Sermon Preached at Northbrae Community Church, September 18, 2005, By Ron Sebring

Uncorking the Wellspring of Generosity

Crossing the bridge at Vallejo and driving through Napa Valley takes you into another world. Trees arch over the roadway, plush mansions with gift shops and wine tasting bars, and neat rows of grapevines, with ripe bundles of grapes. As you drive by, you may see grape pickers working the vines, teams of them, perhaps traveling farm workers, pickup truck, baskets, sometimes whole families … men, women, children in the hot sun or maybe a cool breeze. They are all dutifully working away.

The scripture lesson for this morning is reminiscent of this scene. Traveling farm workers, hanging around the market place, waiting to be hired. A landowner comes along early in the morning and hires a few. He returns mid-morning and hires some more. He returns a noon and hires some more. He sends them to the fields. He returns at 3:00 and hires some more. "I’ll pay you a fair wage," he says. He returns at 5:00 and finds some more, standing around. "Why are you standing idle, all day," he asks. "Because no one has hired us," they respond. So he hires them and sends them to the fields.

At the end of the day, the workers gather around for their wages. The landowner begins with the last and works his way to the first. He pays the workers who came in at the late hour a full day’s wages. The others noticed, and figured they would get a bonus.

When he paid the mid-day workers full wages, they did not mind; they got more than they expected. However, when workers who worked all day were paid, they got the same.

They grumbled and complained:

--You made them equal to us!

-- We put in more time than they did.

-- They are the lazy ones; they should have gotten a job!

-- This is not fair!

"You made them equal to us!" There is a lot of human nature in this story. Does not "equality" mean that the scales of justice must balance? If we invest more, should we not be paid more? We believe in equal rights. Sometimes we want our rights to be more equal than others. We believe that we are special. (That is what God’s Grace tells us.) Sometimes we want to be a little more special than others are.

However, the landowner pays everyone equally. His argument is compelling. "I have been fair. Everyone got his or her due. No one is short changed." "So why begrudge generosity?"

I grew up at the edge of the small town of Moberly, Missouri, at the end of Taylor Street.

We had a couple of acres upon which to roam, with trees to climb and places to hide.

My folks gardened, raised chickens, rabbits, had a beehive, many fruit trees.

My boyhood hero, back then, was Roy Rogers. We would walk around the yard with toy six-shooters strapped to our legs, playing "hide guns." Saddle a stick and pretend we were riding a horse. One of us would hide in the back yard, and the other would sneak around and try to get the drop on him.                                                                         [TOP]

The neighbor girl about our age, across the way; her parents bought her a pony. They kept it in their fenced in back yard. We could see her ride, on a real live pony, white cowgirl hat, tall and proud. She would wave at us as we rode about on our sticks.

We had a yard every bit as big, and I thought I should have a pony, too.

However, my folks said "No." That was unfair! I wanted a pony in the worst way. It was all I could think about. She had one. Her parents did that for her. Why not me?

That is when my little world fell apart. Roy Rogers met Dale Evans, got married, quit making movies and started singing "Christian" songs. For a little fellow, that was awful!

In the midst of all this feeling sorry for myself, grumbling about how unfair the whole world was, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Sons of the Pioneers, came on our rounded top, vacuum-tube radio and sang a song. Strange what we remember from those early years!

Somehow, that song spoke to my troubled little mind. This last week, I found that song, on the web.

"It is no secret, what God can do,

What he has done for others, He will do for you.

With arms wide open, He will care for you.

It is no secret, what God can do."

Life will bless each of us differently. It will challenge each of us, differently. It may seem that blessings, and challenges, are dealt out unfairly, unevenly. In the economy of our human behavior, we may like to focus on that fact.

"But considering what God can do

What he’s done for others, he’ll do for you."

According to the parable read this morning, there is a fundamental equality in life. The grape workers protest: "You made them equal to us!" Yes, and why not? We all get far more than what we have earned. For this is the very nature of the generosity of the universe.

One writer talks about the ego as having a "victim identity." (Eckhart Tolle, Stillness Speaks, p.31ff.) People have a tendency to dwell on how the world has mistreated them.

They have a tendency to feel sorry for themselves. Too much thinking spent on self-justification, how we do not deserve this, or why we deserve more, and in the name of justice. Staying "even." Sometimes this can consume the whole ego.

Another school of mysticism calls this "Internal Considering." In our stream of consciousness, the thinking that goes on inside our minds, from sun up to sun down, there can be an ongoing considering of the many ways that we have been "victimized." Dwelling on all the things that have gone wrong. How we have been short-changed. Mistreated. "Woe is me!" Reviewing, repeatedly, how it is so unfair. How so perfectly justified, we are.

Internally considering all that is unfair means people can end up with their "victim identity" consuming too much of their mental energy. Spiritual growth is about reclaiming this energy. "Victim identity" is a waste of good mental energy. It does nothing for us. In addition, it crowds out our time in prayer. With "victim identity," there is no room in our minds to let go to God.                                                 [TOP]

Exercises in many schools of mysticism are for becoming aware of our stream of consciousness, taking note of its contents, and purging it of negativity. The mind: a polluted stream, with debris and muddy waters. Filter the water, so light passes through and reflects many colors. The very process of doing this is what leaves us basking in the light of God.

The way to do this is to become less identified with the grumbling grape pickers, and more identified with the generous landowner.

A balloon that takes in air, but has no way to give, will soon explode.

A pond that receives water, but has no outlet, will soon choke with scum.

A stuffed closet has no room for new clothes.

Generosity is a law of nature.

Generosity is not measured according to some scale for what is deserved.

Generosity simply because it is the natural flow of well being.

Overflowing and abundant.

Buddhists tell us that everything we ever need to know about spirituality and religion is learned by making a metaphor out of the breath.

To breathe is the very nature of life.

To breathe is to participate in the vibrational tide of the universe.

To breathe is the very nature of God.

Everything about giving and receiving, everything about balance and equanimity, yin and yang, everything about pausing and refreshing, everything about generosity and the problems of restraint … can be learned and felt in the breath.

There is a Hasidic story about a young man named Yankele. (Paraphrased from Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge, by Michael Rosenak, pp. 249-50.) He had a serious question for his Rebbe, his teacher-Rabbi. He went to his Rebbe’s house, stepped on the porch and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came the inquiry from inside.

"It is I, Yankele. I have an important matter to discuss."

There was no response. Yankele figured that his Rebbe was busy, and determined to come back at another time.

Again, he knocked on the door. "Who is it?" came the inquiry from inside.

"It is I, Yankele. I would like to speak with you."

"Go away!" came the response from the inside.

Yankele was offended, but he was persistent. He pondered, and decided to return.

He knocked at the door.

"Who is it?" came the inquiry from inside.

This time, Yankele remained silent. He said nothing.

A moment passed.

Then the voice from inside spoke: "Come on in, Yankele. Now you are ready to give as you gain."