17 Pentecost/Year A/4th Sunday in the Season of Creation: ADVOCATE
(Pray, Learn, Act, Advocate, Bless)
September 24, 2023
Philippians 1:21-30; Psalm 145:1-8; Matthew 20:1-16
Opening Prayer: (adapted from A Litany for the Earth, Form A)
Creator God, you call us into being. Inspire us with your extravagant generosity, and sustain us with hope in resurrection life. All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of all Creation. Amen.
On this 4th Sunday in the Season of Creation, we pause to reflect on the theme of “ADVOCATE” this week.
In the past few weeks, we’ve touched upon the themes of prayer, learn, and act so far as they relate to the gospel readings assigned in this Season of Creation. The gospel readings, more specifically Jesus’ teachings on what it means to be a follower of Christ these past few weeks, have been some of the more difficult ones for his listeners to grasp. And we have been challenged to think about what it means to be a follower of Jesus, as we are called to be instruments of healing and reconciliation for all God’s people, and for the healing and restoration of all God’s creation.
In the sermons these past few weeks, we’ve wondered aloud and explored how it is that prayer, and learning from creation using all of our senses, can help us better understand and discern how to take that difficult first step in following Jesus in the way of love and life he is advocating for... through the action of turning and returning over and over again to the source of all Creation, by centering our hearts, minds, and lives on the life-giving, life-liberating love of God made known to us in Jesus…
Even when we don’t fully comprehend what Jesus is talking about, even when his teachings are such that it turns upside down everything the church, the world and its people have taught us over the years, even in those times we would rather just walk away from the hard truths and needs right before us that are evident in the people, in all of creation that we share this planet with, even when all of this seems overwhelming…we can hold onto the promise and the resurrection hope, that following Jesus in the way of love and life Jesus is advocating for, will lead to the healing and reconciliation and restoration of life for all of God’s creation.
I hope you have noticed so far that none of these themes, to pray, learn, and act are stand-alone concepts.
And as we touch upon the theme of advocate this morning as it relates to the gospel reading and the Season of Creation – I hope you will see how being an advocate for God, being an advocate for our loved ones, our children, our grandchildren, being an advocate for our neighbors, being an advocate for all of Creation…is another one of those critical links, not a stand-alone concept, that is needed to bind us to one another, under the banner of God’s generous love for everyone and for all of creation.
In today’s gospel reading, there are a variety of ways this story could be told or interpreted…from the perspective of the landowner, the early morning laborers, the manager, the laborers hired throughout the day, and at the end of the day.
Yet, in any story that we read, or listen to, we most often view it or hear it through our own lived experiences, our own “backstories”. Take a moment right now to think about any reactions or feelings that came up for you when you heard this parable of the workers in the vineyard this morning. Who or what do you think you most identified with in the story? Which part perhaps rubbed you the wrong way?
Now take a moment to imagine some other peoples’ reactions to the story, other peoples’ lived experiences or perspective on this same story that we all just heard… Are you able to open up your mind and heart just a bit to consider and welcome their perspective on the story? Their backstory, that we really don’t have all the details, as of yet. If not, what’s holding you back?
In Jesus’ parable today, Jesus begins the story by saying, “the kingdom of heaven is like”…And as the story unfolds, he invites us to pay attention to the whole story, to pay attention to the needs and perspectives of all people, of all creation, and most especially to be an advocate for the voices that are often silenced or pushed aside, and most especially to be an advocate for all of creation, who is crying out every day to be cared for, honored, healed and restored, so that all God’s people, so that all of God’s Creation, will share in the benefits of God’s generous love for everyone, and for all of creation.
The challenge before us, in seeking to understand what the “kingdom of heaven on earth is like”, is to first acknowledge and accept that there are other voices crying out in the room to be heard, voices that are not speaking from the same lived experience as you and I; there are other forgotten people, who are passed by every hour of the day, who have been judged unfairly as not being worthy of respect and stripped of their human dignity; there are those who are regularly not invited to the table or invited early on to help with the decision-making and work of the day…and when they are…their words and offer to help are often brushed aside.
Creation is calling out for her voice to be heard. We can’t ignore her pleas any longer.
Our children are calling out for their voices to be heard. We can’t ignore their pleas for us all to take actions now, to reverse the harm and destruction that threatens their livable planet, long after most of us have passed on.
As adults, as parents and grandparents, as aunts and uncles, we advocate on behalf of our children’s needs every day. The care and protection of creation is one of the greatest needs we must advocate for, on behalf of the children among us now, and their children’s children, and their children’s children, and all those in generations to come.
We advocate for them and their future when we advocate for all of creation’s needs.
Here’s a simple plan to get us started as we begin this 4th week in the Season of Creation…
We begin with prayer, with all of our senses we can learn about the ways we can do this together, we can discern ways, together, that we are being called to act on behalf of all creation, and we can pay attention to the gaps, the broken links, and we can advocate for all of creation, who is crying out every day to be cared for, honored, healed and restored, so that all God’s people, so that all of God’s Creation, will share in the benefits of God’s generous love for everyone, and for all of creation.
Let us pray: Hymn prayer after sermon: Here Am I, Send Me/Lift Every Voice and Sing II, #126
1 Hark! The voice of Jesus calling, Who will go and work today?
Fields are ripe the harvest waiting, Who will bear the sheaves away?
Loud and long the Master calleth,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I, send me, send me.”
2 Let none hear you idly saying, There is nothing I can do;
While the souls of some are dying, And the Master calls for you.
Refrain
3 Take the task He gives you gladly, Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth, “Here am I, send me, send me.”
Refrain
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK
***PHOTO TAKEN BY LIZ FINN - SEE HOUSE GARDENS/SEPT 23,2023