"I Choose to Give"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is no strange thing that you should be scandalized when someone gets something he did not earn. Something about that just does not feel right. You worked hard for your money, and so you have more right to the comforts it can buy than the guy who never worked a day in his life. Those who simply inherit the fortunes of others may be blessed, but they are lazy, at least in the eyes of many in this world. No work, no eat – that is the pattern of this life, or at least it should be, by all accounts.

And yet there are many who live not by the sweat of their own brows, but by the hand of the government and the tax dollars of their neighbors. Our land teems with those who do better on the dole than if they actually worked for a living, given their meagre background and skills. We often feel a sense of disgust toward those who game the system, taking from the hardworking and giving to the lazy, while the rich look on with derision at this middle- and lower-class bickering over pennies.

Sometimes, we are even tempted to think this way with regard to our charitable duties. When considering which causes to support, the common question is who needs it most, or who will do the most good with it? Christian love causes us to give for the needs of others, but we want to know that those who receive our gifts will be really deserving and appreciative of them. This world doesn't run on free lunches, after all. And no one can tell me where to spend my money. It's mine, after all.

But what of God, and what is His? The Scriptures proclaim that the whole universe is the Lord's, and as sovereign ruler, He is entitled to do as He will with it. There is nothing in all of creation that was made without the express will and command of God. All things that are exist in His hand, and were He to stretch out His mighty hand, the world would cease to be in the blink of an eye. But He delights in giving to us the gifts of creation and in seeing the joy we derive from all that He has made. The Lord does not need your praise and adoration, but He sure enjoys it. As a father begets children without their assistance, so our Lord has created us without our say-so or approval.

However, you and I want our works to count for something. As hard as you might try, as many spiritual hoops as you might jump, your work has no worth or value in terms of your standing before God.

Sure, you labor long and hard. Many of you here today have been children of God practically your whole lives. You have put in long hours doing the work of the Lord. Whether it is providing the flowers for the altar or setting up for Communion, whether it is mowing the lawn or shoveling the sidewalks, whether it is mopping the basement or vacuuming the sanctuary – you have put in your time for the Lord's house. And thank you. For without all this effort, the ministry of this congregation would not happen.

Even in less visible ways, you have borne the heat of the day under the Lord's direction. Your days and burdens have not all been easy and light. Playing the organ week after week, coming to church even when the children seem impossible to control, trusting in the Lord when tragedy strikes, believing in the grace of God in the face of death – these are the heavy lifting of the kingdom. More than the physical labor, these spiritual trials are what make the sweat pour and the heart and soul ache.

Of course, you would not begrudge those who are late-comers to the kingdom. Those who came into the Church later in life, by whatever road trod, are still here. It is a wonderful thing to see new faces in the pew and to have those formerly estranged become brothers and sisters in the faith. We even give thanks for those who are saved on their deathbeds and leave this world in peace and joy out of the midst of suffering and agony.

But just stop and consider what the Lord of the vineyard does. After the late-hired have worked only an hour, He gives them the same as He agreed to give the first-hired, who have borne the burden and shed the sweat all day long. Those deathbed converts and newcomers to the party get the same reward as you who have toiled away in the faith all these many years.

That irritates the old Adam within you. You, who have suffered the crafts and assaults of the devil. You, who have sweated under the weight of responsibility and integrity. You, who have sacrificed and saved for the sake of others. You want to have some recognition for all that you have done. Surely your work is worth more than that Johnny-come-lately who slipped into heaven by the last-second “amen”. Surely your contribution to the kingdom is worth more than those poor guys who just warm the pew on Sunday mornings, but never “actually” contribute anything meaningful.

The only reason that some of the workers were first and some were last was chronology. The ones called earlier were first, and the ones called later were last. Our text says nothing about the quality of their work, only the quantity. The master chose to call them in that order, and nothing about them distinguished one from another – only time spent.

But the words of the master proclaim the crux of the whole matter: “Do you begrudge my generosity?” Truly, God does what He wants with what is His. And what does He want? The Lord's greatest desire is to be generous to those whom He chooses.

Thanks be to God that He does what He wants instead of treating us as we deserve! For even your best and brightest work is worthless before Him. St. Paul counted all earthly gain as loss and rubbish in comparison to the gifts of God. The works of the human heart are corrupted with sin, so that even the best works you offer your neighbor are still as filthy rags in the sight of God. You do not labor purely for the love of your neighbor, but rather to make yourself feel better or look good. You do not humble yourself as you ought, but you puff yourself up and you resent those placed in authority over you. For all this, as St. Paul declares, the wages of sin is death. This is the payment you deserve for your works in God's vineyard.

But, above all else, God is generous. His ways are not your ways, and His thoughts are not your thoughts. He does not reckon according to your standards, for good or for bad. Rather than keep an account of right and wrong, of good and bad deeds, the Lord will, and does, freely pardon all sins. He gives the reward even to those who deserve it least. He pays the last of the workers the same as the first.

In Jesus Christ, our Lord shows His complete and utter generosity. He who created all things gave up Himself so that He might redeem all creation and reconcile mankind to Himself. The Lord, who needs nothing and who possesses all things, gave us His grace and mercy by the death of His Son upon the cross. He did not spare any expense, but paid the price to ransom you, “a lost and condemned person … from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” (SC II:2)

In Christ, here and now, even in this place, God does what He wants with what is His. For He has claimed you as His own, marked you with His holy Name, and washed you clean in the holy flood. He has forgiven your sins and pronounced you worthy to receive the crown of life. He has, and will again today, fed you with His very Body and Blood under bread and wine for the forgiveness of your sins, that you may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom forever. The Lord does what He wills with what is His, which includes you. And what He wills for you is to give you His grace, mercy, and peace.

And the Lord is not stingy with His grace. He does not pick and choose to whom He will give. Nor does He only forgive some things but not others. He forgives all who believe, even you. He forgives all sins, even the worst of yours. He feeds you His holy Supper, where you receive not just a simple bite of bread and sip of wine, but the whole Lord Jesus Christ, given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.

Keep your eyes off the gifts given to others. Do not cast the evil eye on the generosity our Lord shows to those late called to the feast. Rather, keep your eye on the prize. Fix your eyes on Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). Do not keep a record of works, but work for the good of your neighbor, always living in the lavish grace which God has bestowed upon you.

Since Christ has full atonement made

And brought to us salvation,

Each Christian therefore may be glad

And build on this foundation.

Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead,

Your death is now my life indeed,

For You have paid my ransom (LSB 555:6).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.