Thursday, September 17, 2020

Watch what you are building

At an incredibly early hour this morning, my family and I were awakened by someone trying to beat down the kitchen door. I quickly got dressed and rushed down to the door to find out what was going on. Flashlights were being aimed at the door. Oddly, I felt some relief. I flicked on the front door light and was greeted by two rather tall RCMP Constables! I asked if I could help them. They wanted to know if I had called 911, they were searching for a person who had called. His name was Vince and he was in trouble. Everyone in the house had be identified so that the Constables could continue their search elsewhere. The RCMP left. I turned out the lights and followed my family back upstairs. As I tried to get back to sleep, I could help but think of a simple question: “what kind of world are we building?” There is so much for people to be afraid of: sickness and disease, unemployment, homelessness, addictions, mental disease, climate change, political scandals and our leaders lacking ethics. Oh and there is the present threat of coronavirus and death is several ways. We all at points in our lives, wish for life to become some sort of utopian state where we do not have to lock our doors at night. We want a world where everything is good and nothing disturbs us, especially late at night when we are in bed. This brings me to our Gospel for the week (Matthew 20:1-16). The workers who worked all day thought that the Vineyard owner was been unfair in not only paying a day’s wages but even more so in paying those who have worked all day done much of the heavy lifting and had to do it is the heat which is stressful, the same amount. It seemed unfair to those who had worked hard. Only thing is, they got what they agreed to. A day’s wages. It is what people who work at their religion want to get paid. God honours that desire. He pays them. And then people feel unfulfilled, and even cheated though they receive what they agreed to work for. They do not recognize that we are in a struggle against omnipresent death. So long as they have and receive the world is an okay place. Moreover, people these days, seem to think that God is like a Santa. We give him a list and he suppose to put whatever it is we want out there so that we can be happy. Worship is meant to help us remove our idols. Prayer is meant to so that our hearts, our minds and thus our lives align with the Spirit and the will of God. Even within the Church there are going to disappointments and consternation over who has what. It has often been that way in the life of the Church as much of the epistles attest to. Do we as a community of faith recognize that we are in God’s vineyard? Do we recognize that the work we do is his, to build a better community? It is time to get out there and work with and for Christ,because beloved, it is getting dark out there again! Jason+

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