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Discomfort: Sign of Grace?
By Pr. Lisa Rygiel

I loved the overview provided by Sundays and Seasons for next Sunday’s liturgy. We will speak to two very challenging stories, the one of Jonah’s anger at the Lord for NOT killing the people of Nineveh and the Laborers in the Field who worked differing hours but were all paid the same. The overview was entitled “Discomfort: Sign of Grace?” and is presented below.

Poor Jonah. The guy never could get comfortable. He was uncomfortable with his God-given call to preach to Nineveh; he was uncomfortable in the arms of the sailors as they hoisted him over the boat’s edge and tossed him into the sea; he was uncomfortable as the ocean’s raging waves flung him about like flotsam; he was—undoubtedly—uncomfortable in the fish’s belly; and he was uncomfortable and downright angry with God’s mercy on the people of Nineveh. Jonah had a hard time getting comfortable with himself, and, even more so, Jonah was uneasy embracing the wideness of God’s grace.

The same can be said about the laborers in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 20. The laborers who came in the early morning hours grumbled against the landowner because they were paid the same as others who started later and worked fewer hours. These laborers are ill-at-ease with the landowner’s choice “to give to this last the same as I give to you” (Matt. 20:14). Like Jonah, they are uncomfortable with the unchecked mercy offered by the landowner/God. God doesn’t play by our rules, and that can be very discomforting for us all.

Our discomfort with grace manifests itself in all sorts of ways. It can be discomforting for us to engage the poor and the outcast of our society. It can be discomforting for us to welcome immigrants into our communities. It can be discomforting to address the pervasive racism that still surrounds us. And it can be very discomforting for us to open our lives to the transforming power of the cross of Christ, whereby “the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matt. 20:16).

Could it be that the more uncomfortable we become with the reckless love of God, the closer we are to understanding the meaning of grace?

The 17th Sunday after Pentecost, Sept. 13

Announcements

  • Fellowship: Join us after worship for coffee and conversation. All are welcome.
  • Zion’s Book Club: Our Adult Study is at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday in the Fellowship Hall. Our next study is Tuesday, Sept. 22 in the Fellowship Hall as we discuss “What if Jesus was Serious about Prayer”.
  • Blessing of the Animals: Our annual blessing of the animals will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, on the lower lawn of the Fellowship Hall, with Pr. Robert Hoenike officiating. All socialized animals are welcome. Please bring animals on a leash or in a crate/cage for a blessing. If your pet cannot be with you or has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, bring a photo or even their “stuffy” for a special blessing. Stay afterward for food & photos.
  • Docents Needed: The Trinidad Chamber of Commerce is coordinating a Doors Open Trinidad event on Saturday, Oct. 3. This will be a walking, driving, and trolley tour of Trinidad. Organizers are asking key Trinidad landmarks and historic buildings to open their door from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to let people learn more about the rich history of our area. Zion’s Lutheran and Temple Aaron both have been asked to participate. However, if we are to do so, we need volunteers that day who are willing to welcome people to Zion’s and to share our history and message. More details will be coming soon. If you can help, please talk to Steve Hanson or Jo Moss.
  • Proverbs Study: First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Raton/Trinidad has invited Zion’s to participate in September’s study of the Book of Proverbs (see the September newsletter for details). The study begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at FUMC in Raton and at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at FUMC on Broom Street in Trinidad.
  • We’re Here for You: For pastoral care, call Zion’s at 719-846-7785 or send an email: zionsluth@gmail.com.

E-Formation

The parable we hear this coming Sunday might strike churchgoers as troubling: what, shouldn’t we get paid more if we work longer hours?! The last shall be first? Come to worship, to meditate on the good news found in this story and to receive the meal of God’s mercy.

Matthew 20:1-16
According to standard outlines of Matthew, the allegory of the laborers in the vineyard is in the fourth section (16:13—20:34), which focuses on preparation for the death and raising of Jesus, God’s Son. For Matthew, “heaven” is a circumlocution for God, and “the kingdom” refers to the eschatological end of all things, the way it will be in God. Today’s allegory, with the generous landowner being God and the laborers embodying the varying commitments of believers, makes the biblical point that in God all earthly values are reversed. Divine mercy is not fair. It is likely that by the time of the writing of Matthew’s gospel, contemporary church leaders were being negatively compared with ones closer to the time of Jesus, and the evangelist wishes to negate such criticism.

Jonah 3:10—4:11
The book of Jonah is an ironic, even comic, short story about a prophet-like figure who begrudges preaching to Nineveh, the capital city of the ancient enemy nation of Assyria. Written after the exile and perhaps long after the destruction of Nineveh in 612 bce, the story contrasts with other biblical post-exilic writings, for example Ezra and Nehemiah, in that it urges Israel to move beyond its narrow religious and ethnic boundaries and to acknowledge that God’s mercy is meant for all peoples. Chapter 3 tells of Jonah’s finally preaching to his enemies and their conversion. Verse 10 leads then to chapter 4, which in short story fashion parallels chapter 1, with the disgruntled Jonah angered by God’s steadfast love for the enemy. The charming last sentence indicates that God cares also for the enemy’s animals.

Philippians 1:21-30
Paul wrote a letter to the church in Philippi from prison, that, depending on which imprisonment, could have been in 53 or after 60. The letter is filled with Paul’s sense of joy in the faith of Christ and includes the beloved Christ Hymn of 2:5-11, which confesses what much later came to be termed the two natures of Christ: his humility as a human and his exaltation as Lord of all. Introducing one of the letter’s themes, today’s excerpt urges the community to live together in unity.

Zion's Lutheran Church
zionsluth@gmail.com
719-846-7785