The Fruitful Vineyard

SERMON # 3  “THE FRUITFUL VINEYARD’   October 2, 2011

From Sermon series, “You are Important to God.

Isaiah 5:1-7, Ps. 80:7-14, Philippians 3:4b-14, Matthew 21:33-46

A thorough reading of the Bible, makes it clear that Jesus had a thing about wine.  I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a ‘wino,” but his enemies did.  They condemned him for going to too many parties and getting drunk.  Of course, many of us recall that Jesus’ first miracle was to change water into wine at a wedding; and then on the night before he was lynched and murdered, he told his disciples to drink wine to remember him.

However, it’s also clear from the bible that Jesus loves vineyards.  After all, His father created the first vineyard, which the Bible calls the Garden of Eden. Jesus clearly had worked as a vinedresser; He knew exactly how  to plant, raise and cultivate the vines, and to harvest the crop.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the image of the vineyard, just as it is used in our first reading fro Isaiah and the Psalm.  In all these instances, God’s word says that God built and planted wonderful vineyards, and then raised up people to manage the vineyards on his behalf. God’s instructions to these stewards were clear— “Produce fruit for me and produce fruit for you. That way, everyone benefits. “

 Unfortunately, in all three instances, the stewards of the vineyards failed. God did not get the fruit that he was due, and it was clearly the fault of the managers, who were either thieves or incompetent.  So, God threw the bums out.  Specifically, Jesus says that the irresponsible stewards will vanquished and that He will, quote, “lease the vineyard to others who will give him the produce at harvest time.” Unquote.

Now in telling this story in today’s Gospel, Jesus did not intend to give us a lesson in agriculture.  Rather, as He does so often, Jesus uses physical images as metaphors to express spiritual truth.  Today’s Gospel is a message to those of us who are so important to Him—His followers, His people, the Christian church.

The church world wide, and Christ Church Quaker Farms, comprise the vineyard of Jesus Christ.  As we hear in the Gospel, He died to save us, His vineyard.  And He rose from the dead.  And now He leads us, as He says in the Gospel, that we might be, quote, a people that produce the fruits of the kingdom.”  Would you please repeat that after me, ‘THAT WE MIGHT BE A PEOPLE WHO PRODUCE THE FRUITS OF THE KINGDOM.”  Our purpose for existence, individually, and as a parish is to produce fruit for the Kingdom for God and for us.  All God wants,  is for us to do what is necessary to produce the fruit of the spirit, for his happiness and ours.

I believe that Jesus wants Christ Church Quaker farms to be a safe place, where each person is valued because he or she is important to God….a place for healing…comforting…a place acceptance and warmth. It is here, in the Christian community, that God shares his love for us as we share his love for one another.  Jesus says, “If you obey my command, that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete.  And this is my command; please repeat after me, “THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.”

So, what might such a place look like?   Well, it might look something my silly drawing, which you will find as an insert in your service sheet.  Look for the grapes. This drawing is based upon Galatians, Chapter 5, which describes the “fruit of the spirit.”  However, I have extrapolated and paraphrased that famous passage, to help in our discussion today.

At the top of the page, we see the fruit that is produced by the fruitful vineyard, or parish:

Jesus wants his church to be a place of forgiveness and reconciliation.  This happens when we put others before ourselves, and defer to their needs and wants, instead of insisting on our own. Instead of broken relationships, he wants us to engage in problem solving. Acceptance, warmth, and joy will be hallmarks for his church.  And of course, He wants all people included, because each person is important to him.  So, that sounds pretty good, and I know that so many of you are dedicated to that end.that you go out of your way to be patient, and understanding, and kind.

But, let’s be frank here. Whether your community is  church, or a family, or a business, or a school, there is always one thing that you can always expect, and that is this: WHEN YOU RUB ELBOWS IN  COMMUNITY, YOU CAN ALWAYS EXPECT THAT SOMEONE’S TOES WILL BE STEPPED UPON.  Sometimes this happens unintentionally; other time, it may appear to be deliberate; but it always happens.  So, with this reality in mind, we who value our churchcommunity must be aware of the disease of sin, which can kill any vineyard.  No vineyard is immune from the spiritual forces of death, which include, as listed on the bottom half of the picture, grudges, vanity, anger, depersonalizing others into rivals, and on and on.

If you care about this vineyard, then you need to be vigilant, so that this disease does not infect that which we love.

This past summer, while my wife and I were on vacation in southern face, we lived in an isolated farm house, which was surrounded by mountains; and on those mountains, were rows and rows of grape terraces, covering whole slopes.  And you know what?  All these vineyards were dead.  They had been abandoned over a hundred years ago, because this particular variety of vines were infected by a blight called  “PHY-O-LLEX-ERA, which wiped out the entire area.  It was a disease, for which there was no defense against, in this particular variety of grapes.  So, farms and vineyards which had been in families for 500 years, were abandoned then, and are still abandoned to this day.

Now, this is my metaphor for sin. Don’t play with fire, don’t play with sin.  Such sin  is  lethal and deadly to God’s vineyard, which is his church.  If left untreated, then church after church would become dying vineyards.

There’s a story about a man who died, suddenly, unexpectedly. You see, he died of a disease which could have been cured.  But he didn’t go to the doctor, because he didn’t go to the doctor until it was too late.

Today’s Gospel is a phone call from Doctor Jesus.  He’s calling up to tell us that there is a cure for the disease of sin, and that is called forgiveness.  Maybe you need to hear this message.   Maybe we need it.

You see, I have suffered from this disease previously, and I am now in  recovery.  During my life in God’s vineyard, I have personally endured gossip, lies, and rejection.  I have held grudges and nursed resentment for years. Frankly, at one time, all this negativity became so consuming, that it crippled my spiritual and religious life.  It poisoned my attitude toward the church.

 However, I finally listened to a  phone call from God,  where Jesus  inspired me to forgive those, who have hurt me; and to seek reconciliation with those, whom I have hurt. This took prayer, and soul searching, and talking with someone I trusted, and then I chose to forgive, ands to ask for God’s forgiveness for my own hardness of heart.   And slowly, but certainly, my attitude began to change.  I began to more consciously nurture the fruit of the spirit, especially with those people, whom I had previously resented.  And then, I felt the burden of antagonism lift.  Then gradually, I became a more fruitful vine in the vineyard of Jesus Christ.

 Indeed, God’s word calls each of us to be ministers of reconciliation, first within our homes and families, and then in the  world. Jesus not only calls us to be ministers of reconciliation, but if we ask, He, Himself, will spiritually empower us to do this.  You see, the power of God is the power of peacemaking and reconciliation, through the Holy Spirit.  So, if we ask for help, He will give it.

We pray in the Lord ’s Prayer, we pray for forgiveness.  How does that go?   “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

Jesus would not have us pray those words, if He had not provided the power for us to obey that . Indeed, this is what Paul is saying in today’s reading from Philippians.  The apostle Paul had been beaten and battered by his own people, including the Christian church.  But, like Jesus, he forgave his enemies.  So Paul write, quote, “This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, and straining for what lies ahead, I press forward to the prize of the heavenly call of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Now, today’s scripture readings are specifically focused on the church community.  But of course, the reconciliation and the fruit of the spirit are needed in all communities; including those, outside the church in which you live.  So, I’d like to conclude my remarks to day by asking you to consider one person you need to forgive in any community in which you live.  This person may be living or dead; someone you see everyday, or someone you have not seen in years.  You may want to talk to this person, or you may just ask the Lord to help you forgive this person in the quietness of your heart.  Now, in each pew, we have left small little reminder notes, featuring a picture of some grapes and a place where you can fill in a name or initials.  Take this home as a reminder.  Forgive, as you have been forgiven.  And by doing so, you will produce fruit for the Kingdom of God.  AMEN.

   --The Rev. John Donnelly   Christ Church Quaker Farms, Oxford, CT.