Harvest Time. Matthew 21: 33-46

I’ve never gotten to do a harvest. That probably doesn’t shock a lot of you. Its not meant to be an “edgy” statement or anything, it is just a fact of my life, that I have never gotten to be a part of harvesting anything.

Years ago, some genius person at a church decided that instead of calling the special events they held in churches at the end of October “Halloween” parties, they started calling them Harvest festivals. It’s less controversial. And it has stuck. You won’t find too many churches the word Halloween any where near them, but I want you to notice how many are having “Harvest” festivities, especially ones in the cities, where you know there isn’t actually going to be a harvest of anything.

I have sung the word harvest. It is in a lot of our hymns, but I especially notice it in some of the more contemporary songs that I hear in different places from time to time.

So while I have never been a part of a harvest, I think I am beginning to understand the metaphor on a more intimate level.

As for where my understanding currently resides on harvesting, here it is: Timing is everything. Just as there is a time element to when things are planted, there is just the same time element as to when things are harvested. If something takes a certain amount of time to grow and develop, then it needs to be given that time and space for that to happen. That is why you weed and water in your garden, to give the plant the time and space it needs to grow properly.

And, when the time comes. When the plant or whatever it is you are harvesting is ready…you go out, and gather it in. If you gather it too early, you’ve lost an entire crop. If you go too late, the same thing. Timing is everything.

It has to be ready.

In the parable we read from this morning, a landowner buys some property, plants a vineyard, builds a fence, and a winepress. Basically, sets the whole thing up. There is nothing that anyone would need while living on this property. You have everything you need to grow grapes, and press it into wine.

Then, he leases it to some tenants before going away. And maybe I’m reading a little too far into this, but based upon what I know about ancient agrarian practices…the tenants have the right to the land. They can grow grapes, work the soil, work the winepress, sell their product, use their product, whatever they want to do, as long as they give to the landowner the agreed upon percentage of the harvest.
But when the landowner sends slaves to collect, they beat and kill them! Then they do it again! Then when the landowner sends his son, they kill him so they can inherit the land!

I think the first mistake that the tenants make in the parable is that they think the land is theirs. They work the land, put in the sweat equity, so they think it is their land now.

I was told a story that there is a family that lives right on the lake at Lake Hartwell. Just right there next to the water. And that the story behind is that when the lake was built, they just parked their trailer right there next to the lake. Well no one did anything about it. They just lived there. And they continued to live there. And even while a park was being built all around them, they continued to live there. And even with traffic going in and out, they just kept living there until finally, someone tried to kick them off the property, but they had lived there for so long, they had squatter’s rights, and so now they own the property right there on the lake, right at the entrance of a state park!

Maybe this is what the bad tenants thought would happen. That as long as they continued to live there, continued to use the land, that eventually it would just become theirs, and they wouldn’t owe the landowner anything. It would become their vineyard.

And when the slaves come to collect the owner’s share of the harvest, it is a stark reminder that it is not their land. They are tenants, not owners. When the son comes, they realize that even if the owner ceased to exist, it still would not be their land.

And, of course, this is a parable, so everything stands for something. The landowner is God, who created the world and all that was in it, and gave to the people everything they would ever need. But, when he sent people to come collect the harvest, they were rejected. Even when he sent his own son.

And the tenants…they make the major mistake of not only rejecting the servants of God, and not giving God his portion of the harvest, but they want the land. They just want to squat on it until it becomes theirs. To do what they please. For their benefit. And the temple leaders realize that he is talking about them. They think the temple is theirs, but its God’s.

I sometimes wonder if we think the church is ours. I know I slip into it sometimes. Thinking that it is all up to me and that my decisions are the ones that are going to sway the church one way or another. But it’s Gods. It has always been God’s church, not ours. And when we begin to think that it is our church to do what we please, then we are forgetting who gave it to us in the first place.

And all of that is interesting, and teaches us a very valuable lesson especially as our ministries crank up and we are becoming busier and busier, and that lesson is to remember that it is God who gives us all that we have, not ourselves; but I want to show you where the parable really caught my attention.

When Jesus asks what the landowner should do to the wicked tenants. The response of the crowd, not Jesus, but the crowd is…kill them. In more exact words, “He will put them to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

That is our gut reaction. Kill them. They deserve to die. And whenever we get so angry with someone else for something they did that we don’t agree with, we also give that same reaction. If we get mad at a minister, kick him out. If we get mad at a friend, ice them out. If we get mad at our brother or sister, stop talking to them. Remove them from our life forever.

They did something wrong? Not our fault, an eye for an eye, kill them too.

And, they think it is about giving the produce to God at the right time. Doling out the correct payment.

But look instead at what Jesus says.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.

The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the Kingdom.

God isn’t going to kill those who didn’t give him the produce at harvest time. He is going to take it away, and give it to those who can. Those who see the cornerstone for what it is.

A lot has been made recently, especially in the United Methodist Church, about how we are to be a “fruitful” congregation. And I think this parable is a good place to start in how we can explain that.

Because we are the tenants. God set up our church, and told us to keep an eye out for the harvest. God told us to produce good fruit. And if we can’t do it, then he will find someone who can.

So what is the fruit that we are supposed to be harvesting?

If we can understand that this is God’s church, and we can understand that our mission is to harvest the fruit of the kingdom, then what is it?

Some say fruit is in numbers. I’m not one of those people.
Some say fruit is in money. I’m not one of those people either.

Here is what I say fruit is:

Peace. All over the world, we are at war. We are at war externally, and internally. There is conflict all around us. We can barely watch the news without feeling some sense of anxiety or worry about our selves and our families. We disagree, and then we form our camps. We revel in almost anything but, peace. In fact, some people, when they feel at peace, begin to feel anxious that something is not going wrong.

But I think a fruit of the kingdom of peace. All throughout scripture it talks about a spring coming forth in the desert. Lions lying down with lambs. New heaven and a new earth. Really, a new Eden. A peaceful life. We need to be a church that celebrates peace, not revel in conflict. Do things well. Treat each other and complete strangers with kindness and gentleness. And if there is anything causing turmoil, we seek ways for it to be at peace. Supporting one another, and guiding one another in the way of peace. So that, if anything, this sanctuary becomes truly that, a sanctuary from turmoil, and a place of peace.

Another fruit of the kingdom is loving all people. Because God made them. God didn’t make the “right” kind of people and the “wrong” kind of people. God made people, and because they are beautiful creations of God, we are called to offer God’s love. This means being in mission. All around the world. Not because one group deserves help more than another, but because we support and love all people.

Some of us may not like that. But it is what we are called to do when we are called to follow Christ. When we have been given the Kingdom of God, as God’s tenants, that is one of the fruits we are expected to produce.

And I think another fruit of the kingdom is teaching. To be a place where all can learn about God together. Through a variety of ways and methods, we be a place where questions are open and answers always point back to the one who gives us all that we have.

And this goes for children especially. We produce the fruit of children being excited to be a part of this church. To desire to join this church. To desire to be baptized and become a follower of Jesus Christ all of their lives.

Now, it is one thing to produce fruit, and to harvest it is quite another. You can grow things all day, but until it is harvested, it is never used. And like I said before, harvest is all about timing.

And we are on God’s time. And if I keep pushing the metaphor I can begin to see that God planted this vineyard we call Bold Spring United Methodist Church. We were called to be his tenants. We were called to help this church and this community produce fruit.

And for many generations, we have been faithful to that responsibility.
So now, we must recognize when harvest time is coming. Because timing is everything.

And I think it is here. These are the days when the fruit of the kingdom is to be harvested. For us to give to the world the peace, and love, and teaching that is present here. To invite others in, so we can all go out into the world to be instruments of God.

Harvest time has come. And if its true that in harvesting, timing is everything, now is the time to act. Because we already know that if we don’t, God will find workers who will.

It is a tremendous privilege to be called tenants of God’s vineyard. Or should I say, members of Bold Spring UMC. We have been entrusted with a great responsibility to produce fruit, and know when the harvest comes.
Lets live up to that challenge.

Today is world communion Sunday. And that means that all over the world Christians everywhere are taking communion as part of our connection and covenant with one another. Let us taste the fruits of the Lord together, as we take communion, and are given strength to continue in the harvest.