God's Vineyard

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Scriptures: Luke 20: 1-16

• Sermon Summary

  This week, we started the new series, in which we want to tackle the hardest of Jesus’ stories - the parables of judgement. In the first sermon of the new series, Jesus on Judgement, Jeremy encourages us to reimagine biblical judgment and to move away from traditional fire-and-brimstone interpretations. What if we see judgment as God’s loving attempt to guide us toward the path of life, rather than punishment or destruction. The wide road, which leads to "ruin" rather than God-inflicted destruction, is about the natural consequences of harmful choices.

  In Luke 20: 9-16, we have Jesus’ parable of the vineyard as a critique of the religious leaders who try to control who receives God’s grace, forgetting that God’s grace is boundless. Looking at the context for the parable and the wider interpretation of the symbolism in the Old Testament, Jeremy wanted to emphasize that God's judgment aims to remove barriers to grace and restore all people to God's love, because the gospel is "too good to be true”— and that’s the beauty of it.

• Discussion Guide

  Community is shaped by the conversations we share. These questions and reflections are a tool to help you meaningfully engage with the themes of this week's teaching.

  Connect: open up your time of discussion with one or both of these questions:
  1) What has shaped your imagination of God’s judgement? Or, when you think of or hear the word “judgement”, what images or ideas come to mind?

  2) In the beginning of his sermon, Jeremy said that “conversations about judgement are a vital part of getting Jesus right. Because Jesus is not, for a second, interested in simply endorsing our agendas, leaving us the way that he found us, or rubber stamping our desires and calling them holy. No, I think Jesus is very much about calling us toward a new path through the world…The question is how we imagine that invitation…

  For some reason, when it comes to judgement in the scriptures, perhaps because of the somewhat loaded language that's used at times or the cultural framework that we're not particularly familiar with, we tend to think of divine judgement as something that’s aimed at us rather than for us…”

  In what ways do you think conversations about judgment are a vital part of getting Jesus right?
  

  Share: As a continuation of the same topic, share your thoughts on the connection between judgement and personal choices and their consequences.

  Here is a quote from the sermon to guide you. Reflecting on Matthew 7:13-14, and the translation of the words “destruction” (better understood as “ruin”)Jeremy said,
  
  “There’s no external actor doing the destroying here. It’s just what sits at the end of that road. That’s why I think ‘ruin’ would be a better translation here - Wide is the road that leads to ruin.

  So this isn't necessarily a big scary, fire and brimstone passage.

  God is not standing at the end of that road smiting people left and right.

  Jesus is saying—look, the road you're on is going to ruin you.

  Chasing greed, being driven by jealousy and competition, pursuing measurement and status as a way of life is toxic.

  But there is an alternative…

  And make no mistake— that is a judgement. The same way I want to slow my son down and say, ‘Hey, is this really the best way we want to think about the resources in your life.’

  But the judgement is not God wielding Damocles’ sword.

  The judgement is God’s loving attempt to help us discover the path that will lead us to where we actually want to go.”

  How does this shift or challenge your thinking about judgement, personal choices and their consequences?

  Reflect:  on the parable in Luke 20:9-16 and Jeremy’s take on it. What are some of the details in the parable that were new or surprising to you?

  How does the idea that God’s judgment seeks to "bring everything that can be harvested home" resonate with you? In what ways does this differ from how judgment is usually portrayed in Christian teachings?

  Jesus challenges the religious leaders about setting boundaries around God’s grace. In what ways have you seen boundaries around grace set by others, or perhaps even in your own life? How did that impact your understanding of God? And by extension your interactions with others?

  Engage: with the vineyard imagery in two ways - collective and personal. Feel free to choose just one question or none at all, it’s all up to you and your group where you want this conversation to go :)

  If the vineyard represents all the people that God is looking to bring home, and the tenants represent systems and ways of thinking that limit access to God’s grace. What are some ways we can ensure that we and our communities are not part of a system that controls or limits grace?

  And personally, in the parable, the tenants try to take control of what isn’t theirs. How are you learning to let go of control in your spiritual life and trust God more fully? What does that look like in your relationships, work, or faith journey?

  Take away: “The gospel is too good to be true, and that’s the point.”
  How does this idea of the gospel being "too good to be true" connect with your view of grace?

  What is one practical way that you can live out and share this "too good to be true" message of grace this week?

  Prayer from the sermon:
  Almighty God,

  to whom all hearts are open,

  all desires known,  and from whom no secrets remain hidden,

  Thank you for all the ways you speak and guide and invite us toward you.

  As you speak grace and kingdom imagination into our lives,

  would we also open our hearts to hear what you have to say about judgement, and correction, and, ultimately, love.

  We want to want to be like you.

  And so where we need to be reshaped,

  or redirected, or called to repentance

  would you soften our postures by your spirit,

  would you speak to our hearts by your love.

  May we never presume to judge each other,

  but always to be open to the reflection

  that comes from waiting in your presence.

  And so with all the church in heaven and on earth

  all the prophets, apostles, and martyrs before us

  with all the saints that gather around us,

  we worship our creator,  and redeemer,

  this sustaining spirit that fills our breath today,

  in the strong name of the risen Christ

  we pray

  Amen.

• Service Songs & Prayers

  CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 98

  MUSIC Curated by Curt Muller
  Bethel Music - Stand In Your Love
  Mission House - I Don't Have Much
  Brandon Lake - Gratitude
  Cody Carnes - Made For More
  
  EUCHARIST INVITATION
  Written by Scott Wall

  The Christian tradition, which gathers us in worship and liturgy, emerged from a kind of revolution.

  Early Christians came together around tables - serving and providing for each other -

  And as they did they overturned the social, political, and economic barriers of their time -

  They announced a new and peaceful kingdom whose spacious borders stretched out, stretched further — until now, they also include us.

  Here at the Eucharist table, we are invited to stand on a place of equal footing, regardless of if we agree.

  Here, we are offered a place of profound compassion, regardless of if we feel worthy.

  Here, we are welcomed as God’s own, our place secured not by effort…but by Love’s design.

  The gospels tell us that Jesus, during his passover meal, inaugurated this practice when he took bread -

  Breaking and blessing and sharing it as a sign of his commitment to his disciples.

  Then he took the cup, and passed it among them — friends, allies, and traitors alike — all invited to glimpse the practices of a world restored by Christ’s selflessness.

  Here are your instructions.

  At Commons we practice an open table, and all are welcome to participate.

  Those seated in the sanctuary or the balcony will come up the centre aisle and return using the outside aisles.

  Those seated in the gym will come forward using the centre aisle in the gym and return to your seats using the outside aisles.

  When you come forward, you'll hear the servers say, "The body and blood of Christ" and you are welcome to say "Thanks be to God" or “Amen” if you’d like.

  If you prefer pre-packaged or gluten free elements, that will be on a table at the blue wall with me. If for any reason you would like to receive the Eucharist in your seat, please give me a wave, and I'll come to you.

  Now - hear these words of invocation:

  Loving God -

  Host of this expansive table,

  And source of the fruit of field and vine we receive now -

  Mend and renew every anxious heart.

  And where we are empty and worn, come and give us your peace.

  Amen.
  
  SERIES BUMPER
  Jesus on Judgement