Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our text for today’s meditation is the Gospel reading.

²³ When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" ²⁴Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet." ²⁷So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁸"What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. ³⁰And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. ³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

I went through Army basic training at Fort McClellan down the road a bit in Anniston. I arrived at night and it was an unexpectedly calm arrival. They don’t have a sign out front like ours "welcome, come as you are" but they mean every bit of it. They are glad you are there and they take you as you are. Very quickly the next morning the calm disappeared as the process started to make all the welcomed new people into what they wanted, soldiers. It began early, it was fast paced, and no one questioned the authority of the people barking orders at you. Part of the process was issuing the uniforms. It was an assembly line and after you got your pile of clothing you made sure everything fit because they don’t like to make return trips to exchange. The boots are one of the most important items to be sure they fit right. We did all our training in combat boots, even physical training. Running in boots that are a ½ size too small can pinch a bit and cause all kinds of problems.

In basic training you never responded "No" to any commands given you and you certainly did whatever it was you said "Yes" to because there were severe consequences if you didn’t do what you were told. All the basic trainees looked the same and it was easy for anyone to see if we were doing something wrong and correct us on the spot.

The parable Jesus tells the Chief Priests and the Elders is like a couple pairs of boots. They are different sizes, one size is the first son that says very rudely "I will not" to his father and then goes and works in the vineyard after thinking better of what he said to his father. The other size is the second son that says very respectfully "I will go" and he doesn’t go work in the vineyard. Which pair of boots fits you? Try them on and see. Could they be a ½ size too small? Maybe it pinches a bit when you realize which pair fits you, after all, if the shoe fits wear it. You might be the first son pair of boots if you grumble when you see someone in need and think someone else should help them and then think better of it and help them anyway; or you might be a first son pair of boots if you think donating to the food bank is a waste because after all, there is the welfare program, but you bring food anyway. You might be a second son pair if volunteer for a shift at the food bank and you don’t show up. Or you might be a second son pair of boots if you commit to donate money to church and then don’t. God’s vineyard encompasses every part of your life,

your family life, married life, work life, school life, recreational life, and church life. Are you a Sunday morning Christian only? Here on Sunday the authority of God is not in question but does His authority extend to the rest of the week? Would people be able to see that you are a Christian by your actions or would you need a uniform like the new soldiers, maybe our t-shirt? Do you act different when you wear the church t-shirt or any other Christian shirt? If so, you are not recognizing God’s authority in all of your life. I heard a statistic yesterday that floored me; the average number of times a Lutheran invites another person to church is once every twenty seven years, and that is just the average which means some are less than that. I know we can do better than that.

I’m sure we are all guilty of being one of the two sets of boots, so what do we do about it? John the Baptist has the answer to this question. John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, to call Israel to repentance and a right relationship with God through the Word and Baptism. John recognized God’s authority to forgive sins through Baptism but the Chief Priests and the elders did not. John told everyone "welcome, come as you are" even the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed and repented. The parable says the son changed his mind or turned back which are other ways to translate the Greek word for repent.

This morning Jessica and Rachel accepted the authority of God and they believe in Jesus Christ. They repented and Jesus has forgiven all their sins through the washing and the word of Baptism and therefore they are saved. They are children of the kingdom of God, He has written His name on their hearts, and Jesus wants them to be disciples along with the rest of us. He wants us to display actions that show that we are sincere about our relationship with Christ. Luther’s Small Catechism asks a great question,

What does such baptizing with water indicate?

It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?

St. Paul writes in Romans, chapter six: "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)

Martin Luther echoes Christ by telling us we should daily repent of our sins, or change our minds or turn back. This is not an easy thing to do. It is difficult to change habits and ways. In basic training they teach close order drill, marching. One of the most difficult maneuvers to teach is the about face. It is actually very simple maneuver but for some reason it is difficult to learn to turn back. We may fit into one of the two pair of boots, the first or second son but we can repent, change our mind, turn back; turn back toward Jesus.

Jesus is and always has been facing toward us on the cross, in the grave, and in His resurrection. He took all your sins with Him on the cross and He paid the penalty of death for you. He is waiting for you to turn back toward Him. To turn back is to recognize that there are places in our life where we have to change our direction or we will become destructive, to ourselves or others. To turn back means to recognize that we work in the vineyard because Jesus earned our forgiveness by dying on the cross and created eternal life for us when He rose from the dead as we will on the last day. Our work in the vineyard is to bring others to the kingdom of God through our words and actions; bring them to the saving waters and the word of baptism. We really mean what we say on the sign outside, don’t we; "Welcome, come as you are." Change your mind, turn back to Christ daily and let your life in God’s vineyard say to everyone "Welcome, come as you are." Jesus has given you the correct size feet and the right sized boots to fit them. He has asked you to do His work and has trusted you to follow through on your promises. He has promised to be there to help you and me.

Amen