Last will be first … Sept 20 2020 Knox Bayfield Rev Dolson
Section 1
Greetings to my church family and friends. May the grace of God be with you.
Announcements
The Presbytery will meet at the Atwood Presbyterian Church on September 23rd. Your Session will meet on October 5th.
Mission Moment – International Day of Prayer for Peace
In the midst of the world pandemic, there are millions of people living in conflict-affected countries. Many have been displaced with limited ability to meet their basic needs. Children are unable to go to school. Families do not have enough food. Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) provides emergency relief by reaching out to the most vulnerable with food, shelter, water and sanitation. They also assist with livelihood recovery, education and psycho-social support to restore strength and hope for the most vulnerable. PWS&D responds to conflict
This worship service is on our website https://pccweb.ca/knoxbayfieldpc/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYgIPqvkMsDNal0b1gCiPg
We are thankful to Jean Walker, organist, for her efforts in performing the hymns for the YouTube video. Remember to go to the end of the printed material for the lyrics to the hymns.
Income and Expense Update
The following chart illustrates the August income $2,920 and expenses $4,933. The year-to-date deficit is $6,431.
Section 2
CALL TO WORSHIP Exodus 15:2, Mattew 18:35
Give praise to God! Praise the Creator, for it is God who saves. . . It is God who forgives. . . . It is God who delivers. . . . Give thanks and praise to the Lord!
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The mercy of our God is from everlasting to everlasting. Friends, hear and believe the good news of the Gospel. In Jesus Christ, God’s generous love reaches out to embrace us. In Christ, we are forgiven and set free to begin again. Thanks be to God!
# 651 Guide me, O thou great Redeemer
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
O holy God, let the wisdom of your Word rain down on us like manna. May we be strengthened to do the work to which we are called, for the glory and honor of your name. Amen.
READINGS: Exodus 15:2–15, Psalm 105:1–6, 37–45, Philippians 1:21–30 Matthew 20:1–16
Exodus 16:2-15
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 God 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 toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
God spoke to Moses and said, “l 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 God has given you to eat.”
Matthew 20:1-16
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers 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 marketplace; and the landowner 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, the landowner did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and the landowner said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’
They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
The landowner said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers 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 The landowner 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.”
# 708 When Israel was in Egypt’s land
MESSAGE
In the passage from Matthew, we are told that the first will be last and the last will be first. This seems particularly appropriate as some congregations return to the sanctuary this month. Both Bayfield and Goderich are in the midst of organizing an orderly and safe return to congregational worship. It may well be that the first to arrive will be the last to leave in order to maintain safe spaces around you. The ways that were …may be changed for quite a while. It seems that our sense of order has been turned upside down. How do we find God in the midst of all the changes? I wonder how each of you are experiencing a sense of the divine as you adjust to the many new ways of being?
When I read the scriptures I try to imagine what it had been for the different people in the stories. What was it like for Moses to lead the vast numbers of people away from slavery into the promised land? What was it like when food and water was scarce, yet God promised to provide? What was it like for those who were following Moses? How did they handle the doubt and anxiety that rose up for them? We read these familiar stories already knowing where it will go. Yet, the stories we read also relate directly to our own lives. In our lives, we do not know where the path is leading. We cannot skim a few pages to see where it ends up. Yet, we sense that God is present among us, leading us with hope and love. And, many grumble and complain. Some hoard and hold onto more than their share. We look over at what others have and want a bigger piece for ourselves. The scriptures lead us to wonder … can we learn to see through the eyes of God?
In some ways, this parable may bring to mind the story of the Prodigal Son. The faithful, older son was upset and disheartened when the younger, irresponsible brother … who was frivolous with his early inheritance… is joyfully received by their father. It seems to be unfair. The eldest who stayed home and did what he was supposed to do seems to feel cheated. That may be what the first labourers and many who hear this parable think. Was it unjust of the landowner to give those who labored all day the same payment as those who only worked a short time? Was it unfair to pay them equally? Can you understand their discontent? I wonder if their expectation for a higher wage was based on a faulty assumption.
The premise from which we live … shapes how we live. In Christ’s teachings, we are to live with the belief that God deeply and profoundly loves each individual and all of creation, that we are all made in the image of God, and that there is nothing to be done to earn or deserve God’s generosity and grace … When we live with this premise, it changes how we live. This premise changes how we encounter the manna from heaven. This premise changes how we perceive generosity and how we see one another.
Can you see the difficulty that arises when the generosity of God is interpreted through a competitive perspective? We struggle to understand God’s generosity when it conflicts with a sense of right and wrong, reward and punishment. We struggle to understand God’s generosity when we see life through the perspective of scarcity rather than abundance.
Jesus describes the parable, beginning with the owner of a vineyard going out to hire day laborers. Usually this was done early in the morning. The owner and the laborers agree on wages for the day. It was a challenging way to survive, and day laborers lived hard and often short lives. We are reminded of the social and economic conflicts in the ancient world that continue to be present in the lives of many today. In part, Jesus spoke to the reality of day laborers and the economic chaos of their lives.
The owner returned to the marketplace later in the morning and then again in the midafternoon. Each time he found unemployed laborers and promised to pay them a just wage. This is unusual since a landowner would typically hire enough laborers in the morning. So it would seem the laborers were hired, not because of the landowner’s need but for their need.
The parable continues with yet another trip to the market at the end of the day where he finds more unemployed workers who are simply told to go to the vineyard. There is not promise of payment.
The manager is then told to pay the wages, beginning with the last hired and finishing with the first hired. In this process the first hired anticipate they will be paid more for than the last hired. When they receive the same amount they are upset.
The landowner reminded them of the agreed wage for the day and of his right to do what he wants with what belongs to him. He also claims the right to be generous and just. Those called first, did the hard labor and received full payment. The parable supports justice and grace. The tough part for us to understand is that justice and grace are not items on a balance sheet to be reconciled with one another. They are both part of the character of God.
There may be confusion and conflict within us when we hear the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. You may find yourself re-reading the passage to be determine whether you missed a piece of the story.
Scripture reminds us again and again that God creates and re-creates. In the story of Exodus we discover God creating news ways for the people who barely survived under a system of domination and submission, rich and poor, power and oppression. In the process of forming the new way of being … God provides. The provision fulfills the basic needs with the gift of manna. The manna is basic sustenance, “daily bread.” It is a gift that cannot be controlled by human desire or need. It is a gift that is given for the needs of the people. When some try to gather more than their share, the extra manna becomes worm ridden. With manna, everyone has plenty, but no one has too much. The leaders and the servants receive the same amount. The people who work all day and the people who have little to do … receive the same amount. The able and the disabled receive the same amount: plenty, but not too much—and it is all a gift. Whenever I hear this story, I am mindful of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread” This story is retold in many ways throughout the scriptures and throughout history. You may recall when Jesus fed thousands with a few loaves and a couple of fish, and everyone has plenty and no one had too much. The different stories help us to understand how God works among us and within us.
Jesus shares the parable with the disciples as they try to understand this new way of being. Through his unsettling story we also discover how we see order in the world. This vision is one where everyone receives the necessary daily bread. This is unsettling if we believe that only those who labour receive wages. This is unsettling because it undermines the cultural beliefs that may have been formed within us.
Warren Carter writes about the odd and surprising payment to the workers:
Instead of maintaining differentiation among the laborers based on performance, instead of reinforcing the superiority of some at the expense of the rest, [the householder] has evened out the distinctions and treated them in solidarity as equals. Instead of using wages to reinforce distinctions, he uses them to express equality and solidarity.
Dorothy Day wrote, “Jesus spoke of the living wage, not equal pay for equal work, in the parable of those who came at the first and the eleventh hour.” A living wage for everyone, rather than the competitive struggle and inequality of the marketplace. Plenty, but not too much.
The parable speaks of another way of being, a different sense of order within an established structure. We witness within our Canadian society the impact of social safety nets and basic provisions for the care of people. Our Canadian healthcare system ensures that basic health needs are met. The COVID provisions are an example of how different segments of our society are understood. Some are recognized, while others are not. We can look south of the border to see the marked distinction between the two systems.
In many ways this parable helps us to discover where our beliefs are rooted. Do you see winner and loser or insider and outsider? When you pray the Lord’s prayer, do you pray for your daily bread or for the daily bread for all people? Perhaps we can begin to see that the first workers, those who had worked all day long, were concerned about more than the day’s wages. The real issue, as Carter notes, is superiority: “you have made them equal to us” . Work is more than wages, it is more than a job, it is also a symbol of place in society which can reinforce the beliefs of winners and losers, superior and inferior.
Perhaps these passages remind us that our ideas of right and wrong, of what is just and unjust, are not necessarily God’s ideas. Perhaps we need to see things from a new perspective, a different way of understanding how we fit within creation. You and I are invited and challenged to look at where we see ourselves in these readings. To see ourselves through honest and loving eyes. Most importantly we are reminded to see ourselves as beloved children of God.
Praise be to God.
# 671 I heard the voice of Jesus say
THE OFFERING OF OUR LIFE AND LABOUR TO THE LORD
QUOTE: In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. Proverbs 23:5
Your donations to the church are greatly appreciated. Let us give as God has so abundantly given to us. God is unfailing in blessing and love. With thankful hearts, let us offer up to God a portion of what God has given us. Exodus 15:13
BLESSING OF GIFTS * Matt. 18:33, Rom. 14:7–9
O God, may these gifts be multiplied as they enable the work of love and righteousness within your creation. We offer these gifts with grateful hearts for the ministry of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
You are encouraged to share your concerns and celebrations with the congregation. Your requests will be shared in the prayers of the people and kept in my daily prayers and the prayers of our congregation. Let us pray for all people and all of God’s creation.
We rejoice, loving God, at all the extraordinary things that you are doing in the world and in our lives. May we recognize your beautiful and amazing works, for you are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Merciful and loving God, we pray for those who are sick and those who are troubled. We lift up Ron, Sandy and their family as Ron continues his treatment. We lift up Jan’s sister, Peggy, as she slowly heals. We lift up Betty Lou and Jane as they prepare for surgery. We lift up Bonnie as she enjoys the peace of remission. We lift up Jessie as she deals with chronic pain. We lift up her daughter, Marlene, as she heals. We lift up Rob, son of Jane and Jim. We lift up Gayle’s granddaughter Courtney. We pray for their healing and relief of their distress.
We pray for all who suffer the violence and chaos of war and natural disaster. Be with those who suffer and help us to find ways to live in peace with one another. O Holy One, we lift up the people on the west coast of North America as they struggle with fires and heavy smoke.
We pray for children and for all who depend upon the support of others. Be with those who have returned to school and other places where people gather together. Guide your people to protect the vulnerable and shelter the weak. Help us to lend our strength and wisdom to those who care for them.
We pray for elected officials and for civil servants. Stir up in them a desire for justice, enable them to fulfill their responsibilities with integrity, and drive from them any spirit of selfish gain.
We pray for pastors, teachers, and all the saints who lead within your church. Grant them wisdom to know your truth and give them courage to live as faithful disciples. Be with the congregations as they re-open to public worship. Guide them in safe practices to protect the vulnerable.
O Holy One, although we are apart and cannot lift our voices together in one room, we continue to join in spirit to speak the words that Christ taught his disciples …
Our Father who art in heaven, hallow’ed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
# 704 Teach me God to wonder
BENEDICTION Exodus 15:1-13; Matthew 18:33
Go in peace, practice forgiveness, live the gospel, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Walk with strength and confidence knowing it is God who guides you.
Live for God—show mercy and love one another.
May the God who protects and defends … keep you in safety, mercy, and love.
May the blessing of God be with you, the love of Jesus fill you, and the power of the Holy Spirit sustain you, now and forevermore.
CLOSING CHORUS
May the Lord, mighty God bless and keep you forever, Grant you peace, perfect peace, faith in every endeavor Lift your eyes and see His face, and His grace forever, May the Lord, mighty God bless and keep you forever.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
Forgiveness is often difficult and challenging. When has someone forgiven you? Is there someone you need to forgive or ask forgiveness? Why is my forgiveness of others so connected to God’s forgiveness? Is every sin forgivable?
Section 3
Morning Prayer
Gracious and loving God, thank you for this day. Strengthen my resolve to love and show mercy throughout this day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Evening Prayer
Merciful God, thank you for keeping me in the safety of your arms. Thank you for new mercies and the glory you showed through the day. I pray that you will keep my family and me through the night. I thank and praise you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Prayer Exodus 15:1–12
O God who is our strength, you protect us from those who would
seek to oppress us. You have shielded us from those who would
seek to destroy the good gifts you have put in us. Your love and power never fail. Thanks and praise to you, our safety and stronghold. We exalt you, O God, majestic in holiness, for there is none like you. Amen.
Hymns:
651 Guide me, O thou great Redeemer
708 When Israel was in Egypt’s land
671 I heard the voice of Jesus say
704 Teach me God to wonder
651 Guide me, O thou great Redeemer
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore;
Feed me now and evermore.
Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through:
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
Be thou still my strength and shield,
Be thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side:
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee;
I will ever give to thee.
708 When Israel was in Egypt’s land
1 When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let my people go,
oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go.
Refrain: Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
tell old Pharaoh: Let my people go.
2 The Lord told Moses what to do, Let my people go,
to lead the Hebrew children through, Let my people go. [Refrain]
3 As Israel stood by the waterside, Let my people go,
at God’s command it did divide, Let my people go. [Refrain]
4 When they had reached the other shore, Let my people go,
they let the song of triumph soar, Let my people go. [Refrain]
5 Lord, help us all from bondage flee, Let my people go,
and let us all in Christ be free, Let my people go. [Refrain]
671 I heard the voice of Jesus say
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down thy head upon my breast!”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, Stoop down, and drink and live!”
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived and now I live in him.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s light;
Look into me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found in him my star, my sun,
And in that light of life I’ll walk till travelling days are done.
704 Teach me God to wonder
Teach me, God to wonder; teach me God, to see;
Let your world of beauty capture me.
Refrain: Praise to you be given: love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated; joy you give.
Let me, God, be ready; let me loving be;
Let your world of people speak to me. Refrain
Let me, God, be open; let me be awake,
In your world of loving, my place take. Refrain
Teach me, God, to know you, hear you when you speak,
See you in my neighbour when we meet. Refrain