tenants

He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,
​ who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

Opening Prayers
Look at your feet.
Notice the scraps and marks on your shoes or slippers, or if your feet are bare notice the
lines and wrinkles. Wriggle your toes and notice how that feels.
Look at the ground your feet are on. Is it a carpet? Or wood? Laminate or something else?
When you are ready, offer this time of worship to God:
Creator God, thank you that my feet are on holy ground. As I sit here, I choose to offer the
time to you. I long to meet with you on this holy, ordinary ground.
Amen.

​The Lords Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
 Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen

504 STF – May the mind of Christ my Saviour

Matthew 21:33-46 New International VersionThe Parable of the Tenants
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it,
dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to
another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent
other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he
sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take
his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, 
​who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will
produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be
crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking
about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held
​that he was a prophet.

351 STF – In Christ alone my hope is found

​Responding to the reading
Who has influenced you on your journey of faith? Occasionally it might be a
minister or teacher. More likely, if we sat down with most of you and chatted,
we'd find it was someone different. Maybe the person who knew when to pick
up the phone or offer you a meal to heat up at home. Or it was someone who
offered to pray when all else seemed futile. It was, in short, people who put
their energy into living out the teachings of Christ.
This small, local measure is something that is reflected around the world, from
issues significant to issues small. The local people often have the correct
answer to complex and demanding situations.
The country of Sudan has been caught up in conflict many times. When conflict
broke out earlier this year, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian peace,
justice and nonviolence movement, sent a message of peace and solidarity to
its partner branch in Sudan.
After a few weeks, the Fellowship of Reconciliation then had a fascinating
dispatch from its partner in the world's newest country, South Sudan. In it
Light, their colleague who runs the South Sudan Fellowship of Reconciliation
branch explained how civil society had leapt into action when conflict broke
out. Civil society is a clunky phrase, but its meaning is simple. It's not the
government. It's not business. It;s people like you and me who just get on and
do things! People in South Sudan and sudan communicated to share stories of
safety and security. Then, people in the south mobilised to pressure all sides to
start talking. Soon, a broader network sprung up called ;Because of our
Country, which aimed to provide humanitarian help to people fleeing south
from Sudan.
This network sprung up because they recognised that larger organisations
would take time to respond, and time wasn't on their side. Instead, like the
parable of the loaves and fishes, people would use the resources they had at
the moment to respond – knowing that longer term help would come in later
days.
The people in the network knew about the principles of peace and
nonviolence. But it was only when put into the situation that they discovered
what they were truly capable of. This transformative nature is at the heart of
the Fellowship of Reconciliation (You might like to look up their work online at
www.for.org.uk). If I took you through many stories, you would soon find a
similar example. Ordinary people caught up in extraordinary conflict or post
conflict situations. They turn from everyday people into agents of
transformation because they were trained in skills they could share with
others.
Today;s Gospel reading encourages us all to find power within. It;s a fairly
rough story. A vineyard is established with all the resources and tools required
to harvest and benefit from a rich crop. Unfortunately, the people who work in
the vineyard take short-term moves - including acts of violence - to make
short-term financial gains instead of using their skills to bring in the harvest.
Why does Jesus tell this parable? Because he is warning the religious leaders
and rule setters that the people who live out the spirit of his message will
discover the Kingdom of God. Those who don;t will have it removed from
them.
The Kingdom of God is a beautiful and wonderful place. We hear snippets of it
littered in images and stories throughout the bible. What is clear is that peace,
justice and equality will flourish and all will find a home. That vision is
transformative because we are also reminded that the kingdom of God can be
found here on earth.
So, we are challenged to decide, over the next week, will you use your skills,
gifts and talents to further build the kingdom of God? Because if you do, you
will discover new talents within yourself and further enrich the lives of others.

Hymn: STF 255.The Kingdom of God is justice and joy

​Prayer of Intercession
Loving God, in these difficult times we look around us at the lives of other
people and wonder how things can ever change for the better – we see folk
racked by illness, weighed down by anxiety, tormented by depression, crippled
by debt, broken by drugs and alcohol, shattered through unemployment and
we wonder what hope we can offer them, what help we can possibly give.
“Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”.
We pray for such people known to us now – family, friends, members of our
congregation, neighbours and acquaintances; as well as those unknown to us
struggling under their own burdens.
“Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”.
We pray for our world – for so many people facing suffering, injustice hardship
and death. Reach out to all who are in despair, we pray, all who long for
change but see only hopelessness stretching before them. Touch their lives,
and bring help, hope, healing and wholeness.
“Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”.
Loving God, it’s sometimes hard to believe that those around us and the world
around us can ever change for the better. We see countries broken by war,
people consumed by hatred, thousands living in fear for the future, nations
turned against nation, multitudes made homeless by war and disaster, whole
continents facing drought and famine, and again we wonder what hope or help
can possibly offer.
“Transforming God - may your light shine where there is darkness”.
Help us to see beneath the surface and recognise that you are at work and that
things can change. Help us to see beyond appearances and know that you are
able to transform even the most hopeless of situations. Help us to remember
that sometimes we are the hands and feet of Jesus and able to make a
difference in your name. Most of all may we and all people know the assurance
that there is no one and no situation that cannot be transformed by the power
of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

StF 713. Show me how to stand for justice

Blessing
May I leave guided by God’s ever-present care and love
May I go forward in the assurance of God’s faithfulness and forgiveness, in the beauty and peace,
In the creation God has called each of us to carefor. Amen.