Song Of The Vineyard
Sermon
Sermons on the First Readings
Series II, Cycle C
Some of the best prophetic voices of any culture are its troubadours. Historically, the term refers to traveling musicians who once strolled the streets and pubs of medieval Europe singing love songs in exchange for food and lodging. Today they travel by jet or private coach filling auditoriums with screaming fans and recording "greatest hits" albums. Regardless of the time or language, music has an almost supernatural power to affect the human soul and even change the course of the human community. It lifts our spirits, bolsters our courage, and points out injustice. A single melody can change our minds and hearts; or at least it has that potential.
It seems there's not a lot of social justice music on the airwaves these days, not like the songs that penetrated the souls of those growing up in the '60s and '70s. Most of the socially significant music has to be squeezed in around the more popular stuff that sells CDs. Some of you may remember the first time you heard "Blowin' In The Wind" by Peter, Paul, and Mary. They put in an occasional appearance on public television, but haven't made most radio playlists in years. These days, Elvis Presley can still be heard singing, "You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog"; but his version of the Mac Davis song, "In the Ghetto," gets precious little airtime. Judgment seldom sells well in our marketplace.
One of the more intriguing social critics in the country music realm is making a posthumous comeback. During the heyday of his career, Johnny Cash -- "the Man in Black" -- became a voice for the downtrodden and ignored. Although nearly forgotten himself in Nashville, Cash hit the charts one last time only months before his death with a music video on MTV of all places, inspiring a new generation of fans while confronting the darker side of life and death.
Regardless of the culture or the language, music has the power to touch both mind and heart, literally at a different level. Studies indicate that music stimulates a different part of the brain than the written or spoken word alone. That's why songs like "We Shall Overcome" have such power even today. It is also why church folk have such strong sentiments about our worship music -- contemporary, traditional, chants and praise choruses, and everything in between. And, we are not the first. It is no coincidence that the most frequently quoted scripture within the Bible is Psalms, the hymnbook of ancient Israel.
Some of the best prophetic voices of any culture are its troubadours; so it should be no big surprise that Isaiah, one of the Bible's best known prophets, begins his long and effective career with "let me sing a song." Scholars doubt that the words were ever put to music, but this "Song Of The Vineyard" functions more like an introduction to a weightier message. It is likely the parable was preached early in Isaiah's ministry, and is possibly connected to the harvest festival.
It's not hard to imagine. Like any festival, the crowd is in a good mood -- maybe even a bit intoxicated. After all, it is the grape harvest and what better way to celebrate? It could be that the band had already sung a few of the crowd favorites about good times and good wine.
Then Isaiah gets the microphone and changes the tune.
The crowd wants to hear "God Bless Judah" songs but Isaiah sings them a "somebody done somebody wrong" song -- a tale of "my beloved (friend) and his vineyard." We can imagine the shock as the party turns silent and sullen.
"I will break down the (protective) wall, and the nation shall be trampled," promises the Lord.
We can imagine how such a message might be received in one of our own national celebrations. Imagine a gathering on the White House lawn for Memorial Day. The invited music star suddenly changes the program from "Proud To Be An American" to "One Tin Soldier." For those too young to remember -- that is another of those social justice tunes from the '70s. The chorus urged us to hate our neighbors and cheat our friends in heaven's name because, in the end, we could justify our actions. Look up the lyrics on ScoutSongs.com to get the whole story -- but trust me -- it made sense back then.
This would be quite a different message -- quite a different effect.
So what was Isaiah's point?
When Isaiah compares God's people to a vineyard, he presents their spiritual dilemma in terms to which the crowd could relate -- especially a crowd of farmers and vinekeepers. All the proper agricultural techniques were applied: the right area, sunshine, and fertile soil protected from the chaos of the environment by a sturdy wall. The right resources were provided in proper quantity and cultivation done with due care. This was no experiment -- it was a long-term investment in hard work.
By all calculations, the grapes should have been exquisite. Instead, the project was a disaster -- literally "stinking grapes." It's kind of like harvesting skunk cabbage instead of coleslaw after a season in the garden. These "stinkers" are described in detail in the verses that follow: hoarding, drunkenness, and pleasure-mongering, all-the-while ignoring the truths of God.
The prophet is quick to name the core sin -- contempt toward creation and ingratitude toward the Creator. Not only did Judah not measure up to her promised potential, but the nation had putrefied the very blessings lavished upon them. In the relationship between Yahweh and the covenant people, this was infidelity of the highest order.
I asked for justice, God declares (mispat in the Hebrew), and instead got bloodshed (mispah). I planted righteousness (sedaqah) and instead got a cry (seaqah). This harvest was a failure. "What more can be done?" the vinedresser asks the feasting audience.
Nothing. That is the commonsense answer. There is little one can do with rotten crops except toss them on the compost heap in hopes they will fertilize a new and better harvest. And, there is little a faithful God can do with a corrupt and rebellious people except use their coming disaster as a lesson for future generations. This was indeed a hard lesson to learn -- a lesson taught with sorrow and tears -- tears of the prophet as well as the people.
It is a lesson to which our own nation must pay attention. We are a people planted in rich soil drawing nutrients from the faith and courage of our ancestors. We are blessed with abundant resources, enriched by a wealth of cultures. We have thrived in freedoms that most of the world has never known and we are protected by military capabilities unmatched anywhere on the globe. God has blessed America and yet we are systematically ejecting God out of our public life. The Ten Commandments can no longer be viewed in our courts, biblical religion is no longer accepted in our schools, and religious symbols are not welcome as part of our public holiday celebrations. Like those ancient Hebrews, we are in danger of forgetting our covenant past and polluting our divinely bestowed blessings.
This is a lesson to which the church must give heed. Most of us sit comfortably in our padded pews. We are surrounded by beauty and ample material possessions. We worship in freedom and (with few exceptions) safety. We are not persecuted or harassed for our beliefs. By all calculations, we should expect to grow and thrive, to produce spiritual fruit of spectacular quality; but not many do. Christ commands us to invite others in but instead we chase them out. Rather than the sweet wine of communion and grace, we offer the putrid vinegar of criticism, hurtful words, and indifferent attitudes.
Isaiah does not condemn his own people for their failure to measure up so much as for the corrupting of their God-given goodness. In far too many congregations across too many denominations, the sweet vines of grace planted by the "great gardener," have yielded "stinking grapes" -- the product of our ingratitude and contempt of God's love. Material blessings inspire greed instead of generosity. Political power produces moral bullying rather than justice for the outcast, and pluralism yields an "anything goes"attitude (so long as it's not offensive to someone).
What is God to do with such produce? The commonsense answer is, "Pitch it!"
Here is the amazing part: God doesn't. God doesn't discard us even though we try to discard one another. God refuses to burn the field and start anew, at least not yet. The protective wall still stands, and we are protected from our enemies and the world's raging chaos that threatens to undo us.
We have to ask, "Why not?" But Easter people know the answer: It is Jesus.
Jesus wrote for us a new covenant, sealed in his life's blood. He has taken the "stinking grapes" of our sin and "trampled out the vintage" of forgiveness and new life. "This is my blood, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. And as often as you drink it -- remember me."
What kind of song is best sung to a cheating lover? Many a wounded heart might respond with the title made famous by Travis Tritt, "Here's A Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares." But through Jesus, God has taken away our "beatin' and cheatin'" lyrics and has sung to us instead a most amazing love song.
Regardless of the time or language, music has an almost supernatural power to affect the human soul and even change the course of the human community. Of all the songs ever composed and all the singers who ever sang, none can compare with Christ. His divine love song was sung from the cross of Calvary and resounds in the triumph of the empty tomb. The melody still rings on the lips of those whose lives he has restored and it promises hope for our human destiny.
There's within my heart a melody Jesus whispers sweet
and low: Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still, in all of life's
ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
-- "There's Within My Heart A Melody," words and music by Luther B. Bridgers, 1910
It seems there's not a lot of social justice music on the airwaves these days, not like the songs that penetrated the souls of those growing up in the '60s and '70s. Most of the socially significant music has to be squeezed in around the more popular stuff that sells CDs. Some of you may remember the first time you heard "Blowin' In The Wind" by Peter, Paul, and Mary. They put in an occasional appearance on public television, but haven't made most radio playlists in years. These days, Elvis Presley can still be heard singing, "You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog"; but his version of the Mac Davis song, "In the Ghetto," gets precious little airtime. Judgment seldom sells well in our marketplace.
One of the more intriguing social critics in the country music realm is making a posthumous comeback. During the heyday of his career, Johnny Cash -- "the Man in Black" -- became a voice for the downtrodden and ignored. Although nearly forgotten himself in Nashville, Cash hit the charts one last time only months before his death with a music video on MTV of all places, inspiring a new generation of fans while confronting the darker side of life and death.
Regardless of the culture or the language, music has the power to touch both mind and heart, literally at a different level. Studies indicate that music stimulates a different part of the brain than the written or spoken word alone. That's why songs like "We Shall Overcome" have such power even today. It is also why church folk have such strong sentiments about our worship music -- contemporary, traditional, chants and praise choruses, and everything in between. And, we are not the first. It is no coincidence that the most frequently quoted scripture within the Bible is Psalms, the hymnbook of ancient Israel.
Some of the best prophetic voices of any culture are its troubadours; so it should be no big surprise that Isaiah, one of the Bible's best known prophets, begins his long and effective career with "let me sing a song." Scholars doubt that the words were ever put to music, but this "Song Of The Vineyard" functions more like an introduction to a weightier message. It is likely the parable was preached early in Isaiah's ministry, and is possibly connected to the harvest festival.
It's not hard to imagine. Like any festival, the crowd is in a good mood -- maybe even a bit intoxicated. After all, it is the grape harvest and what better way to celebrate? It could be that the band had already sung a few of the crowd favorites about good times and good wine.
Then Isaiah gets the microphone and changes the tune.
The crowd wants to hear "God Bless Judah" songs but Isaiah sings them a "somebody done somebody wrong" song -- a tale of "my beloved (friend) and his vineyard." We can imagine the shock as the party turns silent and sullen.
"I will break down the (protective) wall, and the nation shall be trampled," promises the Lord.
We can imagine how such a message might be received in one of our own national celebrations. Imagine a gathering on the White House lawn for Memorial Day. The invited music star suddenly changes the program from "Proud To Be An American" to "One Tin Soldier." For those too young to remember -- that is another of those social justice tunes from the '70s. The chorus urged us to hate our neighbors and cheat our friends in heaven's name because, in the end, we could justify our actions. Look up the lyrics on ScoutSongs.com to get the whole story -- but trust me -- it made sense back then.
This would be quite a different message -- quite a different effect.
So what was Isaiah's point?
When Isaiah compares God's people to a vineyard, he presents their spiritual dilemma in terms to which the crowd could relate -- especially a crowd of farmers and vinekeepers. All the proper agricultural techniques were applied: the right area, sunshine, and fertile soil protected from the chaos of the environment by a sturdy wall. The right resources were provided in proper quantity and cultivation done with due care. This was no experiment -- it was a long-term investment in hard work.
By all calculations, the grapes should have been exquisite. Instead, the project was a disaster -- literally "stinking grapes." It's kind of like harvesting skunk cabbage instead of coleslaw after a season in the garden. These "stinkers" are described in detail in the verses that follow: hoarding, drunkenness, and pleasure-mongering, all-the-while ignoring the truths of God.
The prophet is quick to name the core sin -- contempt toward creation and ingratitude toward the Creator. Not only did Judah not measure up to her promised potential, but the nation had putrefied the very blessings lavished upon them. In the relationship between Yahweh and the covenant people, this was infidelity of the highest order.
I asked for justice, God declares (mispat in the Hebrew), and instead got bloodshed (mispah). I planted righteousness (sedaqah) and instead got a cry (seaqah). This harvest was a failure. "What more can be done?" the vinedresser asks the feasting audience.
Nothing. That is the commonsense answer. There is little one can do with rotten crops except toss them on the compost heap in hopes they will fertilize a new and better harvest. And, there is little a faithful God can do with a corrupt and rebellious people except use their coming disaster as a lesson for future generations. This was indeed a hard lesson to learn -- a lesson taught with sorrow and tears -- tears of the prophet as well as the people.
It is a lesson to which our own nation must pay attention. We are a people planted in rich soil drawing nutrients from the faith and courage of our ancestors. We are blessed with abundant resources, enriched by a wealth of cultures. We have thrived in freedoms that most of the world has never known and we are protected by military capabilities unmatched anywhere on the globe. God has blessed America and yet we are systematically ejecting God out of our public life. The Ten Commandments can no longer be viewed in our courts, biblical religion is no longer accepted in our schools, and religious symbols are not welcome as part of our public holiday celebrations. Like those ancient Hebrews, we are in danger of forgetting our covenant past and polluting our divinely bestowed blessings.
This is a lesson to which the church must give heed. Most of us sit comfortably in our padded pews. We are surrounded by beauty and ample material possessions. We worship in freedom and (with few exceptions) safety. We are not persecuted or harassed for our beliefs. By all calculations, we should expect to grow and thrive, to produce spiritual fruit of spectacular quality; but not many do. Christ commands us to invite others in but instead we chase them out. Rather than the sweet wine of communion and grace, we offer the putrid vinegar of criticism, hurtful words, and indifferent attitudes.
Isaiah does not condemn his own people for their failure to measure up so much as for the corrupting of their God-given goodness. In far too many congregations across too many denominations, the sweet vines of grace planted by the "great gardener," have yielded "stinking grapes" -- the product of our ingratitude and contempt of God's love. Material blessings inspire greed instead of generosity. Political power produces moral bullying rather than justice for the outcast, and pluralism yields an "anything goes"attitude (so long as it's not offensive to someone).
What is God to do with such produce? The commonsense answer is, "Pitch it!"
Here is the amazing part: God doesn't. God doesn't discard us even though we try to discard one another. God refuses to burn the field and start anew, at least not yet. The protective wall still stands, and we are protected from our enemies and the world's raging chaos that threatens to undo us.
We have to ask, "Why not?" But Easter people know the answer: It is Jesus.
Jesus wrote for us a new covenant, sealed in his life's blood. He has taken the "stinking grapes" of our sin and "trampled out the vintage" of forgiveness and new life. "This is my blood, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. And as often as you drink it -- remember me."
What kind of song is best sung to a cheating lover? Many a wounded heart might respond with the title made famous by Travis Tritt, "Here's A Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares." But through Jesus, God has taken away our "beatin' and cheatin'" lyrics and has sung to us instead a most amazing love song.
Regardless of the time or language, music has an almost supernatural power to affect the human soul and even change the course of the human community. Of all the songs ever composed and all the singers who ever sang, none can compare with Christ. His divine love song was sung from the cross of Calvary and resounds in the triumph of the empty tomb. The melody still rings on the lips of those whose lives he has restored and it promises hope for our human destiny.
There's within my heart a melody Jesus whispers sweet
and low: Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still, in all of life's
ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
-- "There's Within My Heart A Melody," words and music by Luther B. Bridgers, 1910
