Sharing with the Newcomers

I love getting more than I expect, whether that is a larger piece of the pie or a bigger discount on the latest technology purchase.

So, I am intrigued when I read the parable of the laborers who expected more and didn't get it.

Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. - Matthew 20:10

When it comes to our entry into the Kingdom of God, this story makes a lot of sense.  Those who repent and turn to God later in life receive the same benefit of salvation as those who had been faithful their entire lives.

We want that.  If I screw up, I want to be able to come back and get myself back on the bus.

But when it comes to money, somehow the deal sounds unfair.  Loyalty should have its reward, right?

A fitting way to look at this on Thanksgiving Day is to turn the parable into a story about people coming to the United States for a better life.

Those who came here before the Revolutionary War started this tradition of being thankful to God for saving them from persecution and injustice, providing them with a new home, giving them a chance.

We continue that tradition, even though some of us arrived here much later, coming in waves over the centuries.

And today, they continue to come.

All get the same freedoms.  All get the same chances, though we who have been tilling the soil longer may not like sharing with a larger and larger population.

The dream that we all signed up for is still real and fully funded for all of us, even those who are waiting at the border.  But we are afraid the late comers will take from our share, and so we complain.

If salvation was the type of reward that had to be divided up, leaving us with less and less as others turned and repented, how would we react?

We would probably encourage others to stay away.  Don't bother changing your life.  Stay the way you are.

Salvation is not something we have to share.  It is abundant and overflowing, available to all, equally.

That's a good thing.

So, we can invite everyone to the table and know there is enough for all to eat, drink and be satisfied.

Now, if only we can find a way to look at everything that way.

Ah, but then we would have to invest in the funding ourselves, and we probably won't want to do that.  Like the laborers, we will feel cheated.

Happy Thanksgiving.

More to come...