This week's sermon

To Love Heavenly Things

        We are told in the Collect for today to ‘love things heavenly’ and the lessons bear that out.

        In Exodus, the Israelites complain to Moses and Aaron in the wilderness that they would have been better off to have died in Egypt. They are hungry and thirsty and sorry they left slavery.

        So, God sends them quail to eat in the evening and bread from heaven in the mornings. God even speaks to them from a cloud and tells them he will feed them.

        The bread from heaven is what we eat in the Eucharist.

        The Psalm tells us how God made water flow from a rock in the wilderness to quench the people of Israel’s thirst.

        The wine we taste in the Eucharist flows from the Rock of God and in the very blood of Christ.

        In Philippians, Paul tells his readers that he would rather die and be with God, but he will stay alive to lead them toward the truth of believing in Christ. Loving heavenly things.

        Then Matthew tells us a parable.

        In Greek, if you don’t know, the word is “para-ballain”. “Ballain” gives us the word ‘ball’—something we can throw.

        Para-ballain means, literally, “to throw out together”.

        A parable is a story thrown out with another story—which is the true meaning of the parable.

        The story ‘thrown out’ in front of the real story wouldn’t appeal to people who are paid by the hour.

        Workers getting the same pay but working less would be an affront to them, just as they told the vineyard owner.

        But the story behind that story is very different.

        Again, it is about ‘loving things heavenly.’

        The real meaning of the parable is this: no matter when you come to Jesus and ask his forgiveness, you will treated like everyone who has done the same thing. Whether you come to him as a child or on your deathbed, you will receive the same reward.

        All who come to ‘love things heavenly’ will be seen as in the same group. Even if you came sooner, you will get what is coming to you…what is coming to everyone who ‘loves things heavenly.’

        That is the nature of our God—God sees us all as his/her children and will treat us alike.

        Not bad news if you ponder it.

        So ponder it for a few moments…..”The last shall be first and the first last”. Shalom and Amen.