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When God Tackles the Economy Sermon by Sandra M. Thomas February 3, 2008, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill Isaiah 55:1-2 Matthew 20:1-16
Who deserves a government rebate check? People who work and pay taxes and have paychecks coming in on which to live? People who work and don’t pay taxes because their income is so low? People who don’t work because they can’t find jobs? People who can’t work because they are homeless, or disabled, elderly or providing care for dependents? Let them eat food stamps. When President Bush announced he was sending everyone $800, I was all for it! Now that there’s a chance I’ll get $500 I’m a little disappointed. Imagine being one who knew – at the initial announcement – this handout was not for them. Isn’t it strange – back in November none of us had any expectation that a little bonus check would come our way. Now we’re feeling upset that it’s shrinking and we’re fighting over who gets one. Someone said “It’s not so much about justice as it is about whose ox gets gored.” Not much has changed since Jesus told this story. As much as we love money, we love gifts. And as much as we love gifts, we love fairness. And we love free and fair almost as much as we love God. God, on the other hand, loves people. And as much as God loves people, God loves reversals. The first will be last, the last first. What kind of economic theory is this? I haven’t decided what to do with my rebate, should I get one – but after studying this passage I think I’m going to use it in my own reversal (just for fun). In 1856, Charles Spurgeon, a strict Calvinistic preacher wrote that this passage in Matthew was a great theological “football” – reflecting a doctrine that none of us want to hold onto for very long. He said ….we eagerly hold fast to an understanding of God as creator of the world, author of nature, origin of human life, wonderful savior, gentle role model – but when confronted with God sovereign and sitting on the throne – we want to duck down or throw the theological ball to someone else. For God, in God’s unique sovereignty, does not dispense heavenly gifts equally, fairly and predictably. God does what he wants to do, without consulting us, and even turning a deaf ear when we complain. Back a few verses, in Matthew 19:27, we find poor Peter who also had signed up to work for Jesus early in the day; and Peter has worked faithfully, hard, through the heat of the day, enduring the criticism of neighbors, families telling him he were wasting his time working for Jesus, with no personal reserve to fall back on – and late in the day Peter is noticing that Jesus has yet to hand out paychecks – and he whimpers “We left everything to follow you! What will there be for us?” Peter receives this parable as an answer. The answer is not about future stock options. And it isn’t good labor relations, or fair wage scales. It is a story that God has been living out with his people since the beginning of time – saying, “just trust me” “when you pray say – give us only daily bread” It is manna and quails for hungry wilderness wanderers, manna and quails that rot if you try to store them away for that day when God might forget to feed us or divine electricity goes out or some other emergency distracts. With no freezer in the basement, no extra jackets, no savings account, no pension, no measure of security in case God fails – we are totally at risk in God’s economy. I don’t like being “at risk”. I am, like you, one who wants to calculate what is required, work to achieve it, tuck some away and know that I’m going to be OK tomorrow. Stagflation, inflation, recession, accident, natural disaster, old age – I’m covered. What now are we to do with this story about the topsy-turvy ways of God? Over than pass it over to next year’s Bible study group. It’s a football passage before people want to throw it back and forth but no one wants to hold onto it. Carried to it’s natural conclusion this means that new members of the church have all the right and benefits of life-long members of the church; newly admitted citizens to this country have all the rights and benefits of naturally born citizens; it means that those who need more get more (children, the elderly, the disabled, the poor, the sick, the troubled). It means that gifts may abound and we may or may not receive one; checks may be disbursed and we may or may not receive one; those who are the last on-board may be lifted up to first place and those who have labored faithfully and long come in last. Our view of life and how the world should run; is vastly different than God’s view of life and how God wishes the world ran. I once took a graduate course at the University of Maryland and the professor announced that everyone who came to class now and then and turned in one assignment would be a grade of B – guaranteed. I found this guy really annoying because I didn’t want to know how to get a B. I expected to get an A. Then he added…..if you take a turn bringing in a peanut butter pie to share with the class … you will get a grade of B+ -- guaranteed. (He liked peanut butter pie and he didn’t like grading papers) And – he said ….. if you bring in a fresh peanut butter pie from Arlene’s bakery in West Baltimore (which only sells peanut butter pie on Thursdays from 8 am until they run out) you will get an “A” – guaranteed. With three boys to get on the school bus, there was no way I could get to Arlene’s bakery in West Baltimore any Thursday at 8 am. I was fuming about the “purchase” of a grade and those without resources to “purchase” the A….and he said “why did you sign up for this class?” “To learn educational systems design” Will you learn more if I give you an A or a B? The grade I give you doesn’t help you to learn what you came here to learn. So come and learn – do the work you need to do in order to learn and while you’re here we’ll enjoy peanut butter pie. It was something like what the disciples were hearing from Jesus – I didn’t like it and they didn’t like it. Most professors don’t get away with such nonsense -- but he had a point. The goal was to learn. It was not to win a reward. The farmer in this parable had a goal --to get the work of harvest done – it wasn’t about proving one’s worth in dollars. Jesus is trying to get us used to the idea that God is not playing the game of “Look how good I am” and “Let me tell you how much I deserve your love and grace”. Jesus wants us to learn that God is not working with a “rights” and “deserves” scale but simply loving because that is what is at the heart of God’s being. If we insist on our economy we will miss the point of God’s economy, who says “Hey – if you’re hungry come and buy food without money. If you are thirsty come and receive drink without cost.” Three important points are raised in this parable: First, that God is maddeningly generous. God has no trouble at all saying “Just show up and you all get “A’s” Come in early in the game and I’ll pay you fairly……come in at the last minute and I’ll pay you fair and generous – glad to have you help out. Second, God’s economic system is mind-boggling; God does nothing to induce guilt in those who have received much……the landowner in this parable doesn’t say “Some of you have received more than you deserved – and perhaps you should consider sharing.” No, God says “I want to be generous – what’s it to you?” Third, in God’s eyes even late starters can be winners because life is not a competition. It’s not about the chosen people being better – they simply went first. It’s not about some dregs of society being excluded – they simply came last. It’s about all God’s people being treated as God’s people, at least by God – all the time. The owner of the universe – the one who created and bought back Sunni and Shiite, Scot and Irish, British and Afrikaner, Cuban and Floridian, tall and short, fat and thin, old and young, women and men, children who are smart and children who struggle, red states and blue states, …. the owner of the universe, the creator of all has the audacity to say “I like them all.” And if I want to be generous to the Patriots I will do that. (Just checking to see if you’re listening). Those who are newly arrived in this United States are invited to work and receive an equal share – not less, not more. Those who are newly arrived in this congregation are invited to work and receive an equal share of membership -- no less than those who were born here 90 years ago and no more than anyone who might come after. Even as we gather around the Lord’s Table, the first served are the wait staff. The last served are the ushers. In between is everyone else. And the cups are all equal size, the bread cut as equally as possible. “But God”, we whisper, “some of us here need more than others”. God whispers back – “OK, I’ll give generously to everyone”. We live in a thick soup of meritocrity where the economics says “measure” “evaluate” “just rewards” “calculate” “vote”. In such an economy we are always at risk of falling short. God’s economy is more like a yard-full of wild zucchini – invest in planting a few seeds and receive more than we ever imagined possible. We live in the abundance of more than we deserve, blessed and forgiven beyond any right or expectation. In a film called Babette’s Feast, a political refugee named Babette comes to work as a housemaid and cook. Unknown to them, she was a great French cook, an artist. But they instruct her to prepare the usual fare – boiled fish and tea. After some years, Babette, to her surprise, receives notice of a small inheritance. She asked if she might prepare the group a French dinner in celebration. Glancing eye to eye around the room, the group finally, nervously agrees to one departure from their routine. The day of the feast they worry and fret – wondering if they had placed themselves in the hands of some sort of witch who would weave a spell over them with foreign foods. Indeed, Babette does weave a spell. As she presents them with a feast, it becomes a religious experience, an experience of grace, an experience of wonder beyond their tiny little world. An experience of being fed by a grace and power not their own. As the meal ended they left humbly, awakened to the unknown wonder who had been hidden in plain sight for so long. Today as we gather around the feast table once again Grace will be poured out in a way that is grossly unequal. To those who are God-fearing Presbyterians, pillars of the church, blessed with life’s abundance, capable, attractive, Come first – and receive more than enough To those who are God-seeking vagabonds, who wandered here this morning not sure what to expect, when to stand or sit, uncomfortable with the strangeness Come second – and receive more than enough To those who are lost, suffering, sick, wretched, lonely depressed, failures, incarcerated in any of life’s prison mazes Come third and receive more than enough There are some who aren’t even here this morning – should they wander by the shout will go out from the host of this banquet – come in – come on up Receive more than enough Is it fair? Absolutely. Is it gracious? It is amazingly gracious. Is it economically correct? Come and see for yourself. |