Interim Rector
Every time I read the parable we hear this morning about the workers in the vineyard it calls to mind my father-in-law. John’s father worked in the steel mills in Birmingham, Alabama most of his employed life, and he began that work as a young man before the mills were unionized. One of the things I learned by marrying into the family was that in those early days men would go to the gate of the mill every morning with no guarantee they would be hired that day. If they were chosen, they made a day’s wages. If not, they went home empty-handed unless they could pick up a few bucks doing something else. I think it’s important sometimes to hear a true story about a real person, someone I actually knew, who worked day-to-day and what that meant to him. It’s important to remember how recently in our history this was how things worked as we yet again hear this parable which we already know is a story Jesus made up to teach us something important about God. It’s also important to remember that the immigrant laborers in our day and time, still have to go out and wait for someone to hire them for the day. Understanding this helps us remember that the story is still relevant today.