20 September 2020
We’re celebrating the new growth of spring with its fresh greens and glorious colours.
Today we hear the parable of the labourers in the vineyard and reflect on the generosity of the landowner as he invites everyone to come and work among the vines.
Follow the parts of the service on this page using the down arrows to open and close the sections. If you prefer to download a copy of the service booklet click on the link below to a printable PDF.
Entrance antiphon
You, Lord, have become my defender. In you I put my trust.
Psalm 18
1 I love you, O Lord my strength:
O Lord my crag, my fortress and my deliverer,
2 My God, the rock to which I come for refuge:
my shield, my mighty saviour, and my high defence.
3 I called to the Lord with loud lamentation:
and I was rescued from my enemies.
4 The waves of death encompassed me:
and the floods of chaos overwhelmed me;
6 In my anguish I called to the Lord:
I cried for help to my God.
7 From his temple he heard my voice:
and my cry came even to his ears.
18 He reached down from on high and took me:
he drew me out of the great waters.
20 They confronted me in the day of my calamity:
but the Lord was my upholder.
22 The Lord rewarded me for my righteous dealing:
he recompensed me according to the cleanness of my hands,
51 For this will I give you thanks among the nations, O Lord:
and sing praises to your name.
Collect
Let us pray.
Loving and righteous God,
your boundless generosity exceeds all that we can desire or deserve,
and you give to the last worker all you promised to the first:
liberate us from all jealousy and greed,
that we may be free to love and serve others,
and in your service may find our true reward;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
A reading from the book of Exodus.
The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’
Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?’ And Moses said, ‘When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him – what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD.’
Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.”’ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. The LORD spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.”’ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.’
For the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.
O give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, O sing praises,
and speak of all his wondrous works.
Rejoice in his holy name;
let all that seek the Lord rejoice in heart.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
for ever seek his face.
The Lord led out his people with silver and gold;
in all their tribes there was not one that stumbled.
Egypt was glad of their going,
for dread had fallen upon them.
He spread out a cloud for a covering
and a fire to give light in the night season.
They asked and he brought them quails,
and he satisfied them with the bread from heaven.
He opened the rock and the waters flowed,
so that rivers ran in the dry places.
For God remembered his holy word
and Abraham his servant.
So he led forth his people with gladness,
and gave his people the lands of the nations,
that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws. O praise the Lord.
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians.
For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well – since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
For the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first. When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’
For the Gospel of the Lord,
praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew’s gospel Chapter 20 verse 1.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.
I love detective stories. You know that many detectives will start their investigation using the motto ‘Follow the money’ or ‘Who benefits?’. I recently started reading of a detective chief inspector Armand Gamache, who works in a tiny village in the Quebec region of Canada, and he’s much more focussed on the characters involved. A murder begins in the emotions, most often a long time ago, you might say. These stories by Louise Penny are delightful and engaging.
So instead of focussing on the ‘denarius a day’ aspect of this morning’s gospel passage, I’d like us to look at the characters. First on the scene, early in the morning and this means of course around 5.30 so as to be ready for the 6.00 am start, here is the landowner.
It’s interesting that it’s the landowner, house ruler probably – it’s interesting that it’s the landowner in the marketplace looking for labourers. At the end of the story we notice that the pay is given out by someone called the manager, so why isn’t he doing the hiring? No. It’s the landowner himself who is at the labour exchange looking for labourers first thing in the morning.
His actions then and later in the day suggest that there is a lot of work to be done in the vineyard. He’s concerned that it should be completed. Perhaps there’s a storm brewing ad he needs to get the grapes off the vine before the rain spoils them. So he comes the marketplace early in the morning and calls our ‘Who will work in my vineyard for a denarius a day?’
Most of those present are keen to work. They recognise this as a fair deal, it’s the usual daily wage. But are there a few who say to themselves or to one another, ‘Oh I reckon we’ll hang out for a better deal. Let’s wait and see who else comes along and offers more money.’ So the main group goes off and begins the work.
But no other offers are made. So the ones who waited for a better deal are still there at 9.00. The landowner sees how much work there is and its urgency and goes back. ‘What about it?’ he says. ‘You won’t get a better deal today, but I have work that needs doing. Come along.’
The vineyard still is demanding more work so off the worried landowner goes, and who does he find at midday. There are several young men, looking a little bleary-eyed after the previous night’s activities, and finally hounded out of bed by their women. The landowner looks at them quizzically. And does he say, tongue in cheek, ‘Why do you stand around here idle all day? Come on, there’s work for you in the vineyard.’
Now there are some people in the village who are quite paralysed with fear about the current plague. They’re carefully avoiding large crowds, so they haven’t appeared in the marketplace until it’s quite empty. But here it is in the middle of the afternoon, and this group with their supplies of personal protective equipment in hand, has appeared in the marketplace. The landowner says, ‘Look I’ll find you a safe spot to work away from crowds of people. Come to the vineyard.’
He’s getting desperate by 5.00 in the afternoon. There’s still more that needs doing. Is there anyone else who could help? Who could possibly be in the marketplace at this hour of the day? There were three or four who really hadn’t been able to get there early. One had been sick and had just recovered sufficiently to get out in the late afternoon. Another one had been visiting sick relatives in another village and had just returned. Two others had just been released from prison.
Clearly they hadn’t been there all day or they would have been sent to the vineyard earlier, so the landowner pretended, ‘Why are you standing here all the day idle?’ Catching the twinkle in his eye they said ‘No one has hired us.’ ‘Go into the vineyard.’
When we completed the National Church Life Surveys back in February, some of use were able to say, ‘We’ve been members of the church since we were babies.’ Some said, ‘I’ve always been an Anglican.’, while for others there have been different stories. Church has children, then away for some years and now back again, or no religious upbringing and joined the church only recently, or members of one church and decided to change to a different church, or suddenly realising that it’s important to be much more involved than just by occasional attendance.
Whatever our story we relate to a landowner who sees that there is work to be done in the vineyard, who goes out looking for people to help doing its work. He deals with the willing workers and those holding out for a better deal, those who are hounded into activity only by the persuasive efforts of others. He deals with the sick, the anxious, the busy, the outcast, the young, the old, and we know, even if the gospel writers didn’t seem to, that this landowner also hires people who do not identify themselves as ‘male persons’.
Come into the vineyard. This is the invitation of the one who planted the vineyard, who is always solicitous for its welfare, who looks forward to the plentiful harvest. Come into the vineyard. There is work for everyone who accepts the gracious call.
The weather is changeable – some days we are seeing bright clear skies and some days are grey and full of rain. Still we feel the earth coming awake after the winter and burgeoning into new life. I was away on holiday on the Yorke Peninsula last week and had the pleasure of seeing a landscape of flourishing crops. It looks like a bumper harvest this year.
We welcome the green shoots and leaves, we smile at the spring blossom, and if we have the good fortune to visit the vineyards around Adelaide we are happy to see the vines coming to life and heralding a new season of delight.
So as we reflect on the parable of the landowner and his generosity to the labourers in his vineyard let’s pray for the world and its people.
As we pray for the earth, we remember that sun, wind and rain, crops and vines, bees, birds and all creatures, landowners and labourers and the very land itself — nothing in creation is outside your concern, mighty God. In your mercy, tend to it all and give us a spirit of generosity and care toward all you have made.
In your mercy, hear our prayer.
As we pray for the world, we remember that where we find envy and create enemies, you provide enough for all. Bring peace to places of conflict and violence. Inspire leaders with creativity and wisdom. Bless the work of negotiators, peacekeepers, and, especially in this time, those who find themselves in places of leadership for our community’s health and welfare.
In your mercy, hear our prayer.
As we pray for the church, we remember generous God, that you make the last first, and the first last. Where the gospel message of the labourers in the vineyard challenges our church, equip it for its works of service. Strengthen us to live and work for Christ.
In your mercy, hear our prayer.
As we pray for our communities, we remember that you reveal yourself as gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, ready to forgive. We pray that you give guidance and confidence to those people in the health and police work forces as they lead us through this extraordinary time; that you calm the fears and anxieties of those who are struggling with COVID restrictions, that you help our community to support those people who are struggling to find work.
In your mercy, hear our prayer.
As we pray for those who are in need, we remember that you are full of compassion, and even beyond our expectations you choose to give generously. Grant life, health, and courage to all those who are sick, anxious, overwhelmed. And we pray for those who are commended to our prayers, especially Paull, Valerie, Bishop David McCall, Sim, Chris, Clarice, Ossi Grotto and Caroline.
In your mercy, hear our prayer.
We praise you for the generations that have declared your power to us. Give us faithfulness to follow them, living for Christ, until you call us to join them in the joyful song around his throne.
In your mercy, hear our prayer.
Greeting of Peace
We are the body of Christ.
God’s Spirit is with us.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there, and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
| Fold to your heart your sister and your brother; where pity dwells, the peace of God is there; to worship rightly is to love each other, each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer. | |
| Follow with reverent steps the great example of him whose holy work was doing good; so shall the wide earth seem our Father’s temple, each loving life a psalm of gratitude. | Then shall all shackles fall; the stormy clangour of wild war music o’er the earth shall cease; love shall tread out the baleful fire of anger, and in its ashes plant the tree of peace. |
| Words: John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-92 (first line altered) Music: Alfred Ernest Floyd 1877-1974 |
Blessing and Dismissal
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
As we head off for morning tea, I guess there’ll be some comments about the change of colour. It was my birthday last week and I thought that reaching another half decade warranted some celebration. I hope you enjoy the purple.
And as we contemplate that lovely gospel passage about the vineyard I thought you might enjoy this lovely song.
