Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

the Rev. Phil Brochard

The sermon uses the preacher's childhood failure to water a neighbor's

prized zinnias to explore the difference between good intentions and

faithful action. In Matthew's parable of the two sons, one son refuses his

father's request to work in the vineyard but later changes his mind and

goes, while the other promises to go but never does. The first son

ultimately does the father's will.

The parable is not about deciding who belongs and who does not; both sons

remain sons. Instead, it reminds us that words and virtue-signaling cannot

substitute for the difficult work of forgiveness, healing, accompaniment,

and love. Most importantly, unlike the preacher's childhood zinnias, for

which help eventually came too late, the kingdom of heaven always leaves