Most of our readings today have a common image of a vineyard. We see that in the Isaiah reading, in the Psalm, and again in the Gospel. Each of the authors of the different readings use the image a little bit differently, but fundamentally at the core of the image of the vineyard is the question of stewardship.
What is a steward? A steward is someone who takes care of something on behalf of somebody else. A steward takes care of it, but it doesn’t belong to him. He is taking care of it for the sake of the other. In our first reading of Isaiah and in the Psalm, they both are speaking from the same place, they are both taking place at the same time during the exile. The Psalmist is asking the question, why is it that this vineyard is being plucked? The Psalm leaves the question open--why is this happening? God, come help us. In the Isaiah reading, Isaiah is trying to get to the cause of this. Isaiah is saying that the people did not tend the vineyard very well. They did not steward the gift that God had given them. Towards the end of the reading, Isaiah connects the metaphor of the vineyard and the wild grapes to the question of justice. As God looks over the vineyard, God is expecting to see grapes. But what God sees instead is wild grapes. When God looks over the world, God wants to see justice, God wants to see people taking care of their neighbor, loving their neighbor, honoring and respecting the dignity of others. And what God sees instead is injustice. God sees bloodshed. This grieves God. God thinks this is not proper tending of his vineyard. So in the first readings it is a question of not taking care of the vineyard.
Jesus, in the parable in the Gospel reading today, uses this image a little bit differently. It’s not that the stewards are not really taking good care of the vineyard. There is no reason to think they didn’t do a pretty good job at it. The problem is that they forgot they were doing it on the behalf of somebody else. They forgot that they were stewards. They thought that they were owners. They thought this vineyard was theirs and they would get to reap the rewards of all of it instead of doing it on the behalf of somebody else.
These are two different ways to view the same metaphor of the vineyard. In one of them, people are squandering the gift. They are not taking care of it. In the other they forgot it is, in fact, a gift and is not theirs to do whatever they want with it.
This whole question of stewardship goes all the way back to creation. In creation God made everything and God called it all good. After God made everything else, all the other living creatures, God made us. God made us humans in God’s very image, and then it says God gave us dominion, which means stewardship, of the creation. God asked us to care for it. It has been this way ever since. God asks us to take care of this world that God has entrusted to us.
It has all kinds of far-reaching implications as to how we live life. All that we are and all that we have is a gift from God. That’s what the creation story is telling us. Scripture keeps reminding us time and again that all that we are and all that we have is a gift from God. It is not ours to do whatever we want with it. God has given it to us to take care of on God’s behalf, and for this world, for the betterment, for the flourishing of all people and all of creation.
There are all kinds of ways this plays out. We see in the Isaiah reading that it comes down to the question of justice, it comes down to the question of relationships. Are we caring for our neighbor? Are we loving our neighbor? Are we stewards of the relationships in this world? Are we respecting the dignity of God in other people? That is a question of stewardship. It is not just a question that was there 2500 years ago. It is a question that is very much alive today. Injustice is still here in this world. I’m sure as God looks out over the world, looks out over the vineyard, he is still saying, what is wrong? Why are you not tending to it and caring for it? We are invited to steward our relationships, individual relationships, but also the relationship with the community. To take care, in the words of our Baptismal covenant, to strive for justice and peace in this world and respect the dignity of every human being.
The stewardship question also has to do with how we take care of the environment. Do we see this as something just for us, a bunch of resources that we can maximize to our personal benefit? Or do we see ourselves as stewards taking care of this on God’s behalf, honoring the goodness of creation, and realizing that we are caretakers of it for the world, for future generations. It is a question of stewardship.
What about the talents we have in this world? Whatever talent you have, and I guarantee that you have a talent--at least one if not many--something that God has given you that you are good at. How are you using it? You are a steward of that talent. God has given it to you so you may use it on behalf of God and of your neighbor. It is a question of stewardship.
As we enter in the pledge drive which begins today, we have the same question at hand. It is a question of stewardship. As we look at the pledges and make a budget and run the ministry of this place, we face the question of stewardship, how do we steward those gifts that you have entrusted to us? Are we doing it on behalf of the community, on behalf of the church, on behalf of future generations, on behalf of God? Do we recognize that it is not our money, but money that has been entrusted to us? It is a question of stewardship.
As each one of us makes our pledge it is also a question of stewardship. How are we stewarding the financial resources that God has given us? That is not just a question for a pledge drive. It is a question for our lives all the time. How are we using the financial resources that God has given us in this world? Do we take care of those resources for the betterment of our neighbor, for the betterment of the community, for the betterment of future generations, for the glory of God? Or do we see it as my money, for me in this moment? It is a question of stewardship, and the pledge drive is part of that. How do we use our resources for the community, for our neighbor? How do we recognize that all that we are and all that we have is a gift from God, including those financial resources? It is not designed to hoard it all, it is designed to be given on.
We face a lot of challenges as a community in the coming year. There is so much uncertainty around the future of this virus, the future of the economy as we face the coming months and beyond.
Our pledge drive theme this year is Forward in Faith Together. I have so much confidence that we are going to weather this storm, that we are going to be fine because we are going to do it together, because we are good stewards of the resources. For those of us who are budget managers working with the resources entrusted to us, I have great confidence that we will be good stewards of that, to use it well. I also have great confidence in all of us, that we will find the resources, that we are good stewards of that money, those financial gifts that God has given us. We are good stewards and will use it for the betterment of the community.
Right now is a time we have to think about the community. There are people in the community of St. Mary’s who have lost their job. There are others who are taking pay cuts, furloughs, reduced hours. Business is down and businesses are not getting much income. There are all kinds of ways the economic crisis has impacted some in our community of St. Mary’s, and they can’t give as much. There are also others who are not as affected. We know that some people can give a little bit more this coming year. I have great confidence that together as a community, Forward in Faith Together, that we are going to be able to do it because we are good stewards.
All that we are and all that we have is a gift from God to use for the love of our neighbor and the love of God.
AMEN
