Yes, God is that Generous!
This weekend’s reading is about a landowner who goes out into the streets before dawn and gathers workers for his vineyard. He promises them a fair wage. Every couple of hours after, he gets more workers, each time promising they will be paid fairly. He gathers the last group of workers only an hour before quitting time. When the owner pays the workers, they get the same wage for a day’s work. Grumbling results from those who worked the whole day.
Obviously, there were no unions when this was written. And from the outset, it does seem unfair. If I work hard all day and you work an hour, how is it we both get paid the same?
This made me think of what we always call deathbed confessions or conversions. The story always goes that someone lived a terrible life. At the last moment before they died, they accepted the Lord, confessed their sins, were forgiven, and welcomed into heaven. How was that fair to those who believed, worked at their faith life, prayed, and went to Church regularly?
Well, it isn’t! It isn’t fair if one measures with a human heart. But if one measures with the heart of God, there is no such thing as fair. Fairness is an entirely human concept. Overwhelming unconditional love is the only standard of God and God’s love.
While this reading might rub us the wrong way, it is not so different from the story of the lost sheep or the prodigal son. God searches out and saves the lost. God finds and welcomes those who wander from Him. That is the bottom line of all the scriptures. God wants us, all of us, with Him. He seeks us to the very last moment of our earthly lives and never gives up on us. Our human hearts may give up on others or proclaim them hopeless. God’s heart never gives up.
Yet, even knowing the nature of God, this story can be unsettling. The natural next question is, “So why should we follow the Church’s Commandments and rules all our life when we could do what we want and return to God at the last moment of our life?
The answer is simple. We can. But why would we want to? Being found and finding God early in our lives is not a punishment. Living in the shadow of God’s love is not a penalty. Following the call of God and living a life that echoes His love and compassion for all people is not a burden. Seeking forgiveness when we make mistakes is not a negative. This is a life filled with grace and joy.
When we go out into the vineyard of God in the first hour of the day, we are not missing out on anything. We are blessed. Those who join us there at the last hour of the day have missed the grace and blessing of knowing and loving God and God’s people all day. When we go into the vineyard of God early, we learn His ways and have the grace of walking in His shadow every hour of every day of our lives.
The reward we receive at the end of our lives is a continuation of our blessings. As we live in the love of God on earth, we are rewarded repeatedly. We are rewarded with the joy of sharing our lives with others who love God. We are rewarded with experiencing the pure joy of living the way of the Gospel. We are rewarded by knowing Jesus, the Son of God, as a brother. We are rewarded by resting each night of our earthly lives, knowing God is one with us. We are rewarded with knowing God’s love with every breath we take.
In the end, the daily wage may be the same for one who comes to the vineyard of God in the first hour as one who comes in the last. Yet, there is no comparison to the blessings gained by arriving early and spending our earthly lives with God.
In God’s Unending Love,
Gwen
