5 March 2021
Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
Our world, and particularly our nation, has seen such upheaval during the last year. Horrific fires ravaged the west, demonstrations for racial justice turned violent, the political climate has kept many on edge. A mob even stormed the Capitol. Say nothing of the pandemic. And these are just the public issues that we all know about – in the midst of these crises are an uncountable number of personal stresses and tragedies. Whew! It’s enough to make the most faithful among us throw up our hands and wonder where God is in all this mess.
Matthew’s Gospel tells us exactly where we can find him – in the beautiful produce his tenants are harvesting. In the firefighters who battled blazes all summer, in the brave souls who will not be silent against injustice, in the many, many people who have helped battle COVID-19, and in you, each time you have offered love and support to the Body of Christ.
The world might reject you as misguided for clinging to your faith, but we all know what happened to that stone the builders rejected. It is an integral part of the entire structure, just as you are integral to the Kingdom here on earth. The Church has a mission and is a mission, and your good produce helps her to fulfill that role.
We are people of faith and people of the light.
Erin Raymond
