POST #150 - A Day Without Questions

Matthew 20The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went.

"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'

7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'

8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'

9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Today, my church belatedly celebrated Cinco De Mayo - which, really, is a rather odd holiday for a church to celebrate. We are an inclusive church, but to be honest, we have no Mexican's in our congregation. Considering that Mexico is predominately Roman Catholic, and we're not, that makes a lot of sense. But, as usual, it being a sunny day and all and perfect weather for a long walk on the beach, I digress...

I was sitting up in the choir loft this morning, singing, and listening to the sermon, and my mind started to wander. I told my former pastor, who had a real poetic writing style, that my mind tended to wander when I heard some flight of fancy that set my mind loose. I never remember what it is that sets it loose, but my mind seems to get frequent flier miles most days - where it will goooooooo... (Sorry, Beatles...)

Anyway, this combination of things got me to thinking about the whole Day Without Immigrants that we just had and I realized that after all this, I was still undecided about how I felt or where I should stand on the issue. A person I love but who has decidedly more conservative politics than I do sent me a blood curdling e-mail that is making the rounds - a piece of isolationist rah rah anti-everybody crap that I couldn't wait to erase and delete. As usual, I left no comment to this person, but read it out of respect for their feelings and also to see what the thinking is on the other side of this issue. Ultimately, this e-mail made me very sad. I was upset about the entire Day Without Immigrants and upset about the entire E-Mail Without Compassion. I was decidedly in the middle. So in the midst of this mental wandering, I somehow managed to send out one of those silent prayers to God for discernment.

You think E-mail is fast? Think again. I'd no sooner thought it, than I remembered this passage from Matthew 20 (though not the exact chapter and verse, which took me 30 minutes to find - God never wanting to make it too easy on me, knowing my lazy tendencies).

I don't think this is spelled out precisely. Its just grist for the mill. But my mind immediately began to interpret it this way. America is the greatest nation in the entire world. We have abundance. We have freedom. We have ideals the rest of the world wants. We have jobs. The first settlers worked hard here and have been working hard here since the foundings of this nation. They feel the most entitled to the abundances of liberty. Then there was the first group of immigrants who found themselves being treated equally, even if they hadn't worked the same amount as the first group - they were there to help. And so on, each succesive generation of new immigrants (no matter how they arrived) helping to cultivate this great nation, to nurture it, to protect it, to provide it with the nutrients of freedom. And now, when we are succesful, we look back at this latest group of arrivals and we say, "How come they get the same blessings of freedom and jobs and everything else as we do? We were here before them. We should get more!"

It doesn't work perfectly, but it does speak to human nature. No matter how good we've got it, we feel we deserve more... or less. I know where I've been in jobs with people only a short time and shared in their Christmas party or company picnic or whatnot and I don't feel as if I've deserved such a gift. But, of course, I was a member of the company and it was a company gathering. This led me to think of a solution to this whole problem that is going to seem counterintuitive to a lot of you.

Instead of a Day Without Immigrants, let's have a Day Without Dash Americans. Let's make our theme this year for the Fourth of July a call to embrace all people who are in this country as Americans. Not African Americans or Chinese Americans or Mexican Americans or English Americans or Martian Americans or Republican Americans, but Americans. The Statue of Liberty calls for this great nation to open its doors - "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free." We are a great nation. We can take the overflow. That's what makes us great. And we are a great people, all of us immigrants of one type or another. So, truly, let's open our doors. Let's embrace all people. But let's make sure we remain the America we all love and adore.

Come, come as you are.
No clothes on your back,
No food in your sack,
Leave it behind and come.

We will clothe you.
We will feed you.
We will find you shelter.
We will let you work.
Leave it behind and come.

There will be no more fear.
There will be no more want.
There will be no more oppression.
Leave it behind and come.

We only ask one thing.
No flags, but our own.
No nations, but our own.
No loyalty, but our own.
Leave it behind and become an American.

God has provided us with so much and as a nation so blessed, we have an obligation to give back. If we are truly a people of faith, then we must trust that God will not let us down. Now is not the time to look inward. Now is not the time to fear strangers, horde food, and keep this abundance for ourselves. That is not what has made us great. Whenever there was a disaster, we rushed to send aid. Whenever a people cried out for help, we did what we could to protect them. Whenever someone said it couldn't be done, we struggled to make it happen anyway. This is the greatest nation in the history of nations. We have done more, seen more, protected more, and meant more to the world than any nation before us. If this great experiment is to continue again, we must not be destroyed from within. I reject both sides of this debate. I reject those who come to this country and want something for nothing. I reject those who want to close our borders and keep it all for ourselves. We can not be so petty or so foolish. Let us look to God for discernment in this and all matters. Let us become a righteous people of the world again.

This ends my 150th blog post. I hope you've enjoyed them so far.