9/20/20

Sermon Notes:

On Sunday we will hear passages from Exodus and Matthew.

Exodus 16: 2-15 gives an account of how the freed Israelites get along when they find themselves out from under the control of Egypt. They are so happy? Right? They flourish in the freedom to build their own lives? Right? They start each day with praise and humble gratitude? Right?

Alas, no. God’s miraculous provision for them falls short of their wants and their romanticized memories of life as slaves in Egypt. All manner of grumbling ensues.

In the parable Jesus tells from Matthew 20: 1-16, a landowner pays all the workers the same. No matter what time a worker shows up, no matter how much work the worker does, each worker is paid the same. In the parable, the workers who arrive first are less than happy.

Not unlike the Israelites who complain even after the prophet Miriam models for them praise and thanksgiving to God who has provided for all, the workers are unable to be happy that everyone gets the same amount of money.

We have such powerful minds. We can remember days and years. We have magnificent powers of observation, attending to the smallest details of what someone wore at an event long ago or the color of the sky on a given day. These are gifts, but they are also gifts that can be used to compare and criticize in ways that leave us questioning God and unhappy with our lives. This makes us vulnerable to bitterness and envy.

The good news is this: we can engage our God-given gift of creative thinking to take what the day brings, thank God for what we do have, and rejoice that God has a plan of goodness for all of us, no two alike, no one better than the other.

We will ponder these ideas more on Sunday. For now, I will leave you with these questions that have proven to be a blessing in my spiritual journey.

  1. When have you been confident of God’s love and presence in your life?

  2. When have you been uncertain?

See you Sunday!

Yours with love in Christ,

Jane

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