Opening Prayer: O gracious and holy Father, give us wisdom to
perceive You, intelligence to understand You, diligence to seek You, patience
to wait for You, eyes to behold You, a heart to meditate on You, and a life to
proclaim You, through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. ~Benedict
of Nursia
Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16
Journal: Who can you relate to most in the parable? Why?
How does this story speak into your life right now?
Reflection:
I don’t know about you, but I can really relate to
the guys standing in the marketplace late in the afternoon still waiting to get
picked. It just wreaks of neighborhood
baseball games doesn’t it? The big, the
strong, the skillful, the athletic going in the first round, while the rest of
us wait our turn to finally be deemed good enough to participate.
I love that the kingdom of God is not like
that. At least that seems to be one of
the many things Jesus is getting at in this parable. The kingdom of God is not just for the strong
and the skilled and the popular. It is
not just for those who look like they have it all together. But instead, it is for the least and the last
and the marginal and the throwaways.
God, it seems, doesn’t keep score.
He doesn’t grade us as the world does, by appearance and
performance. As a matter of fact, his
heart seems to be draw in a very special way to the folks on the bottom rung of
the ladder. He sees right through all of
the superficial exterior, straight to the heart. And I am so glad.
There is something really wonderful about
a master who pays the last and the least the very same amount he pays the best
and the brightest. There is something
about a master like that I’m really drawn to.
It gives me hope that even if I’m never really great at anything in the
eyes of the world, I can still be great in the mind and heart of God.
Prayers
Closing Prayer: We beseech Thee, O Lord, let our hearts be
graciously enlightened by Thy holy radiance, that we may serve Thee without
fear in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life; that so we may
escape the darkness of this world, and by Thy guidance attain the land of
eternal brightness; through Thy mercy, O blessed Lord, Who doest live and
govern all things, world without end. Amen. ~Sarum Breviary
No comments:
Post a Comment