Pacific Beach UMC

This week’s Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard does not disappoint! If you strongly value “fairness,” you’re in for a ride. Can we possibly hear this parable and see anything beyond the decisively odd behavior of the land owner, whose actions might seem foolish and unfair to many? Is there a different lens through which we might view God’s vineyard and can that lens make a difference to how we see the world around us today?

As Christians we are asked to not only forgive others but to have forgiveness be the fabric of who we are and how we operate in the world. How do we forgive? What does non-forgiveness look like in our bodies, our lives, our families, our world? In a day and age when the cultural climate is rife with suspicion and hostility, how do we get on board with a Spirit-driven climate change that moves us from environments of vengeance to mercy?