Living in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
September 20, 2014
Scripture Reading: Matthew 20:1-16
Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?” — Matthew 20:10-13
Why do we work? Most of us would probably answer that we “work” to provide the necessities of life for ourselves and our families. Paul did this as he continued his trade of making tents while he spread the good news of Jesus Christ. For those of us who have chosen to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have added a new dimension to our world of work. Our work has now become a vocation, a summons from God to undertake the obligations and perform the duties of some particular task or tasks as a member of the Body of Christ functioning in our world today. Our first and foremost task as members of the Body of Christ is to help others becomes Christ’s disciples also. Are not the new laborers described in our scripture today our usual “daily wage” in the vocation to which we have been called? Growing the Body of Christ is in and of itself reward for our efforts.
Growing the body of Christ does not merely entail increasing the number of people who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It also means pursuing our own development and maturation as Christ’s followers and contributing to the maturation of all other believers. I had the opportunity to tour Turkey this summer and visit the cities, most now ruins, of the beginning steps of our faith. The vast majority of the population at that time were illiterate. Books had not even been invented. Our forbearers in the faith drew pictures on the walls of caves and later structures to teach the stories of Jesus to a population hungry for the “Word”. We, too, are called to be innovative as we strive with our fellow seekers today to become fully actualized citizens of our world. We do have the advantage of books and digital science and all types of visual and audio aides to help us in our quest for learning. In training people to read we not only enable them to grow in faith but also to grow in their ability to provide for the basic needs of themselves and their families.
Oklahoma Fact: in 2013, 7% of teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 are not enrolled in high school and are not high school graduates.*
Prayer: Turn our work into vocation, O Lord, so that we might grow in wisdom and truth as we help others grow in the faith. Amen.