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"Grace, Grace, Marvelous Grace!"
St. Matthew 20:1-16

There are many lasting truths about life that children learn on their own.

Among them ...

No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.

When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.

You can't trust dogs to watch your food.

The best place to be when you're sad is grandma's lap.

There are other truths that are somewhat difficult for us to understand. The one in this morning’s Gospel lesson is one of those:

"the last shall be first."

The parable Jesus speaks to his disciples is a difficult one to hear and to accept. If we are honest with ourselves, we think the laborers have a valid complaint. I don’t know about you but if I had been working hard all day long and got paid the exact same amount as someone who came and worked an hour I’d get very angry. I’d stomp and growl and scream and pout and complain and probably be tempted to tell the whole world how I had been treated in an unfair manner.

But with this parable as with all of the parables Jesus has an agenda. His agenda is to open the eyes of the disciples to one of the most difficult characteristics of God for man to accept - the characteristic of grace.

God’s grace is freely given to all humankind in equal proportion.

A New York taxi crashed, killing everyone inside: the cab driver, a Presbyterian minister, a Methodist minister, and a Baptist minister.

When they all got to the pearly gates, the Presbyterian walked up, and St. Peter asked, "What have you done in your life?" "I’ve been a minister for 15 years. I did everything decently and in order and never missed a committee meeting."

St. Peter said, "Wait right over there."

The Methodist walked up, and St. Peter asked him, "What have you done in your life?" The Methodist said, "I’ve been a minister for 17 years. My sermons have warmed many a heart."

St. Peter said, "Wait right over there."

The Baptist walked up, and St. Peter asked him, "What have done in your life?"

The Baptist said, "I’ve been preaching for 23 years. I’ve held more revival services and eaten more casseroles than anybody I know."

St. Peter said, "Wait right over there."

Then it was the cab driver’s turn. St. Peter asked, "What have you done with your life?"

The cab driver said, "Well, I’ve been a taxi driver in New York for 5 years."

St. Peter opened the pearly gates and said, "Come right in. We’ve got wings, a halo, and a harp ready for you."

The three ministers were upset at this surprise ending and asked St. Peter for an explanation. "We’ve got 55 years of ministry among us and all he’s done is drive a taxi for 5 years. How come he gets to go in before us?"

St. Peter said, "The way I see it, he’s scared the devil out of more people in 5 years of driving a taxi in New York than you three have in all your 55 years of preaching!"

God’s grace is freely given to all humankind in equal proportion.

The story is told of the children in a prominent family who decided to give their father a book of the family's history for a birthday present. They commissioned a professional biographer to do the work, carefully warning him of the family's "black sheep" problem. (Uncle George had been executed in the electric chair).

"I can handle that situation so that there will be no embarrassment," the biographer assured the children.

"I'll merely say that Uncle George occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution. He was attached to his position by the strongest of ties and his death came as a real shock."

God’s grace is freely given to all humankind in equal proportion - even Uncle George if he had accepted it.

One problem we have about God’s grace is accepting the universal application of it. Sometimes we look at people and say things like "They’ll be damned to hell for all eternity." But we must realize that God’s grace is available to all who will receive it.

"If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." (Romans 10:9-11 NRSV)

John Newton (1725-1807) wrote the beloved hymn, "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound." After his mother died when he was a child, Newton went to sea with his father, eventually becoming a sailor on a slave ship. After a time, Newton became the captain of a slave ship.

In 1748 Newton had a spiritual awakening as the result of a terrible storm at sea. He abandoned the slave trade and became an ardent foe of slavery. At the age of 40, Newton was ordained in the Church of England, despite his lack of formal education. He served the St. Mary Woonoth Church in London for 25 years, until his death.

John Newton wrote his own epitaph: "John Newton, Clerk, Once an Infidel and Libertine, A Servant of Slaves in Africa, Was by the Rich Mercy of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Preserved, Restored, Pardoned, and Appointed to Preach the Faith He Had Long Labored to Destroy."

It is thought that the first verse of "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound" describes Newton’s own total experience of God’s grace.

Is anybody listening? Jesus is speaking to us as real persons with a real problem in relating to the question of "Who should be regarded as the greatest?" There is no mincing of words, no twisting of reality; the person who is last shall be first. Jesus, remember, repeatedly described God's judgment in terms of how we feed and clothe and otherwise minister to the least of His brothers and sisters. It is not our position in life that counts, but what we do with it. It is not the mere exercise of power and authority that counts. What matters is how we exercise that power and authority (as parents, for example). Status, as important as it may be, does not explain the human person, Jesus is telling us.

As it is given to us we must be willing to pass that grace on to others. At rock bottom, to humble oneself, to be at the service of others. That is as good a description as any of the high cost of Christian discipleship. But, in our self-centeredness, all too often we are unwilling to pay the price. We grow fond of listening to the voice of exaltation saying from within, "Don't give! Take! Get all you can for as little as you can." And then When Jesus Christ becomes real to us, when we hear the Christ Spirit speaking from within, a profound change takes place.

There are times when the whole world seems to be laughing at Jesus, and His followers who proclaim that the number one priority in their lives is not to satisfy personal greed but to satisfy their brother's need.

God’s grace is freely given to all humankind in equal proportion.

What does that mean for you and I today? It means that we can receive His Grace if we will simply accept it. Sometimes I feel like a need an extra dose of Grace. I have learned throughout my life that God will give me exactly what I need, at the time I need it, if I will only accept it. He doesn’t hold a gun to our heads and say "I am going to force you to accept my Grace!" God isn’t like that. Another aspect of His Grace. "I will give it to you if you will accept it."

It also means that we can reach out in a true spirit of servanthood and discipleship and share that grace with others.

Only in a ministry of loving service, can we discover the secret face of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What about you this morning? Are you in need of experiencing the Grace of God? Have you felt like you didn’t deserve God’s grace? That’s the hard part to understand and accept. God’s grace is something we don’t deserve yet He gives it to us anyway. Are you willing to accept it and share it? May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.

Amen.

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