Working the graveyard shift of grace
Matthew 20: 1-16 New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE September 20, 2026 Photo of a woman standing behind the takeout window of a food stand. A bright light with a yellow glow illuminates an otherwise dark night. You know a parable is doing its job when it arouses strong emotions in its audience. This one is no exception. We all like to think we are fair-minded, open-hearted people, and then Jesus confronts us with that upside down kindom of his and our true colors are revealed. Funny thing is, as usual, we’re not who we think we are in the story. Naturally, we like to think that we’re one of the early birds, or at least that we were hired and started working before noon. The capitalist, Protestant work ethic—which wasn’t around when Jesus told this story—worms its way into our interpretation, in an effort to place ourselves respectably in the story. Those who were hired last are often thought of as lazy, shiftless, indigent, because we equate idleness with apathy a...
