The prompt for this week’s gospel is right there in the text! Thank you Matthew. There are several, but the last is the first for me, “Or, are you envious of my generosity?”

The work of the preacher as I see it, isn’t to reiterate the question in our sermon with give our answer. It is to open a non-defensive way by which we might invite some curious exploration so that our listeners delve into questions of their own.

Generosity does not come naturally to us. Watch children in a sandbox or siblings at a dinner table or an inpatient infant with her mother. Generosity is taught and like faith, caught as well, right? The homes where we grow up, the culture that forms our identity thats where our accounting system is formed and created. And in my experience, it is rare that being last is generally rewarded.

My immediate answer to the landowner’s question is, “Yes!” A thread through all these Matthean parables is that divine abundance messes with my human accounting system, making me uncomfortable and sometimes envious and angry, too. I’m pretty sure the people in earshot of my preaching can relate to those reactions.

So the follow-up question needs to prompt some non-judmental exploration of a relatable response. Lately, I’ve learned that asking the obvious “why?” might not be the way to go. When we are asked why, we typically reply with “because” followed by a litany of our reasons or defensive explanation of behavior. In other words, asking why is not open-ended.

Preaching, as I hope you agree my preaching friend, isn’t about answers its about continuing to prompt questions long after the sermon has ended. Questions that lead to curious enagagment with ourselves cultivating a heart and mindset of growth.

So instead I might ask, “In what ways does envy serve you?” Personally I am hardpressed to point to a positive example. Another one could be, “how does that thief of comparative thinking benefit you or us?” Or maybe, “Is there are time when you were last, when you came up short or fell behind and despite your assumptions of where that failing would lead someone showered you with opportunities that gave you more than felt you were owed?”

There are plenty of examples in my life, and I trust you have yours, where being on the giving end of that equation led to unexpected joy beyond measure.

Or maybe we could just point out that the self-serving stinginess of the laborers grumbling blinds them to what a great boss they have! Because inevitably I’m sure they too will need a little grace when they show up late for work.

If you’re looking for a modern-day metaphor for this parable, check-out what happened in my diocese last week. A historic resolution on reparations, that I’ll be honest, felt good to witness. Preaching in pandemic, for whatever reason, makes it harder for me hear gospel excerpts as stand-alone units. Last week’s theme of forgiveness connects with this week’s parable too.

When I come up short, a generous outlook is not my natural response. It’s through faith, it’s with trust, that I actively and thoughtfully choose to move in that direction. These days, there are ample opportunities for us to do so.