Matthew 20:1-16
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
This past week, Magdalena Ramos, a missionary who works Senegal, blessed our service with her testimony. I was filled with joy as I heard of how my friend from seminary has been sharing the gospel and ministering to the needs of young teenage girls.
Magdalena’s story about her calling to the mission field how she wrestled with the call to faithfulness in her service to God was inspiring. It has been hard for her to leave everything behind to go across the world to a country, culture and language that’s not her own. At first, she asked God why He couldn’t send someone younger, like a Millennial (I’m a Millennial). Eventually, this passage helped her answer God’s call to spend her golden years in a foreign land; even thought that meant being away from her family and her grandchildren!
We may find ourselves wrestling with this text because we may have plans for our golden years. Maybe our plans are to retire and enjoy that retirement surrounded by our loved ones. All of us must wrestle with that call because we have all been called to work in God’s vineyard. For some that work started at dawn, and for some the invitation has come at the twilight of our lives. But regardless of the time, the harvest is ready and just one question remains: Will we answer the call to work in the vineyard no matter the hour? As sister Magdalena always says, “It’s never too late to serve God.”
Dear God,
I pray that we answer the call to work in your vineyard, no matter the time you call us. May we be able to set aside our plans to set our eyes on you.
Pastor Luis met sister Magdalena in seminary and has gotten to serve alongside her in Houston as well as many mission trips through the years. She was an inspiration in seminary because regardless of her age, she continued seeking God’s will for her life. As sister Magdalena always says, “It’s never too late to serve God.” If you would like to financially support sister Magdalena’s ministry, please click here. Click here for her testimony from this past Sunday.