September 23, 2023

   Dear Road Church Friends,

The Parable of the men hired at different times throughout the day to be workers in the vineyard of the Lord of a large estate, brings back memories from my Sunday school days. Sunday school was a combination story time, arts and crafts, with a song thrown into the mix.

We assumed that working in a vineyard all day picking grapes was great fun. The lesson of the story was that church attendance, and being active in the life of the church was also great fun, and at the end of the day, all of us workers will receive the same pay—living in heaven with God. The only hitch was that there was no rejoicing by those who had worked all day. They complained that those who worked only part of a day didn’t deserve the same pay. Maybe most of us will be shocked at who else we see in heaven. Then at last, we will learn that God is way more generous and tolerant than we ever imagined! More about this on Sunday.

SERMON: “WORKING IN THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD”

SCRIPTURES. Deuteronomy 15:7-11

If in any of your towns there are Israelites in need, then do not be selfish and refuse to help them. Instead, be generous and lend them as much as they need…If you refuse, they will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be held guilty. Give to them freely and unselfishly, and the Lord will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some Israelites who are poor and in need, and so I command you to be generous to them.

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 20:1-16

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out first thing in the morning to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. Before they went to work they agreed to work for the usual daily wage. At nine o'clock he returned to the marketplace and saw a few others waiting to be hired, so he said to them, If you want to work you can go to my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. At noon he went out looking for more workers and at three o'clock, he did the same. Finally, at five o'clock he went out and found a few more standing around; and he said to them, ‘Have you been here all day?’ They said, ‘Yes, but no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘I’ll hire you.’ So they went and worked until dusk. At the end of the day the owner said to his lead man, ‘Call the day laborers to line up and receive their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received a full days’ pay. Now when all the rest of the workers saw this, they thought they would receive more; but each of them 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.”

TODAY

by Mary Francis Butts

Build a little fence of trust around today,

Fill the space with loving deeds, and therein stay.

Look not through the sheltering bars upon tomorrow,

God will help Thee bear what comes of joy or sorrow.

Blessings to you all,

Pastor Norm

The YouTube video for this service:
NOTE: The SOUND on this YouTube service does not begin until about 13 minutes into the service.  (when the Lord's Prayer begins) https://www.youtube.com/live/Qzmb1rh6gIQ?si=JZcAuY56yq7pATHQ