Go, work in the vineyard! (Matthew 21:28)
On Sunday I spoke about being filled with Christ and giving our lives away. As invariably happens when I speak of self-giving love and service, the immediate response was hedging, qualifications and pushback.
It is true that we need to rest, yes, and that sometimes the best way to love is to do nothing. It is true that helpers too often act out of their own unexamined needs, and that we shouldn’t approach life as a duty. It is also true that Jesus healed many people but not everyone; that he took time out to rest and pray; and that he had clear boundaries. I absolutely affirm all of this. But, as I said on Sunday, if our first and only response to any mention of self-giving love and service is to talk about self-care and to hedge ourselves with boundaries, then we will not know the fullness of life in God’s kingdom.
Jesus is blunt: ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.’ (Matthew 16:25).
Personally, I have found this to be true. As a woman in ministry, it is difficult not to feel under siege. My first impulse was to cling to likeminded people, small churches, and safe suburbs, that is, to defend myself; but I was shrivelling up inside.
But when we left our home, extended family and rich network of friends to move to Warrnambool and establish Sanctuary; when I broadened my world and, to the best of my ability, gave you my life; when I stopped trying to defend myself and instead located my authority in Christ, I grew. I came to rely much more heavily on God; and in doing so I discovered new friends, new depths, new joys, and new possibilities – even in spaces that at times have been hostile.
This is the life I want for you. A life overflowing with the joy of communion. A life of connection not just with old friends, but with people with whom you find it difficult to relate. A life where all the parts of yourselves are integrated and find glory in God’s service. A life not of shrivelling, but of flourishing. But you will not experience this if you respond to every call to love with pushback.
Happily, we are not responsible for our first thoughts; they merely reflect our fears, our upbringings, our habits, and our culture. We are, however, responsible for our subsequent thoughts, and for our actions. So I invite you to take some time to pause and reflect on the following story.
Jesus says, ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.’ (Matthew 21:28-31)
No child simply agrees then does the will of the father, for the storyteller knows the vagaries of the human heart. Instead, one says no, then acts; the other says yes, but does nothing. What matters is not the first reaction, but the subsequent action. What matters is noticing our first response, and being willing to unpack and address it. What matters is finding the courage to go beyond our fears and conditioning and prior refusals to do the father’s will. What matters is being open to change.
God knows us intimately and understands our impulses; God is not offended by our refusals. But God wants what is best for us, which, paradoxically, is to love and serve the world. So pray, reflect, and seek the trail of life, love and freedom. It will lead you to a vineyard overflowing with promise. Indeed, the harvest is great but it needs willing workers (Matthew 9:37): so take your secateurs and be ready to serve – and to know life in all its fullness.
Shalom,
Alison
Loving God, we offer ourselves once again to you. Empty us, and then fill us with your spirit, that our words and our lives may be an integrated witness to the presence and power of your love. In the name of the one who emptied himself and gave his life away: Jesus Christ our Lord: Amen.
Emailed to Sanctuary on 8 November 2023 © Alison Sampson 2023.
Alison and the whale 