The senior sermon of Kate Wesch, Class of 2006 from the Diocese of Oklahoma, given on October 6, 2005, in Christ Chapel

In the name of God: Creator, Redeemer, and Giver of Life. Amen.

A movie came out at the beginning of this year about two best friends from college who are, "in search of wine, in search of women, and in search of themselves." Sideways is a quirky film in which Miles and Jack travel through the California wine country the week before Jack's wedding sampling wine, women, and life.

One poignant scene shows Miles sitting on a back porch with his love interest, Maya, as they share an exquisite bottle of wine. Miles is elaborating as to why Pinot Noir is absolutely the best wine in his opinion. "It's a hard grape to grow," Miles says, "it's not a survivor like cab. It needs constant care and attention and Pinot can only grow in certain places around the world. Only patient people can coax it into its fullest expression."

In the movie, grapes and wine are used as a metaphor to comment on the situations and problems in the lives of two college buddies. Likewise, in the gospel reading from Matthew that we just heard, wine and a vineyard are used as metaphor in a social commentary on the world of early Christianity and also speaks to us today.

The parable of the wicked tenants is a familiar one. God is the absent landowner who builds a vineyard and leases it to tenants. In God's absence, the tenants tend the vineyard, but when God sends his slaves to collect the produce, the tenants kill the slaves. God sends more slaves and the same thing happens again. Finally, God sends God's child to the vineyard to collect the produce, thinking that surely the tenants will respect the child enough to do what has been asked, but the tenants even kill God's child. This parable sounds familiar, but the chain of events sound even closer to home.

God has left us in charge of God's vineyard and I believe the vineyard to be God's people. We certainly haven't done a very good job. Some parts of the vineyard are like Miles' pinot grapes, receiving constant care and attention and only flourishing in certain parts of the world. Other parts of God's people are like the grapes used to make cabernet, survivors according to Miles'; hearty grapes that can make it even when times are tough. Sections of God's vineyard are drowning in flood waters, storms, and poverty. Grape vines die each day because the tenants spend extra time caring and attending to the pinot grapes and not enough time nurturing the struggling and diseased vines.

And why do the tenants kill the slaves? Is it because of their arrogance? Are they just greedy, hoarding the produce for themselves? Or are the tenants inherently violent? Through their violent actions the tenants effectively silence any outsiders and prevent them from coming into close contact with the vineyard, God's people. The slaves are prophets. People sent from God to check in on the state of the vineyard, to report problems and to make things better. When the seminary was facing reaccredidation last year did we beat up the examiners and toss them off campus and into the street? No, we welcomed them into our community, treated them with respect and hospitality and listened to their suggestions as to how we can make our community and learning environment a better place.

The tenants, caring for the vineyard seem to be people like you and me, caretakers, nurturers, decision makers. The tenants of the vineyard are clergy, pastors, and doctors. Teachers, farmers, and politicians. The tenants care for God's people and keep the vineyard up and running. It makes sense to me that we should listen to our prophets. When God sends us voices to make known what can be done better, we should listen….Not beat them and kill them and toss them into the streets. Sadly though, this is our history, our meta-narrative as Christians. We have silenced prophets and murdered God's child, rather than amend our ways and transform our lives.

I spent a couple days at Trinity Center this summer with a group of college students from my home parish. One morning, 30 or 40 people gathered around the tables, our students, other volunteers, and a large group of Austin's poor and homeless. One of the volunteers sat in the midst of us and began the morning prayer discussion. "Have you ever had a really bad day?" she asked. "Have you ever had a bad week or a rough month or even a crummy year?" The group sat in silence for a moment. Michelle, the volunteer, continued, "I've had tough times before. We all have. What have been your tough times and how did you deal with them?" One woman spoke up and said, "I was robbed last week. They took my purse and all my money and my ID. Now, I can't get a job and it's hard to replace my ID. I'm having a tough week." Several people nodded their heads in agreement and another man said, "I used to be addicted to crack. It got real bad and my wife kicked me out so our children wouldn't have to see me. The first few months on the street were really tough, but I got some help and now I've been clean for six weeks." As people spoke about their troubles, the group comforted one another. After several people offered testimonies the group came together in prayer. One of the men read a litany of prayers asking God for the strength to improve their situations, a plea for God's people to treat them with dignity, an expressed hope and faith that God can make life better. The prayer service ended with a powerful AMEN and the mood in the room seemed more relaxed.

When living in shelters and on the streets, I have been told that you must always keep up your guard. You can't relax even for a moment or someone might take advantage of you or hurt you. During that prayer service, if only for a few moments, the people gathered in that room were in community and it was safe.

The people gathered at Trinity Center in prayer are part of God's neglected vineyard and it's our job to revitalize that part of the vineyard -- to nurture and care for them and empower them to transcend their situations.

In this section of Matthew, Jesus is telling several parables in response to the Pharisees questioning his authority and in turn, Jesus questions their authority. In this story, God isn't sweetness and light, but exerts tough love -- a "shape up or ship out" mentality. You better get your act together and be good stewards of my creation, God says, or I'll find someone else.

Jim Wallis addressed this community a couple weeks ago and said many inspiring and hopeful things. One thing that I remember in particular is something he said about working for political change. Wallis said that compassionate Christians working for social change don't need to look for a new face in politics that will represent their views. Instead, Wallis said, God's people need to create a social movement for change! And that will change the politicians.

Will the tenants ever change? If God's people remain complicit in the unequal distribution of resources, care, and attention to the vineyard, will the tenants ever have reason to change? When the man at Trinity Center prayed the earnest prayers of the poor and oppressed -- was anyone besides God listening? When the prophets speak out, are the tenants willing to have a change of heart? Are we listening to God? Because the message is pretty clear.

We rejected the stone that became the chief cornerstone. Are we willing to change so we don't make that mistake again? We are all guilty of corporate acts of oppression and violence each and every day that we go about our business as middle class Americans in a post-graduate academic environment. But we don't have to settle for being arm chair liberals. We can preach and teach and take action as compassionate Christians in the world. In our congregations we must empower and energize God's people to speak up about conditions in the vineyard and never stop talking and doing until things in the vineyard change. Amen.