The Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee



Proper 21, Year A (RCL), September 28, 2008, St. Michael’s Church Cookeville

Welcome to the world of the “Second Chance”! If we can imagine it as a town, as a place, there’s not likely to be a clock, and if there is one, it’s probably broken. It’s never too late in this world; there’s always plenty of time. In “Second Chance” you get to “second guess” yourself, and make up for mistakes. In this world they are always tearing up the streets to redo them. It’s messy but creative; and if nothing is ever quite done, it’s also true that it is a world of possibilities. Living in “Second Chance” drives the orderly crazy, because things change, and nothing ever stays in its place. The people who show up in “Second Chance” are kind of dog-eared, a little the worse for wear: they’ve already been around once, and are showing the signs. “Second Chance” shouldn’t be mistaken for “Last Chance”, because that is a totally different world, much more grim, and no fun at all.

Jesus’ parable of the two sons who are ordered into the vineyard takes place in a similar world, a place where people get a second chance. The son who tells his father that he’s not going changes his mind later and turns up at work. The son who says he’s going to go, on the other hand, reneges on the promise and never turns up in the vineyard. Here the second chance cuts two ways. One son does the will of his father, but the other does not. One son is headed in the right direction, but the other is going nowhere good. In the world of Jesus’ parable, following through is important, and there is the moral urgency to make not only good decisions but to act upon them.

In the world of the “Second Chance”, and in the world of the Gospel, there is the chance for repentance, for thinking again about where we are and moving on to where we need to be. In both worlds we can cancel out the mistakes we’ve made, and make up for lost time. There’s plenty of margin in both worlds, plenty of grace, the sort of grace that we need. Dog-eared people who are the worse for wear, people like us, are getting the fresh opportunity that they need.

What’s different about the two worlds is that note of moral urgency, the emphasis on action. In the world of our Gospel parable there’s always the chance for repentance, an opportunity that God gives us to respond to the call that he addresses to us. But the contrast between the son who “talks the talk” and the son who “walks the walk” reminds us that our actions are important. God is inviting us into relationship with him, and it’s important for us to follow through. God’s capacity for forgiveness and for relationship with us is infinite, but we still need to respond, something which involves our hearts and minds. God never “second guesses” himself, since his will for us is constant and ever inviting; but our wills need God’s formation through grace if we are going to arrive at that place where we need to be.

Our confirmands this morning are at such a juncture today, at a point where their hearts and minds are responding to God not simply in words but in deeds. The deed today is standing up in Church and re-affirming their faith. That’s no small thing in the world today. Each of us has the opportunity for repentance today, the opportunity for a second chance, the opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning. There’s plenty of margin with God, who is generous toward us and whose will for us is unchanging. But we can change, and the chance for that is ever before us.

- The Rt Rev’d John Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee

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