Job Openings

from my message on Sept. 21, 2014, from Matthew 20:1-16

How much are you worth?  I came to be your pastor in June of 2007, just in time to walk with you through the Great Recession.  Many of you lost jobs, or had your job down-sized, right-sized.  You may have had to take a lesser paying position, or a longer commute.  Some of you lost homes.

It was hard.  What you thought was secure...wasn't.  How you looked at yourself...well, you had to take another look.  What you thought you were worth....was called into question.

It was especially hard on males. Many females suffered too, but we males have a lot of our identity tied up in what we "do."  There was the feeling of shame, of "I feel less than" who I am intended to be.   It was difficult for males to visit with me about their vulnerability.  I remember an encounter with a man in our neighborhood whom I knew well.  He had had a nice big house and a good steady job.  But he got upside down in his house loan.  The sale of it fell through.  He lost his job.  The replacement job he thought he had fell through.  Temporary work and short term contracts were spotty.  He drained his bank account.  He came to see me when he need fuel for his car.  I filled up his tank on his BMW with diesel so he could make an appointment with a possible temp job.  His feeling of shame was palpable.

Those who went through the Great Recession felt like "this is not right,"  "this shouldn't be happening to me," "it's not fair,"  "I've got the MBA,"  "I've worked hard,"  "I have years of experience."

We feel the same way when we  hear this parable that Jesus tells. We have a strong reaction.  Especially when those who worked only 1 hour get the same pay as those who have worked all day long.  We want to grumble, "It's not fair!"

It isn't fair.  But hear the parable from another context.  Justo Gonzalez is theologian who was born in Cuba.  Those of you who have taken Christian Believer will recognize him as the weekly presenter.  He was educated in Cuba and later in the USA.  He has taught in seminaries in the USA and is a clergy member of the Rio Grande Conference of the United Methodist Church.  When he reads this parable in a Latino setting, he gets another response.   Many of the hearers  may be day laborers.  They may be those men standing outside of Home Depot. You have seen them when you have shopped there.  They are waiting on a contractor to come by in his pickup truck, looking for framers, drywallers, landscapers, painters.  When Justo reads that line where those who have worked only 1 hour get the same pay as those who have worked all day, the congregation breaks out into clapping.  "Yes," they say, "that's the way it should be!"

Because it is not about fairness.  It is about grace.  Grace is always amazing.  "Grace that can be calculated and expected is no longer grace."  Get playful with me for a moment.  Can you hear us complaining to God, "Susie got more heaven than I did.   Johnny got more eternal life than I did."  Will anybody receive any more grace than anyone else?

God revealed in Jesus Christ wants everybody to be invited to His holy work.  There are job openings for everyone.....first, last, everyone in between.  Jesus seeks out everyone.  "You are valuable to me.  I have work for you, " He says.  Look at his hand stretched out on the cross.  They are open to everyone.  Isn't this the message of the whole Bible.  All are welcome.

We are invited to be a part of these job openings.  On Oct. 19, we are going to live into ReThink Church + 1.  We are going to call off worship services here in order to be in service out in the world.  Plus we are going to invite someone to join us in making a difference in the world, our Plus One.  You can find more information and sign up at our website.

Watch an example of Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

When we first did ReThink Church 4 years ago, one of the projects we did was Church Under the Bridge.  This congregation meets with homeless people at 7th and I-35.  We were passing out clothes there.  Stephen was helping one woman who was fairly well dressed.  She had not been on the streets very long.  She said, "Everyone of us is just one angry boss away from being where I am."  We are all vulnerable.

One of our members was struggling last week with who to invite as her Plus One.  Another member helped her with clarifying questions.  "Is your son part of a sports team?"  "Yes, he plays football."  "Does he have friends on the team?"  "Well, yes, he does?"  "Do all of them have a church home?"  "Well, no, they don't"  "Could you invite one of them?"  "What a great idea!"

Then this same member said, "But I don't know what service project to do."  Our guiding member said, "Well, you could get a bunch of cookies and little sandwich bags.  Put 3 cookies to each bag.  We use these as desserts for the Mobile Loaves and Fishes meals."  "What a great idea!"

That's how easy it is to find a project and invite someone to join you.  There are job openings for everyone!

I invite you to be in prayer about the project that you are drawn to.  I invite you to be in prayer about the friend, relative, associate, or neighbor who may be your Plus One.

There is a poem that is really resonating with me, especially as I consider job openings. It is only 5 lines written by John O'Donohue, an Irish poet, from his book, To Bless the Space Between Us:

May I have the courage today
To live the live that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my life on fear no more.

The good news is that God has many job openings for you and your plus one.