Sermon, Twentieth after Pentecost, October 15, 2023

Exodus 32:1-14;     Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23;      Philippians 4:1-9…….Matthew 22:1-14

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The reading from Exodus is about the golden calf. Moses had delayed in the presence of God while on his mission to receive the ten commandments. The Israelites asked Aaron to make them a golden calf to act in the stead of God who had brought them from Egypt, protected, and provided for them while on their journey to freedom.

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him…’So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mould, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ (Exodus 32:1, 3-4)

People sought to create what God had already provided. The offerings of gold as material for production was demanded rather than willingly being presented. There was no careful provision for guarding the Holy One because of the open air and public object of immediate accessibility to a human hand made god. The invisible intangible God became a visible tangible image. The personal active God became an impersonal object that was unable to see, hear or speak.

The Israelites forfeited the very presence of God. They broke God’s commandment, were unfaithful, and worshiped other gods rather than God the Almighty, who brought them out of slavery. They chose to live out of God’s love, care and redemptive God’s act until Moses pleaded on their behalf.

Sometimes times, we find ourselves forfeiting God, and seeking other things other than living the kingdom of God that is filled with love, compassion and hope for eternal life. Other times, we replace God with objects or behavior on which we tend to run our lives.

The parable we heard about the king who gave a wedding banquet of his son invites us to put on Christ in order to live the kingdom of God. The king is God. The wedding feast is the Messianic banquet. The servants sent to invite guests are prophets, missionaries, disciples, you and me. The mistreatment of slaves is mistreatments of prophets or God’s messengers. The invitation of the bad and good is inclusion of gentiles and all God’s people.

While the supplemental parable of the guest without a wedding garment may seem unfair and rude, guests were responsible for accepting the gift of the wedding garment prior to entering the banquet room. Also, the reader of the parable must remember that this is no ordinary story but an allegory. The wedding feast cannot be compared to the “Church” but the time to come.

We must put on Christ, the banquet robe as a prerequisite for living God’s kingdom. Lastly, we must uphold and keep our faith in God alone, and not anything else made or created by human beings. The living and almighty God who gives us the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Be blessed.

Sermon, Eighteenth after Pentecost, October 1, 2023

Exodus 17:1-7;     Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16;      Philippians 2:1-13…….Matthew 21:23-32

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Yesterday, September 30, 2023 was statutory holiday to mark a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honouring children who never returned home, and survivors of residential schools, their families and their communities. It is my prayer that God enables and blesses acts of reconciliation so that the fragmented body of Christ is made whole again.

The first part of the gospel for this morning presents an initial clash over Jesus’ authority. The chief priests and the elders of the people questioned the nature and origin of the authority Jesus exhibited including the triumphal entry, cleansing of the temple, healing the sick and teaching in the temple. Jesus applied a rabbinic fashion by answering with a counter-question regarding the authority of John the Baptist’s water-ritual.

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ (Matthew 21:23-25).

The  chief priests and elders of the people new that if they answered that John’s baptism was from God, they would have convicted themselves of refusal to repent. Had they responded that his baptism was purely human, they would have been subjected to common people’s wrath because they knew that John had a great following from ordinary folk. They pleaded ignorance by which Jesus refused to answer them.

And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. (Matthew 21:25b-27)

The second part of the gospel is a parable of the two-sons Jesus used to teach about saying and doing. While the parable seems to teach good ethics to youngsters, Jesus wanted his listeners to hear about a defense to sinners who repent, and change their ways versus the sneers from self-confident religious leaders, and establishment, who have no regard for repentance, change of heart, and following the right path.  

A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matthew 21:28-31).

Jesus was concerned about Jews to whom John the baptizer came, and they failed to believe in him. Also, Jesus affirmed tax collectors and harlots who turned their lives around by repenting believing and following him. One would expect that Jews who had been steeped in religious knowledge, and practices all their lives, would easily believe in John’s message of repentance. No one would have had an issue if tax collectors and prostitutes fell by the way side or failed to follow Jesus since they were considered sinners.

The body of Christ (the Church) has people who confess Jesus as Lord during baptism. We make vows to follow Jesus, subscribe to his saving power and promise to pay attention to social and justice issues and make disciples. We confess faith in God, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and promise to renounce the devil.

We make baptism vows to participate in fellowship, prayers, breaking of bread and all the good stuff to do Church all of which could make us into great followers of Christ. We say “yes” to doing all these things as a symbol of our faith and proclamation of the Gospel to which we subscribe. Do you feel that you have honoured what you agreed to or not?

I wonder how much of what you promised or was promised on your behalf if baptized as an infant, you still adhere to in your daily life. “Go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not. It doesn’t matter what you feel about God’s call, what matters is that you do what God is calling you to do. Be blessed.