The Gospel for November 30, 2004 (St. Andrew)
Luke 20:9-18
And he went on to tell the people this parable, ‘A man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants, and went abroad for a long while. When the right time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get his share of the produce of the vineyard. But the tenants thrashed him, and sent him away empty–handed. But he went on to send a second servant; they thrashed him too and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty–handed. He still went on to send a third; they wounded this one too, and threw him out. Then the owner of the vineyard thought, “What am I to do? I will send them my own beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.” But when the tenants saw him they put their heads together saying, “This is the heir, let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.” So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ‘Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and make an end of these tenants and give the vineyard to others.’ Hearing this they said, ‘God forbid!’ But he looked hard at them and said, ‘Then what does this text in the scriptures mean: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? Anyone who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces; anyone it falls on will be crushed.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
Israel's prophets had been subjected to the fates of the three servants in this parable. A surface reading of the parable makes us think of the crowd as somehow sympathetic to the hostile vine-dressers when Jesus relates that the owner would "come and make an end of these tenants and give the vineyard to others," that God would kill them for such a transgression.
If I back up a second, and remember that these were children of Israel, in the crowd, and that to them, Israel was "the vineyard," I get an entirely different perspective! To have it wrested from them and given to others -- gentiles -- was a drastic, cataclysmic step: the end of Israel as the Chosen of YHWH.
The teaching that follows the story requires interpretation of the story. It is sense-less, otherwise. It's not possible to extract the concept of cornerstone from the parable. But it's bright as day to see the parallel between the beloved son of the owner and Jesus; and then Jesus, as the Messiah, is identifiable as the head of the corner, the focus of YHWH's love for His people.
A Reflection
The owner -- YHWH -- waited for a long time while His children tended His vineyard, and then sent his servant-prophets for His share. In our planet's case, YHWH's modest need seemed to be only recognition as The One True God and Father, and abandonment of the worship of religion, instead of the worship of Him.
Waiting. In reading Father Jake this morning, I was re-reminded that Advent, from the Latin "come toward," is a celebration of three different religious waiting periods: waiting for the coming of the infant Jesus, waiting for Him to come to us in the Word and Sacraments and fellowship of the Church, and waiting for His coming again in Glory.
That waiting, including Israel's history and ours, probably encompasses all of five thousand years, give or take a few millenia.
Since the age of the universe is measured in billions of years, literally millions of times longer than Israel's history and ours, we must seem to be awfully impatient creatures. And although our little planet may have only a billion or two years left in it, the universe gives no sign that it will not continue to expand and re-create itself. In fact, its expansion is accelerating at an increasing rate.
Some respected scientists can conjure up what probably happened in the billionths of a second following the big bang. But I can't find a theory from one of them [that I trust] that can tell me what happened before the big bang -- unless it includes God the Clockmaker.
We wait impatiently for God, who waits patiently for us. When He acted with His great gift of Love and Light, we responded -- almost instantaneously -- murderously; and then, having pondered our actions while He waited patiently, asked for immediate protection from the crushing cornerstone.
In a God-less universe, surely we would now be obliterated, or worse, waiting for that crushing blow to eradicate us?
Instead, we wait with "Christmas" lights and retail figures and thoughts of presents for ourselves to celebrate. Not to celebrate the Greatest Gift. Not to celebrate the gifts of the Word and the Sacraments and Each Other. Not to celebrate the promise of His Coming Again in Glory.
We wait to celebrate everything that is not-God, the great ME.
I need to go look up the meaning of the Greek word metanoia. Again.
The Collect
Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give unto us, who are called by your Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
7:40:34 PM 
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