The world belongs to God
The earth and all its people
How good and lovely it is
To live together in unity
Love and faith come together
Justice and peace join hands
Song “There is an everlasting kindness”
Let us in silence remember our faults and failings
Christ have mercy on us, and deliver us from our sins and may we amend our lives
Amen.
We say the Lords Prayer in our own language
Reflection on Matthew 20v1-17
This is a story about settling accounts. It's about receiving from God , not earning our salvation. It follows the story of Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler. There is a link saying, "the first will be last, and the last will be first." Like all the parables, it’s a riddle with many layers. Its enigmatic. In Gods upside down kingdom people receive the same, whatever they have done. This can cause charges of unfairness! It’s the crux of the gospel. We come to God as equals. No-one is worth more or less.
The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, who hires workers for his fields. He employs them early in the morning, then later in the morning, at about 9am. A denarius was a Roman silver coin that was the equivalent of the daily wage for a labourer.
When the evening came he instructed the manager to pay the wages, starting with those employed last. They all got the same- a denarius! They began to grumble about the landowner, despite the fact they had all been unemployed at the beginning of the day.
The landlord calls them friends and says, “I am not being unfair to you. I made an agreement to pay you a denarius. Leave now! I have the right to do what I want with my own money. Are you jealous? Do you begrudge my generosity because I am generous?”
The disciples, like the rich young ruler, think that getting God’s blessing depends on doing, so they are told to watch out. Those who think they are secure may well come undone.
So Jesus concluded, the first (the self-righteous, the Pharisees) will become the last and the last (outcasts, non Jews, sinners) will become first. It is the meek who will inherit the earth. And that’s us-hopefully! Amen
Our Prayers
Song “You raise me up”
The blessing of God be upon you
On those you love and those you meet
This day and forevermore. Amen
With thanks to the ©Iona Community adapted
