In our Hebrew Scriptures, in Chapter 5 of the Book of Isaiah, we find a very similar story to the one I’ve just read. In it, God, the divine vintner, sets a vineyard on a very fertile hill. There God plants choice vines and tends them carefully. But when God comes to see if the vineyard has grown the desired fruit, God finds only foul wild grapes. In a fury fueled by heartbreak, God declared the utter destruction of the vineyard.

The Isaiah story ends,

"Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their roots will become rotten and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the instructions of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."

Of course, the vineyard is Israel and the desired fruits are justice and righteousness, and these are harsh, frightening words for those who do not obey God.

This story was well-known to those gathered around Jesus that day.

If I were to say to you, "I’d like to tell you a story about these three bears…..", even if you only heard that much, you’d immediately know what was coming – a story about a little girl named Goldilocks and the three bears – Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear.

It was like that for the chief priests and elders who challenged Jesus that day. As soon as the words, "there was a landowner who planted a vineyard" left his mouth, they undoubtedly thought of Isaiah 5.

And they must have cringed. They knew what was coming – or at least they thought they knew.

They were expecting to hear that once more, God had carefully provided a wonderful and bountiful place (our world) and entrusted it to human beings. God maintained a relationship with those people, even though they consistently refused God’s bidding and even rejected God’s demands with violence. Yet, God did not give up. God continued to send representatives to them – the prophets who, over and over again, called out to the people, showing them where they had gone wrong and calling them back to faithful living. But, as we well know, the prophets were met with opposition and hostility.

Finally, God sent God’s son with the expectation that people would recognize that he spoke with the rightful authority of God. Surely, this time they would listen.

But they don’t. They reject and mock the Son of God, challenging him, attempting to trick him into committing an offence that would endanger him.

Eventually, they would kill God’s son – and Jesus knew that, even as he told his story.

At this point, Jesus; listeners must have been getting a little antsy. They knew that the Isaiah story ended in utter destruction. They expected nothing different from Jesus’ story.

But – to their great surprise – and probably discomfort – Jesus offers a new ending to the story. He tells them, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing and it is amazing in our eyes."

This time, God will not destroy everything. Instead, God will use the one they have rejected to show them the way. They have another chance in the vineyard, because, even though God’s son is rejected, God persists in pursuing a relationship with the people.

A new – and better – ending to the story.

We celebrate today the 80^th anniversary of the United Church of Canada. In 1925, an Act of Parliament established a new church in what was then a fairly new land. Here was a promising vineyard in which the Christian faith might grow.

What story shall be told about this coming together of Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian congregations?

We know the beginning. From that first worship service in the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto, our church grew rapidly. In the mid-20^th Century, the United Church was a going and growing concern. Buildings had to be enlarged to accommodation the burgeoning Sunday School classes. Everyone went to church on Sunday and a large majority of them went to a United Church.

This denomination has been a pioneer in North America, championing justice issues that other denominations shied away from. We are partnered with other churches the world over, fighting poverty, injustice, racism, and any other affront to God’s world. We have become known as the church that speaks for the downtrodden and rejected.

Our outspokenness has cost us at times. As our society becomes more and more secularized, church attendance has declined. Some people are uncomfortable with stands we have taken. While the United Church of Canada is still a strong church on our Canadian landscape, we cannot deny that our numbers are steadily decreasing.

How will our story end?

Will we fade away and become irrelevant?

OR

Will we remember that, like those ancient Israelites, and like those early Christians, we are servants who have been entrusted with the vineyard?

Will we remember that we are little more than tenant farmers responsible for what God has given us?

Will we strive to care for God’s vineyard and God’s people, continuing to speak when others will not?

Only time will answer our questions. But we have heard the stories and we know the possibilities.

When Jesus came into the world, with him came new endings to stories. We saw our God in a new light - no longer the fearful destroyer but rather a patient, persistent God of love.

It is time for us to remind ourselves that we ARE the tenders of the vines. We must renew our efforts, carefully nurturing our faith and encouraging that of others, so that the vineyard may experience new life and new growth once more.

It is not too late. The root is far from dead. God has not given up on us and we must not give up on ourselves – or our church. We are still capable of producing much good fruit.

Let us this day renew our commitment to our God, our faith and our church. Let us be reminded always of our story and let us seek to live it to God’s glory.

I invite you to turn to page 918 in Voices United. Please stand and say with me Our New Creed. This is our story. May it always be.

Amen