Pentecost 16 Year A
Donna Joy

Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45, Matthew 20:1-16

Our Gospel reading this morning sheds significant light on what it means to be chosen by God to be a worker, helping to build the Kingdom of God. I’ll reflect on this passage toward the end of this homily, but first I want to reflect on the work of St. Peter’s. This was reflected upon through a parish questionnaire which was conducted last spring. A similar type of survey is distributed throughout the parish every two years, and it’s purpose is to invite feedback to determine how faithfully the ministries (the work) of the parish is being carried out. When Marcus LeNabat and his team, guided by the wisdom and expertise of Lynda Wolf, read and reviewed the responses to this questionnaire, they began to see certain recurring themes (7 themes to be precise). I hope this overview will be interesting and helpful, both to those who live here in Winnipeg and perhaps participated in this survey, as well as those who are worshipping from elsewhere. This will help each of us recall what this parish is about, remembering that those of you who are worshipping from away are considered very much connected to St. Peter’s, Winnipeg.

1. Purpose and Vision Statements
A few years ago this parish spent the better part of a year discerning St. Peter’s purpose and vision. These statements define who we are, along with the work/ministries we strive to uphold, with God’s help.

Purpose Statement
To be a Christian community seeking to love God, grow in faith and serve the world.

Vision Statements

1. We believe that God is calling us to worship that is rooted in Scripture and the ancient teachings of the church, and creates opportunities to experience the Presence of God, so that worshippers are nourished, transformed, empowered and sent out into the world to love and serve.
2. We believe that God is calling us to develop an intentional ministry that implements a sense of welcome and hospitality expressed throughout Scripture and promotes a culture of inclusion and belonging.
3.  We believe that God is calling St. Peter’s to develop disciples through Christian faith formation that is tailored to each age group and informs and transforms our lives.
4. We believe that God is calling us to shift from a consumer-driven culture of paying dues/taking collection to embracing a faith-based culture of stewardship expressed through the generosity of time, talent and treasure that is shaped and rooted in our personal and corporate response to the abundant outpouring of God’s gifts and grace.
5. We believe that God is calling us to further develop active relationships and engagement within St. Peter’s and beyond as we: (1) respond to human need by loving service, (2) seek to transform unjust structures, (3) challenge and resist violence, and (4) pursue peace and reconciliation.
6. We believe that God is calling us to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain and renew the life of the earth.

This most recent parish survey suggested that these statements, as they are written, reflect the work/ministries of St. Peter’s as a continued work-in-progress. While the statements can be considered timeless, the specifics will change as circumstances change. There is acknowledgement, however, that the parish currently falls short on certain aspects of these statements, in particular Creation Care and effective ministries with and among children and young adults. This feedback will be taken into consideration going forward.

The following themes arise from these Purpose and Vision Statements:

2. Continued Commitment to Collaborative Ministry
Several parishioners wanted to communicate the importance of having a future incumbent that is compatible with our model of collaborative ministry and prepared to continue development in this ministry.

Collaborative ministry at St. Peter’s is rooted in this icon of the Holy Trinity: One God, three distinct persons working harmoniously and collaboratively together. With this image – this theology – at the centre, we strive to recognize that all ministries are interdependent; all ministries are reliant on, intimately connected to one another.

3. Celebration of Our Progress in Hospitality
Following the 2018 questionnaire, which identified weaknesses and gaps in our approach to hospitality, this piece of work/ministry was seriously revised. And now, with new and intentional hospitality practices we are pleased to report that this year’s questionnaire identifies this as a strength.

4. Outreach is a Major Focus of Our Energies
I am SO pleased to report that this questionnaire revealed over 80% of the responders are actively engaged in 18 ministries that are a response to human need. Over 60% of these were related to ministries directed outside the parish, either locally or internationally.

5. High Level of Commitment/Participation
St. Peter’s has a large contingent of committed parishioners dedicated to Christian formation and worship rooted in scripture. Over two-thirds of the total respondents are involved in activities related to personal or communal worship within the parish. A similar proportion of respondents indicated they had been actively engaged in Christian formation pursuits.

6. Generosity
Many at St. Peter’s take to heart the call to be generous with their time, talents, and treasures. Increasingly, there is a growing understanding of our Christian call to give generously from all that we receive.

7. Refocusing on Creation Care
As mentioned earlier, this ministry/work is identified as an area that requires more attention. In the open-ended question regarding what change might need to happen with a particular ministry, there were more responses regarding Creation Care than any other area. St. Peter’s once had an active Creation Care group who shaped many of the practices we continue today. However, there is a sense that we have become complacent on one of the single most important topics for the maintenance of our planet.

So, there you have it, a glimpse into St. Peter’s based on the responses from this year’s questionnaire. And even in the midst of a pandemic, numerous ministries continue to flourish and thrive. ministries/work related to Vision and Purpose Statements, such as Collaboration, Worship, Christian Education, Mission and Outreach, Hospitality, Parish Caring Ministries, Stewardship… all this (and more) continues to grow. This is the work of building the Kingdom of God. These are the ministries that continue the work of Jesus. I appreciate the work of these biennial questionnaires because the people who choose to participate tend to be courageous enough to identify what they perceive to be St. Peter’s strengths, as well as name those things that require greater attention. This year’s questionnaire has acknowledged that creation care and ministries to and with children, care givers, and young adults require particular attention.

Now, we turn to our Gospel reading to take a closer look at the role – the place – of the workers who, with God’s help, engage in these many ministries. In this passage Jesus tells a story of a landowner who hires workers for his vineyard; he hires them at different times of day, so that some work many more hours than others. But when he comes to pay them, he gives each the same amount. Of course, this seems extremely unfair/unjust to the labourers who worked long hours but for the same pay as those who came on board much later. Those who have worked just one hour receive the same pay as those who have laboured all day! What’s up with that?

But it is not that the landowner is being unfair; he is being generous. And so it is with the gifts of God’s love. In God’s Kingdom, even those we may consider as the last or the least receive the same gift of grace as everyone else. Often in what I call ‘Churchland’ there are those who claim a place of privilege internally within the structure and polity of the church because they have put in more time than others who have become involved more recently. It is, in large part, because of this that I celebrate St. Peter’s commitment to collaborative ministry, where (as I mentioned earlier) the goal is for ministry to be shaped by the image – the theology - of the Trinity: one God, three distinct persons working harmoniously and collaboratively. Of course this is a work-in-progress, but with this theology at the centre, this questionnaire has identified St. Peter’s commitment to affirming all ministries – all workers - as interdependent; that is, reliant on, intimately connected to one another. Increasingly, all St. Peter’s workers are seen as equal.

Underlying these seven themes which highlight the work of numerous ministries in and through this parish is a long (very long) list of workers, some whom have been offering time, talent, and treasure in and through this parish for decades, and others who have arrived more recently. All contributions are honoured and considered equal. And not only that, as these ministries continue to evolve, workers we haven’t even yet met will arrive and carry on this work as they are called, creating new opportunities for ministry. And not only THAT… AS these ministries continue to change and evolve, if all goes according to plan, in less than a year, an Incumbent – perhaps previously unknown to you - will arrive and carry on the work of leading you into many new beginnings. In our Psalm this morning we heard: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; God’s mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, Oh Lord. Great is your faithfulness.” Throughout the history of the church - generation after generation - God’s steadfast love has been made visible through individuals (carefully, lovingly, created by God, equipped and called to carry on God’s work).

God’s plan has always been to build the Kingdom through the work of humans. We are all frail; we are all flawed. Some begin engaging in ministry early in life, while others enter into the fold much later. But the gift of grace received is not dependent on our striving for perfection, or the number of hours we have offered. It is about responding, whenever we are called, to become one of God’s workers; working collaboratively with the Triune God at the centre.

I thank God for each of the workers sharing ministries in and through St. Peter’s, effectively helping to build the Kingdom of God. Together, let us give thanks for all those who have participated in St. Peter’s ministries in the past, in the present, and those who will continue to establish new ministries into the future.