Photo by Jacques Nyemb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Lectionary Readings for today:
Morning Psalms 33, 146
Evening Psalms 85, 94
“But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”-Luke 20:14-16
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When I was in fourth grade, I made an F in science (actually, it was a U for unsatisfactory, but you get the point). I came home from school, left my grade card on the kitchen table, and immediately left the house to go play with friends. I did not want to be home when my parents got home from work. That was one time I did not want to wait around for them. Of course, I sat around with my friends waiting, nonetheless, but I was definitely waiting in fear.
Today’s passage from Luke is not a positive portrayal of waiting. The tenants wait for the vineyard owner’s slaves and son, then kill them. Now they will have to wait for the owner, and it will not be a happy time when he arrives.
However, we should also note the vineyard owner’s insistence in trying to get in touch with the tenants. He keeps sending people to them, wanting a response from them. This aspect of God does not get as much attention in this parable. Instead of focusing on that persistence, we focus only on the judgment to come.
Throughout Advent, we will receive one reminder after another of the God of love. Sometimes, we will be too busy to see them, and we will suffer from a lack of joy or peace. But we can be sure that God will send another and another and another, all in an effort to remind us of God’s love.
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God, we pray that we would see your persistence and love that surrounds us day after day, even in the midst of distractions and fear.
Amen
Kevin Brown
Northminster Presbyterian Church 