We went to church yesterday, the bricks and mortar variety, as in-person worship resumed at Trenton United Church. There were 30 of us in total, perhaps 40% of a regular September Sunday, and we did what we were told, wearing masks, sitting in distanced seats, following arrows, humming rather than singing. We waved at one another and tried to smile with our eyes. It was both weird and meaningful and Rev. Isaac (our kid) did a find job of leading us through it all.
Isaac's scripture text was from Matthew 20, which is Jesus' parable beginning "for the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner..." In this parable the landowner hires people to work beginning at dawn, then at periods throughout the day. When he settles up at the end of the day those who began their labour late in the day received the same pay as those who had toiled since early on. Not surprisingly, these workers are shocked and bitter, but the landowner reminds them that he is the one who hired them and sets the wages. As is so often the way with Jesus, he turns traditional notions of merit and equality upside down as he teaches about God's lavish love.The passage ends with the phrase "the last shall be first and the first shall be last."
Isaac offered a thoughtful message regarding our assumptions about what we deserve or assume we've earned, even though so many of us have had the deck stacked in our favour through our lifetimes. Even though we have worked diligently through the years our social and family structures may have opened a path for us which is closed for others.
One of the worthwhile aspects of gathering for worship is that what we hear in scripture and a sermon can open up other thoughts, which happened for me.
There will be a new speech from the throne in Canada's parliament on Wednesday and some feel that the federal government will include a pilot project for what's called a Guaranteed Basic Income or a Guaranteed Livable Income. The pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of millions of low income Canadians during difficult times and a GBI or GLI could have helped address what the hastily fashioned Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was attempting to do.
The Member of Parliament for our Quinte Riding, Neil Ellis, has suggested that this region would be a good area to test the GBI, and I certainly agree. You may recall that the provincial Liberals introduced a pilot program which was killed by the current Conservative government. Why? I think it is ideological and that it goes against the grain (grapes/) of those who have no real idea of the struggles of so many to find their way out of cycles of poverty. Those on the margins are too often regarded as freeloaders, malingerers (there will always be some) when the majority want to live with dignity, to get an education, to be healthy in body, mind, and spirit. As Hugh Segal says, if you're going to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" you first need boots.
The United Church of Canada through Moderator Richard Bott has called upon the federal government to introduce a Guaranteed Livable Income and I hope his voice on behalf of the denomination is heard.
What are your thoughts about what I think is an opportune moment? Here is Moderator Bott's message:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJUhNve0Ho8&feature=youtu.be
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