"An Upward Call for the People of God"
March 17, 2013
The 5th Sunday of the Christian Season of Lent
Isaiah 43: 16 – 21/Psalm 126/Philippians 3: 8 – 14/Luke 20: 9 – 19
His Eminence
The Most Reverend Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines D.D.
Archbishop of Manila
and
Primate
of the
National Church in the Philippines
and
the Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church
How quickly Lenten Season comes to an end. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, then Easter, which is the great gift of God’s love being manifest to us. We are called by God with the intention of preparing ourselves to receive a great gift that requires a responsibility on our part.
Many of us always have the attitude, “Give me; take care of me; supply for me. Where are my entitlements?” This is the cry of the whole world. Who takes the responsibilities? Who handles the tasks that are not pleasant in order that supply can be provided for others?
We are challenged to prepare ourselves to receive with great honor and great thanksgiving what God has prepared for us. We have built in our lives defeatist attitudes where we do not think that things will get better. The government has always been corrupt; it will always be corrupt. Finances always difficult; prices always going up; quality going down. We live in a world of disappointment, of failure, of defeat; and we set on our own hearts an attitude of expectancy of that failure. Things will not get better. Traffic gets worse; utilities get worse; phone service supposed to be getting better but instead of better we have problems.
We set our mind of expectations for failure and defeat, and yet in Scriptures, God tells us, “I am preparing you for something greater.” Even in our troubles, tribulations, trials, conflicts and failures, these are all meant for purpose and a reason. God is preparing us for something greater. We need not get use to where we are. We need to have a heart and mind set on that which is expecting something good to take place.
In Isaiah, God was speaking to Israel, “I formed you. You are mine. Do not fear. I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.” Do we see such assurance and confidence in our relationship with Christ? Do we have this assurance in our heart? Yes, you may go through the difficulties today, but these difficulties are an open door to the greater things of tomorrow.” God reminds the people of what they have gone through. He tells them, “I am going to change all of that. Yes, I know that you went through the wilderness. I know there was nothing there. I understand the frustration and the anxiety that was there, but did I not bring you out? Did I not take you across the Jordan? Did I not bring you into the Promise Land, a land of milk and honey? I did not leave you. I did not forsake you. I brought you forth.”
God also said, “Don’t call to mind the things of the past. Don’t ponder on those things. I am going to do something new. Remember that desert? That wilderness? I am going to make a road across there and I am going to bring rivers of water into the desert. I am going to change the desert.” Another portion of Scriptures talks about the desert blooming with a garden. This is because God brings His creation to fulfillment. He has created it with a purpose. Man’s sin has brought on it the curse, but He is not going to leave it there. He is going to change it; He is going to bring something greater into our lives. God says, “The people who I have formed for Myself will declare My praise.”
This should be an attitude in our lives – an expectation of that which God is preparing for us. We may not see it today. We may not think that it is possible today, but yet God has foretold that it is coming. Psalm 102:18 says, “A people yet to be created that they may praise the Lord.”
Are we ready for this? Are we expecting this or are we so consumed in the situations that we find ourselves in today that we don’t see any potential of hope? We don’t see any light in the darkness; we don’t see any joy in the sadness. We have separated ourselves from an awareness or the knowledge and the greatness of God. We have lost sight of the plan that He has prepared for us. He is not leaving us in the wilderness. He is not leaving the wilderness to be that which is destitute; but it is changing the destitute, the rivers, and the gardens that which brings forth life because God created the earth to bring forth life. The day will come when creation has been delivered from its curse and will bring the fullness of its ability and power.
We are in the last week of Lent. Are we preparing ourselves for something great in our lives? Do we see with expectation that which is ahead? Do we understand how much God has given to us? Do we understand the fact that Christ never leaves us? He never forsakes us. He is a Father to us. He provides the comfort, the counseling, the security and the serenity, the fulfillment. This is the purpose in our lives. He is like a father image to us. He supplies and He does not fail to take care of us. But do we desire to know that? Do we understand and do we want this in our lives?
St. Paul tells us in Philippians 3:8, “I consider all things but rubbish just to know Christ.” “I just want to know Him because here is my hope. Here is my joy. Here is my security. Here is my peace. Here is all that I am. Just to know Him and to know the power of His resurrection. This resurrection set me free; it brought new life to me. This resurrection restored my relationship with the Father. Just to know Him and to understand and to know what He has done.”
Verse 14, “I press on forward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of our Lord Jesus Christ.” How can we have defeat in our hearts and in our minds? How can we have failure all around us if we have that upward call intensely written in our hearts and our minds? “I am expecting something greater to happen. I am expecting my deliverance to come. I am expecting my healing to be made manifest. I am expecting all the darkness to flee in the greatness of the provision of God be made known in my life.”
Is this the attitude that we have? We have been delivered from our enemies that we may serve Him without fear. Do we allow our enemies to still have that place in our lives if God has set them aside? Do we still find them with control over our thoughts, our minds, and intentions? Do we lose our ability to move ahead because we allow the fear to control us?
Peter tells us we were chosen by God that we proclaim His excellencies. Here is the life that He has given to us. Here is the goal that He sets in our lives that we can proclaim His excellencies. Why is it that those things are not understood by us? Have we really set everything else aside? Do we find all the other things but trash in order that we may know Him and know the greatness of His life? Do we not understand the temptations that are put in our pathway to get our minds off of the greatness of God’s gifts to us? The greatness of His provision in our lives? Are we so concerned with the things around us, the failures, the defeats, the drive to be accepted and to be successful that we forget that all of these come from God? He is the One who gives us the wisdom and the power and the wealth. It is He that has given to us all things. Have we forgotten this? Have we turned away from these?
Today’s gospel is a parable that Christ gave to the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the scribes. He talked about a vineyard that had been prepared. It was a vineyard with choice vines; with wall protection built around it; with a winepress and a tower to make certain that the enemy would not attack. All of these prepared and the owner went on a journey.
In all of the accounts of this parable, the vineyard was rented out. We have several words in Scriptures that have been used for this “rented out.” Leased; let out; rented. This indicates ownership that is not of the vineyard keeper. It is someone else property. The owner went away but when it was time for harvest, the owner sends a servant to collect his portion of the harvest. Three different times, he sends someone to collect; three times he has been denied.
In today’s society, if you rent a piece of property and you don’t pay the rent, soon you find yourself in trouble. This parable is not so far away from our lives today. Many people today cannot really own property. They rent and they understand that in renting this is not their property, but they have to keep it. For a business, they maintain it for their own benefit, but there is cost, a price that has to be paid. They know that if they don’t pay the price, they will be eventually evicted.
In this parable, the master of the property sends the servants three times. Three times, he is denied his profit that which is due to him. He says, “If I send my son, they will respect my son because he represents me. He is not just a hireling, but my son. He also owns this property.” The son goes and they see the son and they talk upon themselves and say, “If we will kill the son, he is the one who has the inheritance of this property, then the property can be ours.” But the owner is still alive. With just destroying the heir, will this make you automatically the one to receive the property? They killed the son so what do you think the property owner will do? He took away the property and gave it to someone.
This parable was spoken to the Pharisees, the Sadducees and to the Jews, Israel. Israel had been chosen as God’s special people. They were His nation. He had blessed them but they have not given to Him what was due unto Him. Instead of the thanks and praise that was due to Him, they had taken everything for themselves. Jesus was telling the Pharisees, “I am going to take it away and going to give it to someone else.” Jesus gave it to the Gentiles and now opened the door to be a part of His family. Roman 11, “If he cut off the branches from the olive tree because of rebellion, lack of productivity, and he grafted you in its place, do you not understand that if you do not produce, he will also cut you off?”
This is a real challenge in our lives. We think we own the things around us. We think we own our property, our homes, our cars, our jewelry and all these things that we have. “This is mine. I have a title to this.” But the world is the Lord’s and all that is in it. We are simply those who rent from God. He has given to us for our needs to be met, but at the same time, He expects something back from us – an acknowledgement that it is His and He is the Source of all things in my life. It is because of Him that I have what I have. It is because of Him that I am who I am. My life depends upon Him. My very health, my wisdom, my understanding is because of Him. I may have developed it but it is because of His provision in my life. All things are His.”
In the parable, we are the lessors. We have leased this property and we owe obligation. We owe God. Just the fact that we acknowledge Him is what He is asking for. If you rent a building, as long as you pay the rent, the owners won’t care what happens. They don’t care how much money we might make in owning the property as long as we pay what is due to them. In a business, you rent a building and you then use the building to make you profit, to benefit yourself, but you have to pay the owner. You give to him what is due to him. As your agreement, so fulfill it.
In our lives, we are to acknowledge God. In Isaiah’s writing, God said, “People that I have formed will praise Me. Those I have chosen, they will praise Me.” Is this the attitude of our lives? This is not just the parable regarding Israel and the Gentiles, but it is a parable showing God’s ownership of the world and our obligations to Him. Are we honoring Him? Are we acknowledging Him as the Source of our lives? Am we recognizing Him as the One from who all things in our life have come? Do we praise Him for it? Do we give Him time of our lives? Or are we so self-centered that we don’t have time for Him?
“My time is too precious to me. I don’t give Him anything. I don’t acknowledge Him. I don’t take care of the poor. I am not involved in charity. I am not involved in taking care of the widows, the orphans. I am not involved in supporting the things that which God has established. I don’t give Him my tithing.” The tithing is an acknowledgement of who God is. It is a proclamation in our lives that we respect Him for what He has given to us and we say to Him, “God, You are the owner of all things. You have allowed me and You have given to me the privilege of benefiting from what You have done. I acknowledge You for it. I praise You for it. I lift my voice in thanksgiving. I bring my thanks to You in material things. I bless You for all that You have done.”
On this last week of Lent, we are challenge to remember that which we receive requires of us thanksgiving. It requires of us acknowledgment as to who the ownership of all of these is. It is not us. It is Him!
Land does not belong to a nation; it belongs to God. A nation is a caretaker. A nation is that which watches over it and uses it. There is the necessity of acknowledgment of ownership. Who owns it? Who is the one who created it? Who developed it? In many ways in our lives, we recognize this and when it comes to the things which God has done, it is amazing how we quickly forget acknowledging Him as the Source of all things.
When someone builds, they want to sell or they want to rent it out. We understand the obligations. God created all of these and He placed us in the middle of it and He provided everything that we need and He only asks for acknowledgment. He only asks that we praise Him; that we give to Him that which is due to Him. This is why the parable is there. It is saying to us to give what is due Him. The praises of our lips; the thanksgiving that we have for the breath that we breathed; the air; the sun; the rain; the strength; the wisdom; life itself. It is giving Him the praise, the honor and the glory!
There are times when I would notice in the congregation where in the midst of praise, some have their arms folded like they are saying, “Don’t bother me. I am in control. Who do you think you are? You,God? Boo!” I would like to slap them and say, “Would you wake up? You are nothing without God!” Do we not have thanks for Him? Do we not acknowledge Him? Do we come out of our self-centeredness and our pride to bow, to give Him thanks, and to give Him glory?
God is the Source of all things. He deserves our thanks, our praise, and our attention. It is setting aside for a moment the things of the world and focusing upon Him. Paul says that the other stuff is just trash, rubbish. Yes, it is there, but it doesn’t really count. What counts is our relationship with Him. Knowing Him; knowing what He has done for us. It is acknowledging that and in so doing praising Him for it and the other things will come.
Matthew 6 says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the other things will be added unto you.” We struggle; we have anxieties; we battle to make certain that we can get the things of life when He said, “I will provide them if you put Me first in your life. Seek Me first.”
This is what Paul is saying, using a different terminology. “These other things are rubbish. The most important thing in my life is knowing Christ and His resurrection. It is in that resurrection that I have been set free. I have been delivered from all these things. These things no longer have authority over me. They no longer have bondage in my life. I have been delivered by Christ in His resurrection. I have been given new life. All the old things have passed away; behold, all things are new and all the new is from God. Therefore, I give Him thanks and glory and honor!”
When the joy is in our lives, everything around us doesn’t really seem to count. The problems are there but they don’t affect us because we know we have a Source that is far higher. He is One that will not fail to provide and take care of us.
As we come to the end of this Lenten Season and we prepare ourselves to receive the gift of the Cross, are we thankful for what God has done? Are we ready to give Him acknowledgment and say, “Yes, You are the One who has delivered Me. You are the One who has given Me the ability. You are the One who has given Me the strength. You are the One who has given Me my mind the ability to think and be creative. You are the One who is the Source of everything in My life. I honor You. I worship You and I praise You.” This should be boiling within us, just waiting for that release to say, “Hallelujah! My Master, My Lord, My King, and My Source of everything!”
This is what God draws us – a higher calling – coming up above the turmoil, the strife, and the darkness of life as the world knows it. Giving to us the ability to come to the top of the mountain to be like an eagle to soar into the heights, way above the turmoil, the strife, and the anxieties that are around us in society. It is breaking through the fears, knowing that these things will not last. They will soon pass away because my God has been with me and He will stay with me and He will bring me through out of the darkness and into the life.
A royal priesthood; a holy nation; a people of God’s own choosing to declare His excellencies. Are we declaring excellencies or are we caught in fear? Fear is not of God. Timidity is not of God. God gives us power, strength and a strong mind to worship Him, to thank Him and to praise Him.
May we be those people that He said, “My people, formed by Me, will praise Me.” May we be the ones who praise Him because He has formed us. May we recognize and understand it. May we proclaim it for His glory and His honor, Amen.
LET US CONTINUE OUR REFLECTION
WITH
CARDINAL OF HOLY MOTHER CHURCH
AND
VENERABLE PRIMATE
OF THE PHILIPPINES
THROUGH
THROUGH
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