Deacon Greg's Homily 10-8-17
It seems that the invitation for special prayers are once again necessary. We pray for the victims and their families effected by Monday’s Las Vegas shooting. We pray for our country and the ongoing discussion on how we are to live together in peace. We pray for those in the path of another storm, and those who continue the effort to rebuild their communities after the previous ones.
This invitation to prayer isn’t just an invitation from Fr. Thomas, or myself, or from those asking for help, this is an invitation from today’s Word of God. This allows us to glimpse into another time, much like our own, where there was much confusion and need, and at the same time, much celebration and reassurance of the loving presence of God.
Let us welcome our Lord into this, our part of the Vineyard by allowing ourselves to be nourished at His table so that we might do his work, changing our laments of “why” into a song of promise, purpose and hope.
Let us PRAY unceasingly without expectation, so that we might be at peace with one another, and with our work that continues to be necessary.
And giving Paul the last word, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4: 8-9)
This invitation to prayer isn’t just an invitation from Fr. Thomas, or myself, or from those asking for help, this is an invitation from today’s Word of God. This allows us to glimpse into another time, much like our own, where there was much confusion and need, and at the same time, much celebration and reassurance of the loving presence of God.
If the usual flair for reflecting on the Scripture is to highlight a motivational theme that calls us to do more, and be better at what we do, then today includes the reality of a heart-felt lament, and the consideration that with prayer, peace and peaceful action might result.
In the spirit of what I hope is a familiar concept in our faith, the Lord is the VINE and we are the branches, this VINEYARD is our home! This is the third week that references the Vineyard.
The week before last, we saw the Vineyard as a place where all can work! Those who have been at this a while, you might consider yourself the strong and thick branch that’s been on the vine for a long time. While some are just getting started, or renewing their journey like a new and tender shoot that has just sprouted… No matter the branch, all are a part of the Vineyard that is the kingdom of God, and all are invited to come and do the work of the Lord!
Last week, we saw the Vineyard as a place where all are qualified to do that work, as even those who originally say NO can grow and change to be the branches that CAN produce good fruit, humbly DOING the WILL of GOD!
Today, the Gospel emphasizes that THE Vineyard is THE place where THE work is done! Making THE people of God a part of the divine Vineyard itself! Actually, two of the other three readings offer us Vineyards to consider and reflect upon.
Called The Song of the Lord’s Vineyard, today’s reading from Isaiah defines the Vineyard as the house of Israel, but cautions us that the Vineyard continues to yield wild grapes, which are not seen as “good fruit,” moving the Lord himself to lament and say, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done?”
THE PROPHETS REMIND US THAT WE ARE CALLED TO LEARN FROM TIMES OF EXILE, KNOWING THAT AS WE LEARN, WE WILL ONE DAY RECOVER… GOD DOES NOT STOP LOVING US OR GIVING US OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE THE PEACE & LOVE OF HIS WORD!
Today’s Psalm is our own heart-felt response. This Vineyard, the house of Israel, laments that the Lord has somehow abandoned them, so their prayer places a condition our acceptance of God’s call to work… You send us blessings, and we”ll do the work!
TODAY, WE CAN REFLECT ON THE POSSIBILITY THAT MAYBE WE CAN DO THE WORK FIRST, WITH THE HOPE THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE PEACE & SALVATION PROMISED US AS A RESULT!
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Vineyard is presented as a place where we are called to welcome and share, and yet in our work are we like the tenants who refuse and kill the spirit of the outsider? They insist on even killing the son of the owner himself, using the insane logic that they will somehow claim their rewards only for themselves, even though they do not own the land!
TODAY, WITH PEACE IN OUR HEARTS, CAN WE WELCOME OTHERS, AND THE LORD HIMSELF INTO THIS VINEYARD THAT IS HIS CREATION, WITH OUR COOPERATION TO WORK AND ASSIST IN HIS MISSION?
Which brings us to Paul’s message today, taken from the conclusion of his Letter to the Philippians. “Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
TODAY, LET US CONSIDER THAT PRAYER IS NOT THE WAY WE GET WHAT WE WANT FROM THE LORD, BUT RATHER IT CAN GIVE US THE KNOWLEDGE AND COURAGE NECESSARY TO WELCOME THAT PEACE OF GOD INTO OUR HEARTS, AND GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO SHARE THAT PEACE THROUGH OUR ACTIONS AS WE WORK IN THE VINEYARD!
In the spirit of what I hope is a familiar concept in our faith, the Lord is the VINE and we are the branches, this VINEYARD is our home! This is the third week that references the Vineyard.
The week before last, we saw the Vineyard as a place where all can work! Those who have been at this a while, you might consider yourself the strong and thick branch that’s been on the vine for a long time. While some are just getting started, or renewing their journey like a new and tender shoot that has just sprouted… No matter the branch, all are a part of the Vineyard that is the kingdom of God, and all are invited to come and do the work of the Lord!
Last week, we saw the Vineyard as a place where all are qualified to do that work, as even those who originally say NO can grow and change to be the branches that CAN produce good fruit, humbly DOING the WILL of GOD!
Today, the Gospel emphasizes that THE Vineyard is THE place where THE work is done! Making THE people of God a part of the divine Vineyard itself! Actually, two of the other three readings offer us Vineyards to consider and reflect upon.
Called The Song of the Lord’s Vineyard, today’s reading from Isaiah defines the Vineyard as the house of Israel, but cautions us that the Vineyard continues to yield wild grapes, which are not seen as “good fruit,” moving the Lord himself to lament and say, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done?”
THE PROPHETS REMIND US THAT WE ARE CALLED TO LEARN FROM TIMES OF EXILE, KNOWING THAT AS WE LEARN, WE WILL ONE DAY RECOVER… GOD DOES NOT STOP LOVING US OR GIVING US OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE THE PEACE & LOVE OF HIS WORD!
Today’s Psalm is our own heart-felt response. This Vineyard, the house of Israel, laments that the Lord has somehow abandoned them, so their prayer places a condition our acceptance of God’s call to work… You send us blessings, and we”ll do the work!
TODAY, WE CAN REFLECT ON THE POSSIBILITY THAT MAYBE WE CAN DO THE WORK FIRST, WITH THE HOPE THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE PEACE & SALVATION PROMISED US AS A RESULT!
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Vineyard is presented as a place where we are called to welcome and share, and yet in our work are we like the tenants who refuse and kill the spirit of the outsider? They insist on even killing the son of the owner himself, using the insane logic that they will somehow claim their rewards only for themselves, even though they do not own the land!
TODAY, WITH PEACE IN OUR HEARTS, CAN WE WELCOME OTHERS, AND THE LORD HIMSELF INTO THIS VINEYARD THAT IS HIS CREATION, WITH OUR COOPERATION TO WORK AND ASSIST IN HIS MISSION?
Which brings us to Paul’s message today, taken from the conclusion of his Letter to the Philippians. “Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
TODAY, LET US CONSIDER THAT PRAYER IS NOT THE WAY WE GET WHAT WE WANT FROM THE LORD, BUT RATHER IT CAN GIVE US THE KNOWLEDGE AND COURAGE NECESSARY TO WELCOME THAT PEACE OF GOD INTO OUR HEARTS, AND GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO SHARE THAT PEACE THROUGH OUR ACTIONS AS WE WORK IN THE VINEYARD!
Let us welcome our Lord into this, our part of the Vineyard by allowing ourselves to be nourished at His table so that we might do his work, changing our laments of “why” into a song of promise, purpose and hope.
Let us PRAY unceasingly without expectation, so that we might be at peace with one another, and with our work that continues to be necessary.
And giving Paul the last word, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4: 8-9)
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