Sermon: "From Greed to Gratitude"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

In situations like our Gospel reading, the message can seem quite clear to us. However, sometimes in the story itself, people just don’t get it! Those tenants were getting along pretty well. They had been given good jobs in the vineyard. And, for those jobs, it was expected that they would give the landowner his due at the time of the fruit harvest – perhaps a tithe, ten percent. When the day came for the tenants to share with the landowner, they refused. In fact, they did worse than that. First, they mistreated one group of slaves sent by the landowner, and then, a second group, too. Finally, they killed the owner’s son in a misguided effort to gain possession of the vineyard. They just did not get it! In response, the landowner sent an army of people, who took back the vineyard and killed the tenants.

Now, one message of the parable is that the landowner – the lord of the vineyard – takes seriously the tenants’ responsibilities. That is, he expects the tenants to use what is given to them and, then, to return to the owner a portion of the profits. And that is a good and appropriate message. However, today I want to focus on another one … one that is definitely related but somewhat different.

I have been doing some work lately – in my Bible study and prayer life – on what I call the theology of gratitude. I have come to believe that such a theology has a profoundly important message for me and for the way I lead my everyday life. Perhaps you can relate to this theology of gratitude in those terms as well.

Looking back at the parable, if the tenants had practiced a theology of gratitude, I believe the ending of the story would have been quite different indeed. In the parable, they were more interested in gaining control of what was not theirs than in giving thanks for what they had been given. And, acting on that perspective eventually cost them their lives.

In contrast, the theology of gratitude helps me get right the relationships that are most important in my life. That is, my relationships with God and with my fellow human beings both are put right by the theology of gratitude.

First, in terms of the vertical relationship – that one with God – such a theology is crucial for me. If I focus on gratitude to God for all that I am and all that I have, then that keeps me in my proper place in creation – as a created child of God. I did not make the world; God did. The things of this world are therefore not mine; they are God’s. And that includes myself, along with all the rest of the created order of the universe. God is the owner; I am a steward for God’s sake. Thus, a theology of gratitude gets right the vertical relationship between God and myself.

Secondly, a theology of gratitude also gets right the horizontal relationships between myself and other people. If I am grateful to God for all that I have and all that I love, then I am less inclined to want what somebody else has. If gratitude is in my heart and on my lips, then resentment and malice toward other people have a more difficult time occupying my attention. If I am simply and primarily grateful to God Almighty, then envy and covetousness have a harder time gaining a foothold in my soul. Thus, the horizontal relationships with other people are also put right by a theology of gratitude.

Let me offer you one example of the significance of such a theology in my own life – a particular time, among many, that this perspective has made a great deal of sense to me.

During my ministry as rector of a church in South Carolina, we opened a soup kitchen. Now, put that way, this may sound like a rather simple, straightforward task – but it was anything but that! There were all kinds of details to address; fifteen churches to draw into an ecumenical partnership; and a crash course in practical church politics to endure. It was a tough job. But, thankfully, at my right hand in all this process was a retired – but very active – woman who had moved to town in order to be close to her family. She really did an awfully lot of work to help get things started, and her contributions of time and energy were crucial. In fact, she became the first director of the soup kitchen.

After the soup kitchen had been operating for several months, I received a letter in the mail from this lady. The letter was thick, and I hesitated for a time before opening it. I was afraid that she might be resigning from her position, and frankly, I had no idea who might replace her. And so, very slowly and with some reluctance, I opened the letter.

Inside, what I found was a thank-you note. This hard-working person who really made the soup kitchen go was writing me a thank-you note! I could not believe it – although I admit to considerable relief when I saw it. The point of the letter was that she had always gone to church. She had always been a faithful participant at that level. However, now, she had the opportunity to put her faith into action in a constructive way – and she wanted to thank me for that. Now, obviously I did not deserve the “thank you.” However, I suggest to you that this woman practiced a theology of gratitude. At a profound level, she understood the message of the Gospel – and she put it to work!

In terms that relate to today’s parable, this woman had been given something – an opportunity to exercise her faith. She did not need to own and possess her gift in a stingy way. She did not covet the opportunities that others had. She was simply thankful for the chance to be a steward of the opportunity given to her. And, my own faith was greatly enriched by her practice of the theology of gratitude.

In closing, then, I commend to you a theology of gratitude. I commend it to you as you read the Bible, as you say your prayers, and as you live your life. I commend it to you in good times and in bad ones. I commend it to you for the sake of your relationships with God and with fellow human beings. May we, therefore, in all times and places, be able to affirm, “Thanks be to God!” Amen.

Copyright © 2002 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee