Proper 22, Yr A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Proper 22, Yr A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Isaiah 5:1-7 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Psalm 80:7-14
Matthew 21:33-46
In the name of the one, holy, and loving God:
Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifying Spirit. Amen.
Today’s Psalmist begins:
“Restore us, O God of hosts;
show the light of your countenance,
and we shall be healed.” (Psalm 80:7)
Restore us…
reveal your Light…
heal us.
In today’s texts we hear a lot about vineyards
and how God’s plans have gone awry…
and, mind you, not because of God’s doings…
but because of our own.
This week I received in my “inbox” an email entitled:
“A pastoral word to The Episcopal Church from the September 2026 gathering
of the House of Bishops.”
The gathering of bishops included 118 bishops and bishops-elect,
representing 93 dioceses and special ministries
across 17 countries and territories.
I am guessing that if 17 countries and territories were represented,
there must have been quite a diversity of opinion, practice, and theology!
The letter says:
“Mindful of the pressures and challenges facing our world and our church,
we are grateful for this time set apart for spiritual renewal and focused work.
“We leave this meeting with deepened relationships
and renewed commitments to the ministry we share in Jesus Christ….”
The second half of the letter is entitled: “A call to embody God’s new creation.”
It reads:
“Each time we gather as the House of Bishops,
God meets us in word and sacrament,
and we see God at work in one another.
“Our meeting has been marked by a holy vulnerability.
“We remember not only who we are,
but who authors our lives and renews our hope.
“The ability to hope as bishops and as the church
seems ever more important in our present circumstances.
“Our ancestors faced seemingly insurmountable troubles,
yet their hope for us and future generations was boundless.
“Hope is a gift given to us by a God who loves us completely.
“With God’s grace,
we meet all manner of circumstances with hope.
“Our hearts may tremble with fear,
but with confidence we look for ‘the life of the world to come.’
“In the book of Revelation,
we are given a glimpse of God’s future,
the promise of a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1).
“The hope of this new creation frames,
but does not erase,
our present struggle.
“The Apostle Paul holds this tension in his letter to the Romans.
“He does not deny that the sufferings of this present time are real
but insists they are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed (Ro 8:18).
“As we look for ‘the life of the world to come,’
the whole creation groans in labor pains,
and so do we.
“We groan in pain because the former things have not yet passed away.
“We also groan in hope because we know what is to come.
“Yet we do not groan alone.
“The Spirit intercedes for us and within us with sights too deep for words.
“We believe what God began in the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
God will complete in the new creation.
“God will dwell with God’s people
and wipe every tear from their eyes (Rev. 21:3-4)
“As we move from fear to hope,
we are called to live now as an embodied sign of God’s future.
“To draw near to those who weep.
To bear the burdens of those who are suffering.
To work for justice, healing, and reconciliation.
“To stand in the confidence that God,
not fear or death,
will have the final word.”
As I read this letter,
it struck me that this is exactly what today’s readings are about.
We are called to embody God’s new creation…
We are called to embody what God intended from the very beginning:
justice, mercy, healing, reconciliation.
We are called to live in love and respect,
honoring the dignity of every human being…
not despite our differences, but rejoicing in them.
We are called to live in holy vulnerability.
Today, on this Feast of St. Francis,
we celebrate God’s love as it is manifest in the whole of creation.
And, today we begin our celebration of the Creation Cycle.
It is a time when we have the opportunity to reflect on
what gifts God has bestowed upon each one of us,
both as individuals and as the community of St. Andrew’s.
How do we use our many gifts in service to the kindom of God?
How do we promote love, justice, mercy, healing, and reconciliation
in our daily lives?
In a couple of weeks, we will have the opportunity to gather together in small groups
to explore our core values…
To explore those values that has God instilled in us
so that we may radiate the Light of Christ in the world.
I pray that God’s Spirit will continue to lead us and guide us
as we discern the ways we are being called to share God’s abundance.
Sharing in God’s abundance is how we steward every good gift
that God has given us.
And sharing God’s abundance is how we can offer hope to our community
and to the world.
My friends, we are called to be God’s vessels of living water
to a parched and weary land.
Amen.
