Most of us know what it is to become protective of something we have worked hard for. A garden, a project, a church community, a way of doing things: we have given it our time and care, and we want it to flourish. Somewhere along the way, though, it can become difficult to tell the difference between caring for something and needing to control it. Am I the steward? Or am I the owner?

Jesus tells a troubling story about a vineyard. The owner plants it, equips it and entrusts it to tenants. When the harvest comes, he sends people to collect the fruit. The tenants refuse. They beat and kill the messengers. The owner sends more, and finally sends his son. Still the tenants will not give up what they have decided is theirs.

It is a violent parable, and we should not hurry past that violence to find a comforting message. But I am struck by the owner’s persistence. He keeps sending messengers, even when the tenants have made it painfully clear that they do not want to hear from him. Most would give up. But this owner cares too much to quit.

The fruit of the vineyard
The tenants’ mistake is not that they have worked in the vineyard. They were meant to do that. Their mistake is to act as though working there makes it theirs to possess.

That is an uncomfortable distinction for those of us who care deeply about our churches and communities. We can put so much energy into keeping things going that keeping them going becomes the aim. We measure what we can see: attendance, money, buildings, the success of an event. These things matter, but they are not the whole harvest. And when it comes to the church, it is not our church at all. It is God’s church. It has survived many centuries without us, and will probably survive a few more if we allow God to remain in charge!

Which brings us to what the church produces.

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Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash