Daily Worship

Tenacity

Liz Crumlish August 04, 2015 0 0

Luke 20: 9-18

The Story of Corrupt Farmhands

9-12 Jesus told another story to the people: “A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went off on a trip. He was gone a long time. In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits, but they beat him up and sent him off empty-handed. He decided to try again and sent another servant. That one they beat black-and-blue, and sent him off empty-handed. He tried a third time. They worked that servant over from head to foot and dumped him in the street.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘I know what I’ll do: I’ll send my beloved son. They’re bound to respect my son.’

14-15 “But when the farmhands saw him coming, they quickly put their heads together. ‘This is our chance—this is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all to ourselves.’ They killed him and threw him over the fence.

15-16 “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He’ll come and clean house. Then he’ll assign the care of the vineyard to others.”

Those who were listening said, “Oh, no! He’d never do that!”

17-18 But Jesus didn’t back down. “Why, then, do you think this was written:

That stone the masons threw out—
It’s now the cornerstone!?

“Anyone falling over that stone will break every bone in his body; if the stone falls on anyone, it will be a total smashup.”

God we praise you for lupins that grow through the gravel
their seeds dropped by the birds or carried on the wind.
For dandelions that persist in the cracks
and then spread their seed far and wide, their roots quickly burrowing deep
to support their yellow flower.
For fledglings that, against all the odds, evade their predators 
and, when the time is right, leave their nest and claim their freedom.
For these miracles of nature that speak of endurance and survival
The laws of nature, when allowed to play out
cause us to wonder and to marvel.
Except when we are too busy trampling over beauty
and blazing a trail of destruction
laying waste to delicate seedlings,
uprooting fragile beauty
overturning nests and crushing the contents.
Not stopping until everything and everyone
is ripped from all that is needed to sustain life.
While we tell ourselves: it is all for a greater good.
Lord our track record does not bode well.
The course of history reveals how often we misjudge,
how often we get it wrong because our vision is too narrow
and our sense of justice is to limited.
While marveling at the tenacity of all you have created,O Lord,
Help us to broaden our horizons and trust you to care for creation
and show us how to work alongside you everyday.