Latest / St. Paul Podcast / Showing Up 9.27.26

Transcript

Showing Up 9.27.26 · St. Paul Podcast

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: Hi everyone and welcome to the St.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Paul Podcast.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Mark Neethammer, Senior Pastor at St.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: Paul Lutheran Church, located in Davenport, Iowa, part of the Greater Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Right here each week you will find beautiful music and a message of hope and good news to guide your life.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'm hopeful that this podcast can inspire you and help you on your journey of faith as you grow in love and trust in our God.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is in Jerusalem just days before his arrest and trial.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: As he teaches in the temple, the chief priests and elders question the authority behind his words and actions.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Rather than answering them directly, Jesus asks a question in return and tells them a parable.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Here's our reading from the 21st chapter of Matthew.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, By what authority are you doing these things?
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: And who gave you this authority?
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said to them, I will also ask you one question.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: And they argued with one another.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: So they answered Jesus, We do not know.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: And he said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: A man had two sons.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: He went to the first and said, Son, go and work in the vineyard today.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: He answered, I will not.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: But later he changed his mind and went.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: The father went to the second and said the same.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: And he answered, I go, sir.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: But he did not go.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Which of the two sons did the will of his father?
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: They said, The first.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: And even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: This brief parable asks questions that are not as simple as they first appear.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: As you listen to today's message, I invite you to hear the invitation to join in God's work in the world and the promise that you belong to God no matter what.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us know this sometimes strange distance between what we say or what we intend to do and what we actually do.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: We say, I'll call, or I can help with that, or I'll be there.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we mean every word of it in the moment.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the call somehow goes forgotten, and the promises we made slowly slip down this list of everything else demanding our attention.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: At other times, our first answer is no.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have the time, I don't have the energy, I don't have room for anything else.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And then later, something tugs at us and we go anyway.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Today, Jesus tells a story about this distance, that space between the answer we give and the life that we actually live.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: But Jesus doesn't just tell this parable as a general lesson about keeping promises.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: And he doesn't tell it in just some rare parable, specifically in Jerusalem, in the temple.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: And Jesus has just arrived to Jerusalem, riding into town on a donkey with the crowds lining the streets, shouting, Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus visits the temple and he flips tables of everyone that's buying and selling, treating the temple like a marketplace.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: He throws them out and then he begins healing the people that come to him, all while the children proclaim him to be the son of David, the Messiah.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: And Jesus' actions challenge what the religious leaders, the religious leaders control of this sacred space, the temple.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: So they demand by what authority are you doing these things?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: To the religious leaders, Jesus is a rebel rouser with no recognized standing to teach or heal in the temple.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: While their authority is tied to credentials and education, established roles and reputation, Jesus' authority is almost unrecognizable.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus uses his authority not to protect his standing, but to heal, to forgive, to restore, to send others out into the world with power of their own.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: And comparing these two types of authority is less like comparing apples and oranges, and more like comparing apples and helicopters.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: They're not even competing versions of the same thing.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus' authority is in a class all its own, given by God and exercised in communion with God.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus reveals that God's authority is known by what it does.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: It gives life, it forgives, heals, restores.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus turns the religious leaders' understanding upside down, right alongside their tables, and he tells the story of a father who asks his two sons to go out and work in the vineyard.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: The first dishonors his father with a public refusal, I will not.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: But later changes his mind and goes.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: The second son gives the respectful answer, yes, I will.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: But he never follows through.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: So Jesus asks, which of the two did the will of his father?
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: The leaders answer the first, if not somewhat begrudgingly, because then answering this, they expose the distance between saying the right thing and joining God in what God is doing in the world.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: They realize Jesus isn't really asking about the sons at all.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: He's asking about them.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: And in the end, asking about us too.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: When God's will is unfolding right in front of you, will you recognize it and join in?
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: The question then is not simply if we say yes or no when we're asked to go into the vineyard.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: The question is what happens next?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: When God asks us to tend the vineyard, to love our neighbors, to repair harm, to welcome someone who's been left on the edges, or to carry grace beyond the walls of the church, will our words become our actions?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: And when our first answer is no, well, we trust that the Spirit can still turn us around and lead us into that work anyway.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: One of my teachers ends worship with the words that we've all come to expect and then adds two of his own.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: He says, Go in peace to love and serve the Lord somewhere else.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: And everyone gives that little chuckle the first time they hear it.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: But that humor carries a truth that we sometimes forget.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: We're not children of God only inside these walls, and we're not called to be the church just to the people we share the pews with.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're called to the vineyard to work out there.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's the kitchen table where it's hard to say, I'm sorry.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's the workplace where someone's dignity is easily overlooked.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's our neighborhoods where someone is lonely.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's the community that desperately needs love to be more than just a word.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: These are the places we're sent to sow the love of God.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: We have been, and we will continue to be both brothers in this story.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: We've said yes and found ourselves too tired or too busy when the time comes.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: We've said no and later felt ourselves tugged to show up anyway.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: And our no is rarely a no of defiance.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's often a no that arises from long-to-do lists, endless practices, rehearsals, work meetings, and that those small pieces of family time that we have to fight to protect.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we've already sacrificed to fit everything else in, and we can't imagine what more we could possibly give.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the weight of the world is just too much.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes, in the middle of all of that weight, people show up anyway.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: This summer, the Texas Hill country was struck by devastating flooding, devastating flooding.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Many of the affected communities were the same communities that had impacted by equally devastating floods the summer before.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: And in Kerr County, a mechanic named Nathan was trying to clean out his business after the flood waters had once again destroyed his tools, equipment, and machinery.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: He and a single employee started cleaning up the shop by themselves.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: They were exhausted.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: And the memories of the last time they had had to do that were all still too fresh in their minds.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then three volunteers arrived.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: They started helping them clean.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: No major financial contributions, no major building projects.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: They couldn't erase what the flood had done.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: They just showed up and got to work just cleaning.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: The three volunteers and Nathan accomplished enough that the shop was able to open just a few days later.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: And Nathan later said that what mattered most, the biggest difference, was simply knowing that someone cared.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we imagine that doing God's work requires some grand gesture.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: We need to have all the right words or the right skills, the right amount of time, or some extraordinary calling.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: But most often, the work of the vineyard looks remarkably ordinary.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's just three people just showing up.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like bringing a meal.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like sitting beside someone that's grieving.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like making that phone call you've been putting off, no matter how late it is.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like noticing who's missing from the room and sending them a note or a text just to say you were thinking of them.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like helping clean up the mess that no one expected to have.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes when we are the ones that are exhausted and at the ends of our ropes, it looks like letting someone else show up for us.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because the vineyard belongs to God and the work is God's work.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: And we're not asked to ever carry any of it alone.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus' parable tells the truth about this gap between our intentions and our actions.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: But it doesn't leave us trapped there.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: The first son can change his mind.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that means by grace, so can we.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: We recognize ourselves as both brothers.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: We want desperately to do what is right, but life gets in the way sometimes.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: And yet, every now and then, the needs of our loved ones and our communities, we feel that tug of the spirit calling us back into the vineyard.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: We make time, we show up, we care for one another.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: None of that is smooth sailing, it's all easier said than done, and none of us is gonna get it right every day.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: But Jesus makes clear that the entrance to the kingdom of God has nothing to do with a perfect track record.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: We don't need to always say or do the right thing before God will receive us.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: Even when our words and actions fall short, God's grace and mercy is there to hold us, to turn us around and welcome us into the kingdom of God.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: Despite their shortcomings, both of these brothers belong to the Father.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Before we say yes, before we get it right, before we show up, before we do anything at all.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: We belong to God.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: And from that belonging, we get called into the vineyard, sent out into the world to do God's work.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: We may say yes and stumble.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: We may say no and later show up anyway.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: But still, the Spirit keeps calling, and God keeps meeting us with grace and mercy.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: And Jesus keeps reminding us that the vineyard will always be there and that we don't have to do any of it alone.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: So go in peace to love and serve the Lord somewhere else.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks be to God.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Give us today our daily bread.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: As you go into this week, may you trust that you belong to God before you achieve anything, before you get it right, and before you even show up.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: When your yes falters, or your first answer is no, may grace hold you and remind you that God claims each of us as God's own, surrounds us with love, and calls us to share that love with the world.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: So go in peace to love and serve the Lord somewhere else.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you've enjoyed this podcast and thanks for your support of the ministries of St.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: Paul Lutheran Church.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: Our commitment to endeavors that lend hope to other people stretches across the country and around the world.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: We hope that in a good way you feel a part of that reach.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: Tune in next Thursday for another edition of the St.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: Paul Podcast.