“God Is Generous Even When We Are Not” 

“God Is Generous Even When We Are Not” 

Reflection for Sunday September 24, 2023 

Churchill Gilford United Churches 

By Krista M. Moore, M.Div. 

Based on the Scriptures: EXODUS 16:1-15 God Sends Manna from  Heaven, and the Gospel of Matthew 20:1-16 The Vineyard Owner and  the Day Workers. 

Introduction to the Scriptures  

It’s been 45 days since Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.  

Now they are safe in the wilderness. But are they grateful?  (ASK/PAUSE) 

(No. ) 

They are hungry. Very hungry! 

They begin to grumble against Moses and doubt him as a leader.  

Some want to go back where they came from; They’d rather die as  slaves than die of hunger in the wilderness.  

Moses and his brother Aaron don’t know what to do.  

But God does. God is generous.  

(Despite their low expectations) 

In Matthew, Jesus is trying to explain the kingdom of Heaven.  (It is the opposite the ways of this world). 

There are no poor. There is no greed or hunger, death, or injustice. 

So he tells them about a generous vineyard owner who hires  workers for the day.  

Some come early in the morning and work hard all day.  Others come at the end of the day and work only an hour.  

When it comes time to pay them for their work, the owner pays  them all the same.  

Is it fair?  

Is life fair? (ASK/PAUSE) 

(No.) 

BUT  

God is fair.  

God is generous.  

Even when we do not understand God’s ways.  

SERMON: STORY 

I admit, when I was writing this sermon, I was a little hungry.  It had been a long day – a long few days. Heck, it had been a look week! Looking back over that week, I experienced times of want and  need, and times of celebration and rest. 

Now as I was sitting down, I was in between. Neither want nor  rest.  

Being as privileged as I am, nothing in my life every constituted  total hunger, or total fear that my needs might not be met.  

As you know, we are still in the process of moving, and waiting for  our house to sell.  

We had just been to our other house in Scarborough to make sure  everything was alright. It was! Except there was no food in the house. So  we ordered out.  

My problem isn’t that I have too little, it’s that I have too much.  

SCRIPTURE 

The Israelites were also moving – 

They also hadn’t completely arrived where they were going,  The promised land,  

the land flowing with milk and honey… 

They were lost in the wilderness. 

Hungry, 

tired,  

and frustrated with Moses: 

Why won’t you feed us?  

Where are you leading us?  

We want to go back home!! 

Some would rather go back and die as slaves than die in the  wilderness. Better the devil you know… 

But God knew better.  

God had a plan for the Israelites.  

Even though they were grumbling.  

Uncertain.  

Hungry and Scared.  

Yet God was going to perform a miracle! 

Something beyond what they were expecting.  

Some say they didn’t deserve it.  

They were grumbling and complaining.  

Where was their faith? Where was their patience? 

Yet God sent a flock of quail every night for them to feast on.  And in the morning, dew from heaven settled on the ground  Like wafers with honey to eat.  

MANNA FROM HEAVEN.  

Not Expected. Undeserved. Yet there it was.  

God is generous. Even when we don’t expect it.  

Even when we think we (or someone else) doesn’t deserve it.  

Like in Matthew. The workers arrived at different times through  the day. Some worked hard (like the good ‘ole Protestant work  ethic). Others hung around all day idle and worked only 1 hour.  Yet the owner gave them all the same!  

Worse, he paid the late workers first! 

That isn’t fair! The others grumbled.  

What about us? We worked the most!  

But life isn’t fair. At least not by human standards. 

In both cases, God surprises the recipients, some with more, some  with less, than they were expecting.  

Yet, God met everyone’s needs.  

No one went away empty.  

They should’ve been happy.  

They should have rejoiced!  

But when we receive what we need, are we always grateful? Or do  we still grumble about other problems and needs we have.  (Ask/response) 

(No.).  

STORY 

Last week I was tested. Big time.  

I have a pretty strong faith. I believe God is generous. I think I am  thankful. And I believe God can do amazing things.  But last week. That was the biggest challenge yet.  

It may not sound like a lot to everyone, but to us, it was an  absolute nightmare. 

We just adopted two dogs, as you know.  

One of them got out. (We believe it was Puck’s ingenious  Houdini skills with picking locks with his paws).  

Anyway, Loki got out, and got hit by a car. Terrifying  enough.  

We went outside and there was Puck sitting in the woman’s car. We were all scared and confused. Where was Loki? She didn’t  even know there were two dogs.  

Yes, there were two. God is abundant.  

Double Blessings and Double challenges.  

Loki must have bounced off her car and kept running.  All night.  

Steve went out for two or three hours, into the wee hours of  the night. No sign of Loki.  

By morning we were tired and scared we had lost him.  I prayed and prayed, but did I believe he would return to us?  (Aaaaa…. PAUSE).  

I wasn’t sure. 

I admit I was devastated. I cried and despaired over this dog I  had only had two weeks.  

Love is like that. 

In the morning I put the information out everywhere on  social media, and the whole community got involved. It felt good  to know we were not alone. Everyone cared about Loki.  We were tired, and worried.  

But determined.  

Around nine o’clock I suddenly got this feeling to pray with a  more resolve. My girlfriend had told me to talk to Loki as if he  could hear me and tell him to come home. So I did. I started  speaking out loud to Loki to come home, we were just around the  corner. I even got excited and started dancing with Puck that Loki  might come home today!  

Within 15 minutes, Steve called me and said, “I’ve got him!”  I was flabbergasted, and bewildered. He had been out all night and  never saw him. Suddenly, he appeared close by on Killarney Beach Road just before the busy Yonge St, steps from where Steve  had paused in his car to contemplate where next to place a missing  dog poster. He looked out his window and there was Loki just  standing there, staring at him. He got out and spoke gently to him  and led him back to the car, and he came home.  

When I heard them coming into the side door, I rejoiced! My  prayers were answered. Loki returned to us! 

If that were not enough, when we took him to the vet, he had  very little injuries = he was “so lucky” they said. But I knew better.  I knew it could have been a lot worse. Devastating in fact.  

But he had a few scratches under his chin, and a chipped  tooth. Bloodwork normal. Liver enzymes high which was  understandable – he had been hit by a car. But other than that, his  bones were perfect. No internal injuries, no internal bleeding. It  was amazing.  

Did I believe it at first?  

No. I was shocked. 

In fact, the trauma of the event took a toll on my body. I had  to rest. I was worn out from worry.  

The night before he came back, I was beside myself. I was  not a great woman of faith, not till morning. I was wandering in the  desert and scared and hungry, fearful we would never see Loki  again.  

Then God showed up, and he came home.  

I know. I wasn’t starving of hunger. And neither was  Loki. He had gobbled down ground beef and chicken the  night before he left. He was not starving. But he was a little  hurt. And Happy to be home.  

He didn’t eat at first. He was in shock. It took a half a  day or so before he realized all was well, and then he ate like  he’d never ate before…. 

SCRIPTURE/STORY/RELEVANCE TO US TODAY So why do I tell this story? 

I am not grief-stricken. I am not poor or hungry. I am not out  of work, thank God. Thank you Churchill and Gilford.  I have all my needs met.  

So how can I relate to the Israelites? Or the vineyard  workers?  

I don’t know about you, but when I’m stressed, I don’t  always behave the way I want to. Sometimes I (well, curse).  Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I forget how good God is. Sometimes  I get impatient for the house to sell, or the dog to come back.  

ASK: Who doesn’t worry here? Who has perfect faith?  (I thought so).  

What I love about these scriptures today, is that it allows us  to be human. In Exodus, the Israelites are not perfect people. They  were slaves. They do not like uncertainty. They do not know how  to live on their own without being told what to do. They do not  trust their new leader Moses. And they are hungry. 

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The workers in Matthew are all good people. They just want  to live and work and make a living. (I’m not going to get into  economics here, because that is way outside of my wheelhouse.) But theologically, I believe the message for today is that God is  like that vineyard owner, who gives them all what they need. Sometimes God gives even when we don’t deserve it. When we  complain. Or forget to thank him. Or lose hope or faith.  God is generous. Even when we don’t believe.  

Even when we’re scared, or fearful.  

God loves us all the same.  

CLOSING  

So as I was sitting writing this sermon, I didn’t know where  the words were going to come from. I had had quite a week. In  between two houses, back to work after a busy summer, just about  lost our precious dog. I felt worn and tired. I may have grumbled. I may have complained. And I was slightly hungry. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am not like the Israelites. I’m not even  like the vineyard workers. I know where my bread and butter comes  from, and I am well fed. I am very blessed indeed.  But sometimes I forget to say thank you.  

to believe.  

to pray.  

Sometimes I need God’s grace to give me peace.  

(and Steve’s good cookin’ when I feel weary).  

We are all just human.  

God is generous.  

God answers our prayers even when we complain.  God gives us what we need, even if we don’t deserve it.  God delivers MANNA FROM HEAVEN just when we are  about to give up. 

God delivers me, God delivers you, God delivered Loki.  God is good.  

Thanks be to God.  

Amen.