In a departure to my usual occasional blog posts, this one records the first time on which I have preached in church and hopefully will be the first of several such posts where I have the opportunity to publish homilies and sermons as I begin to explore my vocation towards ordained ministry. I hope readers find it interesting and even inspiring. This homily was delivered at the Open Table Service at St John Waterloo. The Open Table Network is a partnership of churches and worshiping communities that welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ Christians.
Open Table, St John Waterloo, Sunday 8 October 2023
Trinity 18 – Gospel: Matthew 21 33-46
The parable of the wicked tenants, which we just heard in Matthew’s Gospel, and which is also set out in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, is classically interpreted as one of Christ’s clearest challenges to the religious establishment of His time.
He is calling out their failings to care for God’s kingdom on earth and their rejection of God’s prophets and messengers and ultimately of God’s own Son.
Jesus speaks in the presence of the chief priests and the pharisees, only days before He is to be killed upon the cross, setting out what He knew would be His own fate at their hands.
And it seems they understood exactly what He meant.
They knew that when Jesus told the crowd that God, in this parable the landowner, was disappointed in those that He had entrusted with the earth, the tenants of His land – He meant them;
When Jesus intimated that God was saddened by the way the tenants had violated His messengers, the servants, again He meant them; and
When Jesus says that this would ultimately see the landowner’s son sacrificed to the greed of the tenants, yet again He meant them.
And Jesus continues in even more forthright terms.
Invoking that oft cited passage in Psalm 118:
“the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” …
Jesus foretells that “the kingdom of God will be taken away” from those who had failed to do God’s will and it would be “given to a people that produce its fruits”.
He prophesies that those who reject the cornerstone will “be broken to pieces” or crushed.
We learn from Matthew that, realising that Jesus was speaking about them, the chief priests want to arrest him, but are afraid to do so, for fear of the crowds.
So, it seems that Jesus really got them rattled.
Let’s think about this in today’s context:
Let’s think about how we should apply this parable to our faith, our churches, our society, and our place as Queer Christians and allies within those structures.
In interpreting this passage, I think we can safely assume that in addressing the crowd in Jerusalem, knowing full well that the chief priests were listening,
Jesus was laying down a challenge to those in authority for their mismanagement of God’s creation.
And I think it can be argued that Christ’s message was a clarion call, encouraging others present to stand up to those in authority, those misusing their power, those who exclude rather than include, and to see them replaced by different custodians.
He said:
“the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits.
The one who falls on this [the cornerstone] will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
So maybe this signals what Jesus is calling us to do?
Maybe we should be ready to stand up forcefully to those who abuse their authority to create or sustain an unequal society, to destroy our environment, or to uphold an unequal church?
And what a time it is for us to be thinking about that.
A time within the Church of England where we continue to wait to see if Queer Christians might, if we’re lucky, be allowed to have our same-sex unions blessed in church.
A time where the Government is rolling back its commitments to protect our nation’s natural environment and avoid the calamity of the climate emergency.
And a time when, literally in the last few days, we have seen that same Government scapegoating trans people in the kind of dog whistle politics which makes me feel afraid and angry.
Especially as I reflect on just how very reminiscent their language and actions are of the oppressive totalitarian regimes of the first half of the twentieth century, picking on minorities, creating a permission to hate.
As Christians, knowing our Saviour as we do, it’s perhaps not surprising that when Jesus sets out His vision where those who reject the cornerstone end up being broken or crushed by it,
He is also setting out a vision of a more equal society
One where God’s kingdom is given to a people who produce its fruits.
That could certainly be viewed as a socialist or even revolutionary message.
No wonder those in authority were scared.
Well, let us hope that in our time a revolution is not necessary to bring about the changes we fervently seek in our society, in our environment, and in our church; changes that will protect and bring a more equal share in God’s kingdom for everyone.
But let us pray that the time for change is coming soon and that we will have the strength and fortitude to follow Christ’s call and contribute to that change.
Amen.
C. E. Lord OBE 