7/27/2019 Sermon "Tenancy and Love" - Mark Smith

1/2

Proper 22 AMatthew 21: 33-46Isaiah 5:1-7Tenancy and Love

Let me sing for my beo!e" a o!e song #on#erning his !ineyar"$

It is har" to hear the gospe this morning as a o!e song% i&e the one we ha!e '(sthear" from Isaiah% b(t that is what it is% a &in" of photographi# negati!e of the o!ewe #aim we bear towar" one another an" to )o"$ It is shot-thro(gh with re'e#tionan" e!en !ioen#e% the things we see when o!e has gone terriby wrong% when areationship has "isintegrate" past mis(n"erstan"ing to the point of possessi!enessan" m(r"ero(s intensity$ In the #onte*t of Isaiah% howe!er% we ha!e to hear theparabe of +es(s as a song of o!e% of something that #an an" m(st be re"eeme"$,n"erstan"ing that the imp(se towar" !ioen#e is per!asi!e% as m(#h in +es(s "ayas o(r own% we nee" to see o(r own i"entities as beo!e"% espe#iay if we are asoto be the inheritors of the generosity of )o" an" bearers of o!e towar" one another$ As m(#h as we ha!e hear" the parabe of the !ineyar"% it iseasier to see it as thiny !eie" re#rimination against those who perse#(te" the

prophets% ea#h of whom #ame to oer warnings towar"s )o".s own peope to#hange their min"s an" t(rn towar" a restoration of reationship% with the /on asthe 0na !i#tim of a m(r"ero(s ot$ (t it is har"er to hear it being abo(t (s$ e arenot m(r"erers we aren.t parti#(ary intereste" in !ioen#e% in spite of what o(rtee!isions% mo!ies% magaines% newspapers te (s "ay-to-"ay% a the mirrors ofo(rse!es that we #annot es#ape$ e are a o!ing peope an" we simpy want whatis o(rs% whether it is o(r ho(ses% #areers or sto#& portfoios% a that we teo(rse!es that we ha!e earne"$ he !ioent are those other peope% those who wo("

'eopar"ie a that we !a(e an" beie!e we possess% the things so "eepy ingraine"in (s that they ha!e be#ome part of o(r i"entity$

(t as the beo!e" of )o"% we ha!e to hear o(r own pa#e in thisstory an" it has to "o with the tena#ity with whi#h we want to "efen" what beie!eis o(rs% e!en to the point of "istorting the image in whi#h we were ma"e$ e% aftera% are the ones "oing the wor& in the !ineyar" an" we beie!e that wor& hasintrinsi# !a(e$ hat we forget is that we are wor&ing (n"er a tenants. agreementan" not a "ee" of ownership$ he !ineyar" we are ten"ing is not o(r own% whi#ha#t(ay presents #ertain a"!antages we are reie!e" from the responsibiity of"etermining who merits being treate" as h(man beings% who is "eser!ing of "ignityan" who is not$ he !ioen#e we #aim to abhor #omes from forgetting abo(tthe iss(e of ownership% when we ma&e the str(gge abo(t what we #an #aiminstea" of what we #an gi!e away$ annah Aren"t% one of the great #hroni#ers of!ioen#e in the ast #ent(ry% says that% as a phenomenon% 8ioen#e is #ose tostrength% sin#e the impements of !ioen#e% i&e a other toos% are "esigne" an"(se" for the p(rpose of m(tipying nat(ra strength (nti% 90nay;they #ans(bstit(te for it$< =ons#io(sy or not% what we forget is that o(r strength is notmeas(re" in terms of for#e b(t in o(r generosity% what we are abe to gi!e to )o"an" what we are wiing to be to one another$ >(r i!es are gifts to ea#h other an"o(r reationships% to )o" an" ea#h other% are fo(n"e" on gratit("e% not on#ompetition or #oer#ion$ In the &ing"om of )o" that +es(s is trying to estabishwithin the !ery gates of +er(saem% the animosity of the a(thorities ren"ing the air%he is teing a who wi isten that we nee" to represent )o".s interests% not o(r

7/27/2019 Sermon "Tenancy and Love" - Mark Smith

2/2

own% that o(r #harge is to be as genero(s with one another as )o" has been with(s$ After a% it is the tenants% not the owner% who are in "eep nee" in this wor" ofshare" interests$ he irony is that% as the beo!e"% bro&en tenants we are% weare abe to (se far more of the an" than what we #o(" e!er #aim as o(r own$ heiss(e% for Matthew an" for +es(s% is how ee#ti!e we are at pro"(#ing the fr(its of

the &ing"om$ >n#e it is "(g% #eare" of stones an" pante" with #hoi#e !ines% thepromise of )o" is that the gro(n" is !ery fertie in"ee"$ A that is ne#essary is tosee that it is soi ripe for #(ti!ation rather than a battegro(n" for ownership$

he goo" news% the rea goo" news% is that we #an see thepotentia for these fr(its% e!en in pa#es where we ha!e seen !ioen#e germinatingo!er the past months$ here ha!e been #on!ersations at =hrist =h(r#h =athe"ra in/t$ Lo(is near ?erg(son% Misso(ri% abo(t ra#e an" !ioen#e% where #omm(nityea"ers ha!e ha" a #han#e to te their stories$ >ne of the parti#ipants sai" thatthese #on!ersations are important be#a(se%