Not fair! It's just not fair! How many times have I heard this phrase? From children in classrooms... playground arguments… teenagers being told NO for one reason or another… people grieving the loss of a loved one... Somewhere along the line, we learned this concept of fairness and the injustice of being treated unfairly. It burns and stings… and sticks in our craw! This Sunday we hear the parable from Matthew's gospel about the laborers in the vineyard. In the parable, those who worked all day long wind up getting the same pay as those who came and worked for the last hour. A recipe for resentment and disgruntled employees for sure! Probably many of us on hearing it would like to say "that's not fair." But that's not the point of the parable. Jesus is talking about the upside-down nature of the Kingdom of heaven. The kingdom Jesus is ushering in is one of righteousness and justice based on God's generous grace, mercy, and love. All the laborers in the parable received the pay they had been promised. The grumble wasn't with the amount of pay but the generosity of the owner of the vineyard. Jesus challenges our beliefs and expectations of how the world is supposed to work. He invites us into his “upside down last shall be first” Kingdom to experience his generous grace. It isn’t fair…it’s more...more than I can ask or imagine! Blessings,
Matthew+ Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP p. 234) | 
