The “‘Sumptions” of Grace

Matthew 20:1-16

“I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?

Or do you begrudge my generosity?”

Everybody wants to know, What does the Bible have to say about my life? Perhaps what’s behind the question is a fear that either the Bible isn’t relevant to us OR our lives aren’t relevant to God.

The conundrum is, Christians will complain about God’s not showing up for them, or God’s not speaking to them, not answering their prayers. We are very quick to complain and to blame God or the preacher or the teacher or a committee for our disconnect with faith, with God, and with the Bible.

The parable today demonstrates that grudges, complaints and idleness are not conducive to living into God’s gift of grace in our lives. Quite simply, if you want to be with God, understand his plan for your life, you have to show up in the “marketplace” willing to answer God’s call and go into God’s vineyard. It’s in the vineyard that we reap God’s sumptuous harvest of grace. We won’t find grace by standing around all day, idle in the marketplace of faith, complaining “no one has hired us.” Here’s the good news: you got the job! Will you accept it? Will you labor in God’s vineyard of grace?

The parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is the longest parable that Jesus told.  Matthew is the only gospel that contains “The parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard.”  And the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard can teach us a lot about the theology of work, but today we will focus on what the story teaches us about God’s extravagant gift of grace.

Maybe you’ve heard this definition of grace: “Grace is when God gives us what we don't deserve, and mercy is when God doesn't give us what we do deserve” (Unknown). Grace comes from God—we cannot bestow it upon ourselves. Grace is a gift that comes from God—we cannot buy it, earn it, make it or take it. And the gift of grace that God gives is God’s choice alone. It’s a faulty faith to believe that we can persuade God to save us——that can lead to all kinds of ‘sumptions that will lead us astray:

·      Assumption

·      Consumption

·      Presumptions

·      Resumption

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard reveals to us that we hold onto ‘sumptions about God’s desire to save us by his grace. There are at least four ‘sumptions that Christians are prone to believing, yet these ‘prove the truth of the Kingdom of Heaven in the last line of the parable, “the last will be first and the first will be last, for many are called but few are chosen.”

                   

The first ‘sumption is “assumption.”  Look at verses 9-10: “And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them received a denarius.”

We assume that we are chosen people. Why not?  We are in worship almost every week; we say grace over our meals; we do good works, we try to be kind. Assumptions are actually a mix of arrogance and laziness. You know what they say about people who assume, don’t you?!

The second ‘sumption is “consumption.” Look at verses 11-12: “And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching of the heat.’

We are often consumed by envy when we think others have received more than they deserved. We strive to be so strong and devoted to God; we pray harder than another that our loved one would respond to chemotherapy treatments and survive, but they didn’t—and someone who did less than we did received for themselves what we prayed so hard for and yet did not receive. Be consumed by God, not by the evil eye of envy. God will be generous with what is his to give.

The third ‘sumption is “presumption.” Look again at verses 12-13: “‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching of the heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you know wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?’

We cannot presume that we are any better a Christian than the person

who sits beside us in the pew or stands in the Pulpit before us, or

sits in the coffee shop behind us because we presume we have

struggled more or suffered more, sacrificed or served more.

The fourth ‘sumption is “resumption.” Look at verses 14-15: God alone can resume our salvation from the shallow graves of assumption, consumption and presumption. The resumption happens at this table before us, which is spread with the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ who died for us, the food and drink of God’s sumptuous grace.

Only God can save us—only God can resume the plan of salvation he wants for us; we cannot save ourselves. We have a situational faith but what we must learn is to practice a diligent faith—that our hearts are always on the path to share love and hope with those in the marketplace.

We may not get paid in this world what we are worth, yet we will surely receive God’s grace when we bear the burden of the day and the scorch of the heat for the sake of the kingdom. God does not choose to us because we are the best or the worst; God does not love us more because we are the first or the last; and God does not give us more or less because we are the most or the least in his kingdom.

God is generous and loving; God is faithful and trustworthy; God is merciful and just; and God is God and we are not. The advice from the parable is sweet and simple: “Take what belongs to you and go” with it—that’s how God has designed it. The Master says, “I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.” Because God’s grace is his to give, whenever and wherever and to whomever, we will always receive from God far more than we will ever be able to give back. Thanks be to God for the ‘sumptions of grace. Amen.

March 1, 2015

First Parish Federated Church of South Berwick, ME

The Reverend Donna Lee Muise, Pastor

Think God can’t use y ou? Consider these people – God used them for amazing purposes despite the fact that:

Jacob was a cheater

Peter had a temper

David had an affair

Noah got drunk

Jonah ran from God

Paul was a murderer

Gideon was insecure

Miriam was a gossip

Martha was a worrier

Thomas was a doubter

Sarah was impatient

Elijah was moody

Moses stuttered

Zaccheus was short

Abraham was old

AND

Lazarus was DEAD!

If God can use them, what’s our excuse?