The Grace of Giving: Owner or Tenant?

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Fall Stewardship Series – Week 1

October 8, 2023

Matthew 21:33-46

 “The Grace of Giving: Owner or Tenant?”

Today we begin a 4-week series on Christian stewardship; that is, managing all of the gifts which God has given to us: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Each year we do this, and because we do, we might be tempted to think: “We’ve been through all of this before. Been there, done that.” Is there room for growth in our lives? Are there still things for us to learn? And the answer, of course, is yes. As long as we are living and breathing, there is always more for us to learn and grow in what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Our theme for this stewardship series is entitled “The Grace of Giving,” and this comes from a passage in Paul the apostle’s second letter to the Corinthians. Here, in chapters 7 and 8 of 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about the grace of giving. I would encourage you to read through these two chapters of Scripture. The specific verse from Scripture that guides us in this series is found here, and I invite you to read it with me now: “But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7). We will examine the Gospel lessons appointed for each Sunday through the lens of this passage using different weekly themes. Today, as we look at Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard, the theme is “The Grace of Giving: Owner or Tenant?” May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.

Here at St. John’s, we are known as the “Church of the Three Crosses.” The 55-foot tri-cross tower on our front lawn is a landmark that people know as they drive by on Franconia Road. Our congregation’s mission statement draws on this image: “We gather around the cross, formed and fueled by God’s grace, and are sent into the world to invite all people to a live transformed by Jesus Christ.” That gathering around the cross is both literal as well as spiritual. The cross of Christ – reminding us of all that God in Christ has done for us there at the cross – is central to who we are and what we are all about. The free and unmerited grace of God in Jesus Christ flows out from the cross to people of every generation, including our own. From this mission statement are four vision elements: Gather, Disciple, Manage and Invite. We have structured the various ministries of our Church Council around these four elements. Stewardship – managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes – is concerned with the third element, “manage.” This is how manage is described in our vision and mission statement: “We see our time, our possessions, and our selves not as things we own, but as that which belongs to God. Our calling is to help each believer grow in a lifestyle and worldview that are Christ-like, honoring the Lord with our whole life. We joyfully return to God everything He has put into our hands – all that we are and have. We strive to help one another discover our unique and God-given talents, using these in ways that will be a blessing to people inside and outside our congregation.” All of this sets the stage for our 4-week stewardship series.

We’re back in the vineyard today, just as we were one week ago. Last Sunday, Jesus told the parable of the father who askied both of his sons to go and work in the vineyard (Matthew 21:23-32). One said no, but then went, while the other said yes, but didn’t go. Another vineyard parable follows today as Jesus continues to speak against the chief priests, elders and scribes – the religious leaders. Today’s parable is problematic for us. We think to ourselves, “If I were that landowner, I would’ve handled things very differently. I certainly wouldn’t have sent my own son into that death trap after what the tenants did to all the other messengers.” When it comes to stewardship, it doesn’t begin with us; it begins with God. The tenants in the vineyard acted like it all belonged to them. Sometimes we do the same. We talk about “my life,” “my money,” “my possessions,” but in truth, none of it really belongs to us. We are merely the managers of what belongs to God. Psalm 24 begins with this truth: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). God is the owner, and we are the tenants. That’s the starting point of Christian stewardship. Dr. Harry Wendt, author of Crossways! Bible study materials, made the point in his teaching that the Apostles’ Creed should really be changed from “I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,” to “I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker and Owner of heaven and earth.” The point of Dr. Wendt, now age 92, is well-taken. We can easily forget that everything in this life – our selves, our time, and our possessions – all come from the hand of the Lord. He has merely entrusted these things to us for a time. All that we are and have comes from the Lord and returns to the Lord. The grace of giving begins with acknowledging that the Lord is indeed Maker and Owner of heaven and earth, including our very lives.  

Today’s Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 5:1-7) makes clear that God’s chosen people are actually his chosen vineyard, but they were not producing the fruits of righteousness that the Lord desired. To turn this mess around – to redeem and restore the vineyard to its intended purpose – the vineyard Owner did indeed send his own beloved Son, and the tenants killed him. That beloved Son is Jesus himself. He was sent to the very people God had chosen, but they rejected him, and nailed him to a cross. But from that cross – an instrument of death – springs forth new life. All who receive what Jesus has done at the cross through faith are given power to become the children of God. Born of water and the Spirit through Baptism, nourished by God’s Word and holy Supper, the fruits of faith are seen in how we view ourselves and one another; how we are in relationship to God and our neighbor. The grace of giving begins with God who has given us life, creating us in his own image, and who has now given us new life through the life, death and resurrection of his only begotten Son. Why would God do all of this? Why go to all this trouble? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just torch the whole vineyard, burn it and its occupants to the ground, and start over again? God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:1ff.). Where we would respond in anger and vengeance, God responds in patience, forgiveness and love, all so that we may love and serve one another as God in Christ has loved and served us. “My life,” “my money,” “my possessions” – all of these are now seen through a new filter. We now see life through Jesus’ eyes. Instead of asking, “What am I going to do with my life, my money, my possessions?”, we now are asking: “What does the Lord want me to do with all these things that he’s given to me? How can I bless the lives of others so that the Lord is glorified and people are given help where it’s needed?”

All of this means that we have a sacred calling and responsibility to manage wisely and faithfully what belongs to the Lord – our selves, our time, and our possessions. We do that as individuals and we do that together as a congregation, not because we have to, but because we want to. Moved by the love of Jesus, we want to excel in this grace of giving. In the week ahead, you will be receiving, either by email or snail mail, information about how each one of us can participate in our congregation’s fall stewardship campaign. Please give this thought and prayerful discernment, all in response to God’s grace of giving in Jesus. Amen.