Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Having children, we spend a lot of time refereeing about what is fair.  It's a shifting scale, of course -- what once might have been wonderful is rendered entirely unfair if one child sees another with something better.  Caleb's happiness can be ruined if what he has suddenly doesn't measure up with what his sister gets.
  Not that this changes much in adulthood.  Our own happiness is often undermined when we see what someone else has.  What would have once satisfied us is looked down upon when we realize that the neighbors or our friends are seemingly doing better than we are.  We're constantly ranking ourselves.
  The church seems to join in this ridiculous parade.  The church can invest so much energy in determining who exactly is on the outside, because those on the inside might need to feel better about themselves.  The church can try and define the limits of God's grace, and the church can be guilty of forgetting that we have all received abundantly more than we deserve.  Each of us was lost, hopeless and afraid until we had a Savior rush into the world, calling us by name and gifting us with the free gift of salvation in the name of Christ. 
  So rather than try and limit the grace our good Shepherd doles out freely upon the world, let us celebrate that we worship a God of abundance who pays any price to rescue any sinner who will call Jesus Lord.  May we find our ultimate satisfaction in the Lord, who alone can truly satisfy, and may our sense of peace invite others to find grace without judgment and love without limits.