Connie Snyder, Director of Child Care at the Center, said, “This will definitely enhance the children’s preschool experiences. We love to do art, have lunch and to do special projects outside. These tables will allow us to resume these activities with the children.”

The Women’s Outreach Ministry donated nearly $24,000 to local charitable organizations over the last year. The Ministry raises funds for local and global charities throughout the year by holding bazaars, plants and baked good sales, and through the operation of its ministry-run Episcopal Thrift House on Second Street in Sarasota.

The child care center at the Pines was originally created solely for the use of Pines’ employees, but has since opened its doors to the community, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?”

Most of you have by now met or know about our daughter Katie, who is now two and a half years old. This past Wednesday morning we got up as usual and started on our regular morning routine. Getting her ready for her day while I feel half asleep is usually a challenge and Wednesday morning proved to be no different. Beginning the routine, we fed the dog and I asked her what she was going to do at school today. She asked me for chocolate milk and I asked her what she wanted to eat. So far, everything seemed to be going fairly well. She said, “I want to eat grapes, Daddy”. This was an unusual request for breakfast, but seeing no harm in it, I prepared a bowl full of grapes for her. Everything seemed to be going so well when the bottom fell out. She threw the bowl of grapes on the floor and began to cry.

As she began to melt down, I just stood there completely confused. And, almost as lifted directly out of the text of our first reading, I asked myself “what more was there to do to get your morning off to a good start that I have not done”. The answer is…nothing. She had been given love, some responsibility, some playtime, her favorite drink, and the food that she asked for. So what was the problem? The problem, it seemed, was that she was still sleepy, and, being unable to articulate it, she simply cried.

However, there is an important difference between the cry of a two year old, who cannot articulate her feelings and the cry of violence being spoken against in our first reading. Jesus illustrates it well when he uses the same imagery from Isaiah against the religious leaders that were continually confronting him.

He speaks of the vineyard planted by the householder, who we are to understand to be God. He provides everything for the vineyard that is necessary to produce the fruit that he wants: the hedge, the winepress, the tower, and of course the good land. All that is required to produce this fruit is for the people to take care of the vineyard. It should take care of itself as long as they simply follow the “Growing Grapes for Dummies” handbook.

The difference between the cry of a sleepy two year old reacting out of instinct and the cry that arises from the vineyard can be summed up in this statement that comes from the vineyard tenants: “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” That, ladies and gentlemen is malice and forethought.

Our Lord is convicting the tenants not only of taking the blessings that have been provided and using them for their own ends rather than the purposes for which they were intended…but of deliberately and maliciously striking out against true faithfulness in favor of comfort and self-interest.

Jesus is saying that these tenants will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep what they have and to get more of what they want. The very next sentence after the end of today’s reading says “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them”. Indeed he was. Jesus was telling them that they had received the blessings of God’s promises as well as the messages, warnings, and comforts of the prophets and because of these things, they had been entrusted with the mission of producing the fruits of justice and righteousness demanded by God. However, instead of seeking first the kingdom of God, they built and maintained institutional systems that elevated the system over the mission with which they had been entrusted.

Of course, as Jesus said in the parable, the tenants, otherwise known as the chief priests and Pharisees did indeed cast Jesus out of the vineyard, putting Jesus to death outside the gates of Jerusalem. There are certainly many reasons why they did this, and one person’s reason may not have been the same as someone else’s reason. But, as Jesus spoke in the parable, the underlying reason for the behavior of the tenants was the comfort of maintaining a system built on their own self-interest.

And though we should feel a sense of anger towards them for the actions they took in order to maintain a system, we should also be careful that we do not pat ourselves on the back too hard for not being like them. After all, have you ever heard the phrase, “it’s never been done that way before”? Usually, when we hear that, it has something to do with maintaining a system or a way of doing things in which we have become comfortable. Although there is nothing wrong with feeling comfortable, we all have a responsibility to be vigilant against allowing our comfort zones to overrule the mission of producing the fruits of the kingdom of God. If we are not careful, we are no different from the tenants in the vineyard or the chief priests and Pharisees that they represent.

As I’ve said before, we all have reasons for doing what we do… our dear daughter had a reason for reacting in the way that she did, even if she is not old enough to understand it or articulate it. However, we aren’t 2 years old anymore, and by now we should know what our reasons are. God expects fruit from us. He expects anyone living in the vineyard to produce results for him…not just results…but results for HIM. If we don’t…if we keep the benefits to ourselves, or if we are armchair Christians then he asks, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?” The answer, of course, is nothing. He has given everything necessary for growth.

When we consider what bearing fruit for the kingdom of God means, we often get overwhelmed by thinking that we don’t have what it takes to be a superhero for Christ. But God has already said that he has given us everything necessary, not to be a superhero…but simply to be faithful. Faithfulness produces its own fruit. The question we have before us is this…do we care more about being faithful or being comfortable?

October 3, 2008 / Sarasota, FL — On Sunday, October 19, several downtown churches are hosting an “Organ Spectacular,” as part of an international event initiated by the American Guild of Organists and designed to celebrate the magnificent music of organs and the talented organists who play them.

Ann Stephenson Moe & Dan Cartlidge

The Sarasota Organ Spectacular will be a progressive recital of Widor’s Symphony No. 5, performed in five movements, by five area organists, on the organs of four downtown churches.
Charles-Marie Widor was organist of Saint Sulpice in Paris in the late 1800s. His organ symphonies were notable for the translation of orchestral sounds into organistic terms.

The community is warmly invited to this free recital, which includes an opening reception.

The Organ Spectacular will begin at 6:00 PM with a wine and cheese reception at the Church of the Redeemer, located at 222 South Palm Avenue; followed by a 7:00 PM Evensong service with the special work being the performance of the First Movement – Theme and Variations — of Widor’s Symphony No. 5, played by Ann Stephenson-Moe, Redeemer’s Organist/Choirmaster.

The recital will then progress to an 8:00 PM performance of the Second Movement — Allegro cantabile — at the First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak Street, performed by Carol Hawkinson, Organist.

At 8:25 PM, Dr. Robert Reeves, Minister of Music at St. Boniface Church on Siesta Key, will perform the Third Movement – Scherzo – at the First United Methodist Church, located at104 Pineapple Avenue.

At 8:50 PM the recital will progress to the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1031 South Euclid Avenue, where the Fourth Movement — Adagio — will be performed by Gregory Chestnut, Organist/Minister of Music and Fine Arts.

At 9:15 PM the recital will return to the Church of the Redeemer for a performance of the final Fifth Movement — the famous Toccata –by Daniel Cartlidge, Assistant Organist/Choirmaster for Redeemer.

With the exception of the 6:00 PM reception, all times given are approximate. A nightcap of coffee and dessert will be offered in Gillespie Hall at the Church of the Redeemer after the final recital.

For more information about this event, contact Ann Stephenson-Moe at the Church of the Redeemer (941.955.4263) or contact any of the churches and organists identified in the bio/background detail which follows this press release.

Last week we had the great privilege of having Fr. Philbert Kalisa from Rwanda with us. This was his third visit with us. Fr. Philbert is the Founder and Director of REACH Rwanda, an organization that promotes reconciliation in that country in Africa.

When Fr. Philbert first visited us a couple of years ago his organization was new and word was spreading about what had happened in Rwanda back in 1994. A film came out about the same time about the genocide in Rwanda, which really helped Americans understand what happened there. In a period of 100 days one million Rwandans of the minority Tutsis were massacred by militant Rwandan Hutus.

Fr. Philbert’s organization works to reconcile family members of the victims with those who murdered their loved ones. One way this is happening is through the building of homes. Those who did the murdering are building houses for the families of the victims. Those family members bring lunch to the builders. Slowly, relationships form and reconciliation, which is strongly encouraged, takes place.

It’s hard for me to imagine a more difficult task than that which Fr. Philbert and his helpers have taken on. Forgiveness is never easy, but when you’re talking about forgiving someone who killed your husband, or your mother, or your children, or your siblings, or your best friend – and in some cases it would be all of these and more in the case of just one person – it would be so difficult. Most in our society would say, “No way. I don’t want anything to do with that person. I will always hate him for what he did.” Even Christians would say that, after going to mass and saying, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” “Oh,” we would say, “but surely God doesn’t expect me to forgive such a heinous crime as that.” Oh, but he does.

Well, we don’t have to worry about that. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of us have not experienced a person murdering a loved one, although indeed some of us have had even that happen. But what about the other ways we have been hurt?

I have heard many confessions over the years. God has blessed me with a terrible memory for such things, so I don’t remember who says what. But I do remember that I have rarely heard a confession in which forgiveness isn’t one of the problems that the penitent is dealing with. “How do I forgive my wife who cheated on me? My business partner who stole from me? My son or daughter who won’t speak to me?” I suspect that nearly everyone in this room has a relationship problem. If you don’t, then count your blessings. And if you have a relationship problem, forgiveness is going to be part of the equation.

The Gospel for today deals with forgiveness, even though that word is never mentioned. A householder has a crop to harvest. He must get it in quickly and he hires harvesters throughout the 12 hour work day. At the end of the day he pays everyone the same wage. Those who worked all day were furious because they didn’t get any more than those who worked one hour. They were all paid a denarius, a day’s wage.

The first thing we need to understand about this parable is that it really isn’t about laborers in a vineyard. Jesus is not trying to revolutionize economic theory. The parable is about God’s judgment and mercy. There are those who have loved God and served him all of their lives, and those who give him no thought until their death bed conversion. The parable is saying that no matter when in your life you repent and turn to the Lord, your sins are forgiven and you will inherit eternal life. God is generous, and he accepts our repentance whenever it comes.

But the parable isn’t just about God. It’s about those laborers who worked all day. Like the elder brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, they resent the householder’s generosity. Those who have been faithful all of their lives feel cheated that their reward of eternal life isn’t any greater than those who turned to God at the last hour. God is generous and they are petty.

There are many lessons here, but the one I wish to key in on is about forgiveness. There is now a rift between those who feel cheated and those who got a really good deal, or so it would seem. There is resentment in their hearts. And that’s the problem.

I had some difficulty understanding some of what Fr. Philbert had to say last week. I heard his sermon three times. The first time I thought he said that those Rwandans who could not forgive were in a prison they had made for themselves. I thought to myself, “That is a really good metaphor for a lack of forgiveness.” At the 9 o’clock mass I realized he wasn’t saying prison at all. He was saying poison. Those who harbor a grudge have a poison in their system that poisons everything in their lives.

Both metaphors work, don’t they? You forgive, and you get out of your self-made prison. You forgive, and you purge your system of that poison of resentment. The irony of being a victim of someone’s ill will is that you can be hurt twice, the first time when the person does the deed, and the second when you choose not to forgive. That second time is the hurt that goes on hurting. It hurts us emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. The reality, though, is that we all have the power not to be hurt the second time. We can forgive.

Every year or so a movie comes out that deals with the afterlife. A familiar theme of such movies is a person dies but his spirit is trapped on earth until he takes care of some unfinished business. The newest such film is Ghost Town. Linda and I saw it just the other day. A young man is hit by a bus in downtown New York and instantly dies, but his spirit remains. I’m not going to tell you the plot, in case you want to see the movie for yourself, but suffice it to say that he had some unfinished business with his wife that had to be resolved before he could meet his Maker. That unfinished business included, of course, this issue of forgiveness.

Brothers and sisters, we spend so much of our time in pursuit of things that won’t matter a year from now; in fact, we spend a great deal of time in things that won’t matter five days from now. And yet, we have problems in our relationships that can be resolved if we are simply willing to take the time and make the effort and yes, take the risk. How we deal with our relationships does matter—eternally. The makers of Ghost Town know that. Fr. Philbert works with that concept every day. Jesus taught it over and over again. We have heard it so many times it’s easy to ignore it. And yet, if we were told we have only one week to live, all of a sudden those relationships would be thrust front and center. Why put off what is most important in life? Why not resolve to do something today toward reconciliation or simply to strengthen the relationships you have with those you love?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, in case you didn’t already know… on a scale of 1 to 10, I’m about a 9 ½ on how introverted anyone can possibly be. I would also consider myself quite shy, which is not necessarily the same thing. So…being an introverted, shy person, climbing into this pulpit in front of hundreds of people on any given Sunday is not exactly something that I ever thought I would be doing. So, why do I do it? That is a question that I ask myself sometime.

Our first reading speaks of a watchman. Someone who stands on top of the city walls and keeps watch for anything out of the ordinary…for something that might cause damage to the city or its inhabitants. The idea is that if there is enough warning, the people of the city can prepare themselves to fight, or brace themselves against what’s coming, or run for safety. Having enough warning can make all the difference, as anyone concerned about hurricane season can tell you.

We read about the prophet who is called a watchman that the people can be given enough divine warning so that there is time to turn away from the path of destruction before it is too late. If the people who hear the warning pay attention to it and take action they will save themselves. If they hear the warning but do nothing to make ready then they bear the sole responsibility for the consequences. However, if the watchman sees the sword coming but does not sound the alarm the people will be harmed but the watchman will be held responsible for the harm that comes to them.

Being a watchman is a great responsibility knowing that the safety of so many is depending on you. I would imagine that it is also a great burden because the watchman must take care to stay alert for trouble and that vision remains clear enough that it can be recognized when it appears.
Because as we all know, there is no shortage of trouble to be found in this world, and it takes so many different forms. This watchman is responsible for alerting everyone that the sword is coming.

So, getting back to my earlier question about “why do I do this” when my personality would much rather read a book or have a conversation with a very small group…or sometimes even hide under a rock?

It is because I am supposed to be a watchman…for that matter, every preacher is supposed to be a watchman. You can see it in the way pulpits are built. In addition to the very practical reasons to allow the preachers voice to carry more easily in the days before microphones, they also give the impression of a watchman’s post. Symbolically, the preacher can see what’s out there and then tell the people what he sees…to give them warning if necessary.

Today, I am here to give warning. There is a sword coming. This is not something that we are used to hearing in our comfortable church building, but I must speak it. There is a sword coming. Now, I would not be so bold as to presume that I know what form that sword will take. I am not a supermarket tabloid looking for sales by flashing a sensational headline. I am simply here to speak the truth. And, although I am not here to predict what might happen to us in our personal, communal, national, or international life I can with great certainty say that at some point in time, you…and I…and everyone will die…a sword is coming to carry you away.

It is, of course, something that we all know, at least on some level, but how we live our daily lives often does not give that impression. The reason I say this is because we seem to spend so much time living for ourselves that we are caught living a double life. On the one side we spend our time and money, our thoughts and our plans on ourselves – how we will get ahead, how we will protect our interests. On the other side, once the party is over, we are looking to be received by the one who says “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” And whether we like it or not, those are two very different attitudes.

So, with this in mind, I’d like to look now at this Gospel passage that we often hear, seldom understand, and rarely practice. Jesus tells us the steps to take when there is a problem between Christians. First, would everyone agree that there are problems between Christians? Of course there are, because we have all done things wrong, every one of us has done something to cause someone to be upset with us. Sometimes we have done it intentionally, but often we have done something completely by accident and without even realizing it. The bottom line is that it is not whether or not you have hurt someone in the past or in the present that determines if you are living the life of a Christian…it is what you choose to do about it that determines if you are truly following him.

Taking my two earlier points about living for yourself, your advancement, and your interests and living for the one who says deny yourself and take up your cross will produce two very different ways of handling the inevitable conflicts that come up. When the one who lives for him or herself gets offended or is sinned against, the reaction becomes an exercise in insulating the self.
There is anger, that then becomes resentment. Because it is about the self, the person is occupied in proving to themselves and others that they are right and the other person is wrong. This type of behavior often involves talking behind the other person’s back often to justify one’s own position.

In contrast, Jesus tells us that the object of conflict resolution is not to justify ourselves but to seek the others good. Notice that he says that if your brother sins against you…go to him…not to justify yourself to your brother…but in hopes of gaining your brother back. The focus is not on you as much as it is on the relationship you have with those around you. To this end, there is nothing behind the back. It is all up front. Ideally, the conflict will be addressed at this first level, but we know all too well that it doesn’t always work this way. Jesus then tells us to get other people involved…again, not to prove our rightness to others… but so that the community can help you gain your brother back.

I think we would all agree that there are enough problems in the world without adding to them. We often add to them by carrying around our hurts, our pains, our resentments, our broken relationships. We spend a lot of time convincing ourselves and others that we are the one that is right and the other is wrong. You or I may, in fact, have been right, but when you die and the one who slighted or offended or hurt you dies who will know the difference?

By Jesus words, we are all watchmen. It is not simply reserved for the one standing up high in the pulpit. We are all supposed to be looking out for one another. As I said, a sword is coming, we will all die. Don’t let the sword catch you unprepared in your relationships. We’ve been warned…we have time to prepare…now the choice is ours to make.