Proper 22 A

Matthew 21: 33-46

Isaiah 5:1-7
Tenancy and Love
Let me sing for my beo!e" a o!e song #on#erning his !ineyar"$
It is har" to hear the gospe this morning as a o!e song% i&e the one we ha!e '(st
hear" from Isaiah% b(t that is what it is% a &in" of photographi# negati!e of the o!e
we #aim we bear towar" one another an" to )o"$ It is shot-thro(gh with re'e#tion
an" e!en !ioen#e% the things we see when o!e has gone terriby wrong% when a
reationship has "isintegrate" past mis(n"erstan"ing to the point of possessi!eness
an" m(r"ero(s intensity$ In the #onte*t of Isaiah% howe!er% we ha!e to hear the
parabe of +es(s as a song of o!e% of something that #an an" m(st be re"eeme"$
,n"erstan"ing that the imp(se towar" !ioen#e is per!asi!e% as m(#h in +es(s "ay
as o(r own% we nee" to see o(r own i"entities as beo!e"% espe#iay if we are aso
to be the inheritors of the generosity of )o" an" bearers of o!e towar" one another$
As m(#h as we ha!e hear" the parabe of the !ineyar"% it is
easier to see it as thiny !eie" re#rimination against those who perse#(te" the
prophets% ea#h of whom #ame to o-er warnings towar"s )o".s own peope to
#hange their min"s an" t(rn towar" a restoration of reationship% with the /on as
the 0na !i#tim of a m(r"ero(s ot$ 1(t it is har"er to hear it being abo(t (s$ 2e are
not m(r"erers3 we aren.t parti#(ary intereste" in !ioen#e% in spite of what o(r
tee!isions% mo!ies% maga4ines% newspapers te (s "ay-to-"ay% a the mirrors of
o(rse!es that we #annot es#ape$ 2e are a o!ing peope an" we simpy want what
is o(rs% whether it is o(r ho(ses% #areers or sto#& portfoios% a that we te
o(rse!es that we ha!e earne"$ 5he !ioent are those other peope% those who wo("
'eopar"i4e a that we !a(e an" beie!e we possess% the things so "eepy ingraine"
in (s that they ha!e be#ome part of o(r i"entity$
1(t as the beo!e" of )o"% we ha!e to hear o(r own pa#e in this
story an" it has to "o with the tena#ity with whi#h we want to "efen" what beie!e
is o(rs% e!en to the point of "istorting the image in whi#h we were ma"e$ 2e% after
a% are the ones "oing the wor& in the !ineyar" an" we beie!e that wor& has
intrinsi# !a(e$ 2hat we forget is that we are wor&ing (n"er a tenants. agreement
an" not a "ee" of ownership$ 5he !ineyar" we are ten"ing is not o(r own% whi#h
a#t(ay presents #ertain a"!antages3 we are reie!e" from the responsibiity of
"etermining who merits being treate" as h(man beings% who is "eser!ing of "ignity
an" who is not$
5he !ioen#e we #aim to abhor #omes from forgetting abo(t
the iss(e of ownership% when we ma&e the str(gge abo(t what we #an #aim
instea" of what we #an gi!e away$ 6annah Aren"t% one of the great #hroni#ers of
!ioen#e in the ast #ent(ry% says that% as a phenomenon% 78ioen#e is #ose to
strength% sin#e the impements of !ioen#e% i&e a other toos% are "esigne" an"
(se" for the p(rpose of m(tipying nat(ra strength (nti% 90nay:;they #an
s(bstit(te for it$< =ons#io(sy or not% what we forget is that o(r strength is not
meas(re" in terms of for#e b(t in o(r generosity% what we are abe to gi!e to )o"
an" what we are wiing to be to one another$ >(r i!es are gifts to ea#h other an"
o(r reationships% to )o" an" ea#h other% are fo(n"e" on gratit("e% not on
#ompetition or #oer#ion$ In the &ing"om of )o" that +es(s is trying to estabish
within the !ery gates of +er(saem% the animosity of the a(thorities ren"ing the air%
he is teing a who wi isten that we nee" to represent )o".s interests% not o(r
own% that o(r #harge is to be as genero(s with one another as )o" has been with
(s$ After a% it is the tenants% not the owner% who are in "eep nee" in this wor" of
share" interests$
5he irony is that% as the beo!e"% bro&en tenants we are% we
are abe to (se far more of the an" than what we #o(" e!er #aim as o(r own$ 5he
iss(e% for Matthew an" for +es(s% is how e-e#ti!e we are at pro"(#ing the fr(its of
the &ing"om$ >n#e it is "(g% #eare" of stones an" pante" with #hoi#e !ines% the
promise of )o" is that the gro(n" is !ery fertie in"ee"$ A that is ne#essary is to
see that it is soi ripe for #(ti!ation rather than a battegro(n" for ownership$
5he goo" news% the rea goo" news% is that we #an see the
potentia for these fr(its% e!en in pa#es where we ha!e seen !ioen#e germinating
o!er the past months$ 5here ha!e been #on!ersations at =hrist =h(r#h =athe"ra in
/t$ Lo(is near ?erg(son% Misso(ri% abo(t ra#e an" !ioen#e% where #omm(nity
ea"ers ha!e ha" a #han#e to te their stories$ >ne of the parti#ipants sai" that
these #on!ersations are important be#a(se% <@o( ha!e to start somewhere$ If peope
#an ta&% if they #an be honest% there is hope yo( #an #hange beha!iors$ @o( ha!e to
start at gro(n" 4ero an" b(i" yo(r way (p$ 5he A(estion is% what are yo( b(i"ing
yo(rsef (p to be<B In"ee"% that &in" of mo!ement towar" m(t(a (n"erstan"ing
an" respe#t is the fr(it of the &ing"om for whi#h we a h(nger% where !ioent
intensity is repa#e" by the re#on#iiation that is the abi"ing mission of the #h(r#h$
I ha!e aways tho(ght that the peope who #ompie" the
e#tionary ha" a sense of h(mor% p(tting this rea"ing so #ose to the time when we
#onsi"er how to be stewar"s of the #h(r#h% the materias an" programs that hep
s(stain o(r i!es together$ 1(t if what I am saying is abo(t stewar"ship% it is abo(t
being stewar"s of one another$ 5he =h(r#h is not a b(i"ing b(t peope3 o(r #harge
is not towar" #ompetition b(t to n(rt(re one another in o(r 'o(rneys towar"
"is#ipeship$ 5enants that we are% we are ne!ertheess beo!e" an" #ae" to be free%
free from e!erything that stan"s in the way of being #ompetey in o!e with )o"
an" to see an" n(rt(re that o!e in ea#h other$ As g(ests in the !ineyar"% a we are
as&e" to "o is to remember the promises of )o"% to o-er the fr(its of what we ha!e
#(ti!ate" an" gi!e o(rse!es away as the gifts to ea#h other that we were aways
meant to be$