Acts 2:43-47

43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

These verses from Acts 2 describe a dynamic church life.

Vs. 43 says that signs and wonders – miracles – were happening in the church. But none of those miracles are described – instead we move immediately to talk about the sharing of resources – food, material goods, money. This then is a sign, a wonder, a miracle, the sharing of financial resources with those who were in need. The people of the church generously helping each other. They pooled their resources to help the needy.

They were together as a community on prayer and worship, and they had meals together. Sharing food – with glad and generous hearts – those who ate in another person’s home were glad for the hospitality offered to them and those who showed hospitality rejoiced in the opportunity to be generous to others. For there is a graciousness required of guest, just as there is a graciousness required hosts. For the early Christians that graciousness as either guest or host rested in the truth that they were people who had come to believe (vs. 44) in Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. That truth brought them together in a unity of a shared loyalty.

That loyalty in and to Jesus was greater than their loyalty to any other reality in their lives. That shared commitment made them one and caused them to see that the gracious generosity they experienced in Jesus Christ was to also be a marker of their life together.   

This dynamic community life was obvious to all who saw them in the temple and in the various homes where they met, the generosity was so attractive that others were drawn to it. But notice who gets the credit for the growth – “the Lord” – not the church leaders, not the people of the church – the Lord God is the one who causes the growth of the church.

PRAYER:

O Lord, shape us into people who gather with glad and generous hearts – in our worship, in our fellowship, in our listening for your word, in our prayers. Teach us the joy of sharing with those who are in need, that together we might be the body of the church of your Son, Jesus Christ in hose name we pray. Amen.      

Matthew 20:1-16

20 ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; 4 and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” 7 They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 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.” 13 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? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

The parable Jesus tells feels confusing because it seems unfair. The owner went to the place where day-labourers went to try to find work. And at 6 am (a day’s work was 12 hours 6 am to 6 pm) he hired a group of workers saying I will pay you the daily rate for the day’s work. At 9 am the owner was back to hire more workers promising to “pay you whatever is right” to these who would work 9 hours. Then there were the 12 noon workers who were also promised “whatever is right” for their 6 hours. And the 3 pm crowd who were promised “whatever is right” for 3 hours, and finally the 5 pm hires who worked 1 hour. All the workers, regardless of how long they worked, got the regular daily wage. Those who worked 12 hours saw what the 5 pm workers got and they thought they would get more than the daily wage, but they got the daily wage, which they had been promised, just like those who worked one hour. 

The owner challenged one the 12-hour workers who was upset saying, “Are you envious because I was generous?” And this cuts to the heart of the matter. It is okay when we are the receivers of generosity, but we are not so happy when other receive a generosity we do not receive.

This envy shows up in a variety of ways in our lives, such as, “I have been part of this church for a very long time, the views and opinions of the long-time members are more important than the views of the newcomers.” Or “It is not fair that people who at the last minute decide to follow Jesus, get to go to haven just those who have been following Jesus all their lives.” 

May our generosity be such that we can rejoice when others receive God’s generous goodness in abundant ways, even when we feel left out.   

PRAYER:

O Lord, teach us the generosity of not being envious when you show generosity to others. Shape us to simply rejoice in your great generosity regardless of who receives that blessing or how it is given. In Jesus’ name. Amen.