Called to Gather, Pray, and Worship

Ephesians 6:23-24

Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Pondering Point

Peace is a regular concept in biblical blessings, but the phrase “love with faith” is rather unusual. The hope is for a love infused “with faith” or by faith, as opposed to a love without faith. Finish with this prayer:

Father God, this kind of blessed love, one that cannot be had without faith in You – this I want Lord – for me, for (friend A) and (friend B), (family A) and (family B) In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

The Parable
of the Vineyard Workers
Matthew 20:1-16

Through the eyes of the hired workers, this parable unearths attitudes of envy and comparison that poison our ability to enjoy or appreciate blessings in our world. From the perspective of the owner of the vineyard, we can see facets of the financial vision of discipleship covered these last weeks: From week one’s theme, the owner displays risk-taking by hiring people others have passed on. Week two’s theme, generosity, is evident in the willingness to pay high wages to workers who’ve worked few hours.

This week’s theme, living sacrificially, might be a stretch, but could be seen in the owner’s willingness to bless others beyond their “merit” for the sake of benefitting those of his community with needs. He had the capacity to help and took initiative to do so – over and over.

Matthew 20:1-16

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Prayer for the Day