"Our Daily Bread" - Sermon for Sept 24, Lectionary 25
Sermon Text:
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who gives us daily bread.
A professor of mine from Seminary often did a sort of odd thing with the Lord’s Prayer. At various times during the year, particularly during Lent, during his own devotional time, or when he was reciting the prayer as a member of the congregation, he would skip a specific line on purpose. He would pray,
He accented this part for himself, not because he didn’t want to pray for daily bread, but to bring up in his mind all those who do not receive daily bread, and to remind himself that he is praying that all receive their daily bread.
In our Exodus lesson we find the Israelites out in the wilderness, and in what becomes a cycle, they start complaining to Moses that something’s wrong. They don’t have any food, which is a valid concern, you need food. But, they don’t trust God to provide for them, instead they wish they were still in Egypt, where they at least had fleshpots, pretty much large communal stew pots with who really knows what in them, and they also had bread. And in response to all the complaining, God tells Moses, I will indeed provide for them. Each evening quail will land on the ground around you, you can eat them that night, and in the morning after the dew left a fine flaky bread substance was on the ground.
But, it came with stipulations, if we look a little farther after our text. On the first 5 days only gather what you need for that day, only gather your daily bread. On the sixth you can gather enough for the Sabbath day as well, two days worth. Every other time if you gather too much it will spoil before the next day. The head worker for each group shall help gather enough for that group, enough so everyone has enough. It says that what everyone could gather was the correct amount, those who gathered a lot had no extra, and those who gathered a little had no shortage. God provided for all the people. They all receive their daily bread.
In our Gospel text we see one of the more difficult parables of Jesus. It’s not hard because we can’t understand it, it’s hard because it goes against pretty much all of our culture.
A man has a vineyard, and he needs workers. So he goes out in the morning and hires workers, enough for the whole days work, and says, I’ll pay you the right amount, which would be the daily wage, the daily wage being the amount needed to provide food for their family for that day. An indirect way of saying, I’ll provide your daily bread, he doesn’t give the actual bread, but the money to purchase it on the way home.
He goes out later in the morning, around 9. Doesn’t say why. Maybe he needed more workers because there was more work that needed to be done, or at early morning everyone else was also hiring so he couldn’t get all he needed, or maybe he simply went out for a stroll. And he gets to the market place again, and sees more people standing idle. Now, this is not the word for lazy, the word here implies they are looking for work, migrant or hired hands that just didn’t get picked, but wanted to. So, he says, go work in my vineyard, I’ll give you what is right. This happens again at noon and at three o’clock. Each time, go work, I’ll give you what is right. Finally, it’s 5 o’clock, an hour or so from the end of the work day, he goes again, and sees more people waiting. Why are you here standing idle? No one hired us! Well, go! Work, and I’ll give you what is right.
The end of the day comes and he says, let’s pay those last ones first. They come forward expecting a pittance of the daily wage for their brief time working. But, he gives them a full days wage. The same with each of the next. Finally, the very first workers of the day come forward. Oh, good! We worked all day, we’ll of course get more than the rest. They come forward and get the same amount as the rest. Their daily wage, the amount for their daily bread.
“It’s not fair!” They yell. The landowner responds, “I didn’t do anything to you, I gave you what I promised you, Are you envious because I am generous?”
We don’t like it because we want things to be fair in the way we understand as fair. The one who worked more should get more we think. And yes, in a normal situation that’s how things work in our world, but this is not in the world, it’s a parable about how God works. God is generous, crazily generous, willing to give to those who had nothing, everything. The ones who get work at 5, they wonder if they’ll have enough to get food for their families waiting on them. They wonder if they would in fact get their daily bread. But, like in Exodus, God provides for all the people, those who worked little, they had no shortage, and for those who worked longer, they had no extra. To God, it’s not about how much you work, it’s about that you were invited to the vineyard, and you receive what you need.
This text is preceded and introduced by the story of the rich man who has followed all the laws, he asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him, sell what you have and give it to the poor. He walks away forlorn, knowing he couldn’t do that. Then Jesus continues with a saying, it would be easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Who can be saved then? For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.
This parable before us today is a parable about the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. It’s about not how much work you have to do to receive the reward, but all about the landowner, God, who welcomes all in. It’s all about the generosity of God who rewards not based on any work or acts by ourselves, not based on how long we worked, how well we’ve followed the rules, how much we gathered, how much money we have, but rewards based on God’s own grace. Simply out of love. Little Alexander here is welcomed by God just as much as the 100 year old.
In the kingdom of God, everyone, every single one of you, are wrapped in love, comforted and cared for, welcomed home and each and everyone of you, every person everywhere receives their daily bread.
This week, let us work to bring that kingdom here on earth as well as await for it in heaven. For as the Lord’s prayer says, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.”
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Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who gives us daily bread.
A professor of mine from Seminary often did a sort of odd thing with the Lord’s Prayer. At various times during the year, particularly during Lent, during his own devotional time, or when he was reciting the prayer as a member of the congregation, he would skip a specific line on purpose. He would pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;Did you catch what he skipped? Give us this day our daily bread.
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
He accented this part for himself, not because he didn’t want to pray for daily bread, but to bring up in his mind all those who do not receive daily bread, and to remind himself that he is praying that all receive their daily bread.
In our Exodus lesson we find the Israelites out in the wilderness, and in what becomes a cycle, they start complaining to Moses that something’s wrong. They don’t have any food, which is a valid concern, you need food. But, they don’t trust God to provide for them, instead they wish they were still in Egypt, where they at least had fleshpots, pretty much large communal stew pots with who really knows what in them, and they also had bread. And in response to all the complaining, God tells Moses, I will indeed provide for them. Each evening quail will land on the ground around you, you can eat them that night, and in the morning after the dew left a fine flaky bread substance was on the ground.
But, it came with stipulations, if we look a little farther after our text. On the first 5 days only gather what you need for that day, only gather your daily bread. On the sixth you can gather enough for the Sabbath day as well, two days worth. Every other time if you gather too much it will spoil before the next day. The head worker for each group shall help gather enough for that group, enough so everyone has enough. It says that what everyone could gather was the correct amount, those who gathered a lot had no extra, and those who gathered a little had no shortage. God provided for all the people. They all receive their daily bread.
In our Gospel text we see one of the more difficult parables of Jesus. It’s not hard because we can’t understand it, it’s hard because it goes against pretty much all of our culture.
A man has a vineyard, and he needs workers. So he goes out in the morning and hires workers, enough for the whole days work, and says, I’ll pay you the right amount, which would be the daily wage, the daily wage being the amount needed to provide food for their family for that day. An indirect way of saying, I’ll provide your daily bread, he doesn’t give the actual bread, but the money to purchase it on the way home.
He goes out later in the morning, around 9. Doesn’t say why. Maybe he needed more workers because there was more work that needed to be done, or at early morning everyone else was also hiring so he couldn’t get all he needed, or maybe he simply went out for a stroll. And he gets to the market place again, and sees more people standing idle. Now, this is not the word for lazy, the word here implies they are looking for work, migrant or hired hands that just didn’t get picked, but wanted to. So, he says, go work in my vineyard, I’ll give you what is right. This happens again at noon and at three o’clock. Each time, go work, I’ll give you what is right. Finally, it’s 5 o’clock, an hour or so from the end of the work day, he goes again, and sees more people waiting. Why are you here standing idle? No one hired us! Well, go! Work, and I’ll give you what is right.
The end of the day comes and he says, let’s pay those last ones first. They come forward expecting a pittance of the daily wage for their brief time working. But, he gives them a full days wage. The same with each of the next. Finally, the very first workers of the day come forward. Oh, good! We worked all day, we’ll of course get more than the rest. They come forward and get the same amount as the rest. Their daily wage, the amount for their daily bread.
“It’s not fair!” They yell. The landowner responds, “I didn’t do anything to you, I gave you what I promised you, Are you envious because I am generous?”
We don’t like it because we want things to be fair in the way we understand as fair. The one who worked more should get more we think. And yes, in a normal situation that’s how things work in our world, but this is not in the world, it’s a parable about how God works. God is generous, crazily generous, willing to give to those who had nothing, everything. The ones who get work at 5, they wonder if they’ll have enough to get food for their families waiting on them. They wonder if they would in fact get their daily bread. But, like in Exodus, God provides for all the people, those who worked little, they had no shortage, and for those who worked longer, they had no extra. To God, it’s not about how much you work, it’s about that you were invited to the vineyard, and you receive what you need.
This text is preceded and introduced by the story of the rich man who has followed all the laws, he asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him, sell what you have and give it to the poor. He walks away forlorn, knowing he couldn’t do that. Then Jesus continues with a saying, it would be easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Who can be saved then? For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.
This parable before us today is a parable about the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. It’s about not how much work you have to do to receive the reward, but all about the landowner, God, who welcomes all in. It’s all about the generosity of God who rewards not based on any work or acts by ourselves, not based on how long we worked, how well we’ve followed the rules, how much we gathered, how much money we have, but rewards based on God’s own grace. Simply out of love. Little Alexander here is welcomed by God just as much as the 100 year old.
In the kingdom of God, everyone, every single one of you, are wrapped in love, comforted and cared for, welcomed home and each and everyone of you, every person everywhere receives their daily bread.
This week, let us work to bring that kingdom here on earth as well as await for it in heaven. For as the Lord’s prayer says, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.”
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