We are inviting our community to Give Up Certainty for Lent as we root ourselves in the parables of Jesus. We move into our fourth week and the parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard.
What is a parable? Exact definitions vary from “stories of life with religious or spiritual lessons” to “metaphors or similes that take narrative form.” We will be operating on an understanding of parables as “thin places” where the usual boundaries between heaven and earth, holy and ordinary, known and mysterious, come together. (From Kingdom, Grace, Judgment. Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus by Robert Farrar Capon, page 1).
The parables of Jesus take everyday experiences from the time of Jesus and turn them upside down. By showing us ordinary elements and experiences, parables provide a transparency to see the whole of our live and the holy in our lives in a new way (from John Indermark, Parables and Passion, Jesus’ stories for the days of Lent, page 11).
March 9 Matthew 13.33/Luke 13.20-21 Parable of The Leaven & The Mustard Seed
March 16 Matthew 13.24-30 Parable of The Weeds
March 23 Matthew 25.1-13 Parable of The Wise & Foolish Bridesmaids
March 30 Matthew 20.1-16 Parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard
April 6 Agape (David Scherer)
April 13 (Palm Sunday)Luke 15.11-32 Parable of The Prodigal Son
April 17 (Maundy Thursday Matthew 22.1-14 Parable of The Wedding Banquet
April 18 (Good Friday) Matthew 21.33-46 Parable of The Wicked Tenants
April 20 (Celebrate Easter) at 6:30 am Rose Garden McKinley Park & 10:30 am Sanctuary
Take time to read the Matthew 20.1-16 Parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard for this week.
Karl Jacobson writes: “We have a tendency, as the parable aptly illustrates, to covet and to be resentful of what others receive from God. The owner of the vineyard asks those who have worked longest and (presumably) hardest for him, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” The point is that God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness are God’s to give away as God sees fit.”
Consider these 2 questions this week:
1. The parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is about _________
2. What problems do you have with Grace, either in accepting God’s love for you and for your life or for the way God accepts those you find undeserving?
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