______________________________________________________

 

Worshipful response, paradigm shift, and parable fill up the palate of colorful themes and genre for this Sunday’s World Communion lessons--perhaps a reflection of the colorful fabric of the Church of Christ.  In them one can discover a fascinating portrait of worship, grace, and stewardship.

Exodus 20:1-4; 7-9; 12-20—Thou Shalt: Worshipful Responses to Saving Love

Thinking in terms of the world-wide church of Christ (and even other religions), there is nothong more universal than the ten commandments. We often miss the connection between the ten commandments and worshipful response, yet the familiar ten ground rules for relationship with God are truly such—appropriate responses to God’s saving love for the chosen people of Israel. Our lesson delineates the actual commandments as they are given to Moses to be reiterated to Israel who awaits both at the foot of Sinai.

Philippians 3:4b-14—Paradigm Shift

Though Paul previously would have applauded the efficacy of the ten commandments as the supreme and only way to live righteously before God, this lesson reveals the break or radical shift in Paul’s thinking that he now held as a Christian: now he holds Christ as the "surpassing value" when compared to his previous zealousness and aspirations to merit relationship with God through law-keeping. For Paul, meeting God for the second time, was to have found the pearl of great price for which Paul gladly gave his life.

Matthew 21:33-46—A Pointed Parable Put to Pharisees

This parable, unlike Jesus’ earlier parabolic section, leaves little doubt as to who’s who in the character line up. The landowner = God; the tenants = Jewish leaders entrusted by God to produce the good fruit of justice and righteousness; the slaves = prophets that God has sent to the people of Israel, but whom their leaders always rejected and killed (cf. Jer. 7:25-26; 2 Chron. 36:15-16; Neh. 9:26; Dan. 9:6).  The message of the parable is a timely one for World Communion Sunday: we don't own the earth and its resources; we are called to be good stewards in "God's vineyard."