebuilding of the city of God, the empire of justice, for the healing of the nations. 

Where’s the fire?  The raised Christ is our chance for structural reform, and the reason we want to volunteer as First Responders.  Our lives have been transformed and reoriented to receive the gift of the Vineyard, that we may live harmoniously with all of creation and become the good stewards, God calls us to be.  We are the Body of Christ, the harvest of good grapes, a pleasant vintage – let us drink of this Cup of salvation, as we are renewed at the Table of the LORD.