Wingham United Church

September 20, 2026

Living as Citizens of Heaven

Jonah 3:10-4:11

Philippians 1:21-30

Matthew 20:1-16

 

          We talk a lot about grace and forgiveness in the church, but as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it isn’t always found with great abundance. Part of the reason for that may be that we focus more on being the recipients of God’s grace and less on the necessity for Christians to extend that same kind of grace to one another.

          We have long memories when it comes to keeping track of the misdeeds or perceived slights others have committed, but when we do something similar, we admit that we are only human and expect others to “forgive and forget.” It’s a dangerous double standard, and I see it all the time.

          People often confide in me about the way they feel about others. Many of the things they tell me about happened long before I ever met either of the people involved, and it baffles me why they feel it necessary to tell me at all. It makes me wonder, though, as they tell me about their issues with others in the church, what they are saying to others about me. What will you tell a future minister about that guy you were stuck with back in 2026?

          It seems it just human nature to hold on to the past. Take Jonah, for example. After all he’s been through, and the second chances he has received, he has finally arrived in Nineveh and done what God had sent him to do – preach a lesson about repentance and grace. It must have been quite sermon! The whole community, even the king himself, accepted Jonah’s message and pledged to change their ways. Their turn around was so remarkable that God changed his mind about destroying the city and granted them a new beginning.

          Jonah, on the other hand, is not so forgiving. God’s grace and forgiveness were for HIS people, the Jews. These Ninevites were the enemy. Even after their astounding change of attitude and behaviour, Jonah wanted fire and brimstone, and he set himself in a spot where he could safely watch his wrath played out. He wanted them to pay for their past crimes even though they had earnestly repented. Instead of being filled with joy and exultation at the results of his efforts - instead of revelling in the knowledge that, through him, the population of one of the greatest cities on earth had been given a new outlook on life – he is miserable and angry – angry enough to die!

          Can you imagine being so filled with resentment that you would rather die than see the person you hate go unpunished for their misdeeds? Perhaps that is a bit extreme. God is not above using hyperbole to get the point across. Yet I often see how resentment eats away at a person’s own joy and contentment. I have said in the past that the burden of a grudge only weighs down the person who carries it, but I have learned that that is not true. The grudges people carry impact nearly everyone around them, and can have very damaging effects on their families, their communities, and their churches.   

          Perhaps the most heartbreaking examples of this appear to me when planning funerals. Families torn apart over some past incident. Sons or daughters being banned from attending a parent’s end-of-life service. A funeral director once confessed to me that he had conspired with a member of the family who had been forbidden from coming to the funeral to allow them to come to the funeral home after visitation was over and everyone else had left so that person could say their good-byes to their mother without someone calling the police. Can you imagine a relationship that toxic?

          Yet, sadly, it is not so uncommon. I’m sure many of you are aware of similar family estrangements and broken relationships. So often, it starts out over disagreements about money or property, as it does in Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard.

          The workers that had come early and worked hard all day in the sun and the heat had agreed to do it for a certain sum of money. Had they been paid first, they probably would have been quite satisfied with their reward: an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. Everyone is happy. But, because they saw someone else receiving more the same reward for less effort, they feel cheated: not because they were owed more, but because they resented the others having received more than they had earned. It looks like a disagreement over money, but it is really about jealousy. That is not uncommon, either. When I learn of someone’s resentment toward another and hear the details and their justification for the way they feel, it is often evident to me that envy or jealousy is at the root of their resentment. They will, however, rarely admit that, even to themselves. Many of our grudges begin as perceived slights. In the workplace, and often in church, someone gets credit for something and someone else who had helped receives no recognition and they feel just like the workers in the vineyard who think they have been cheated instead of being content with the knowledge that their efforts are appreciated.

          There’s a great danger in thanking or celebrating the contributions of specific people in any circumstance. You are almost always going to forget someone, and while it may be an innocent oversight, feelings get hurt, and that hurt can for too often lead to resentment. It’s like a little scratch that gets infected. It’s small and insignificant at first, but once it becomes inflamed, it becomes much more difficult to heal.

          In the case of a scratch, a little antiseptic will look after it. But if it’s feelings that are hurt, the only salve is grace. If someone is recognized for a job well done, be happy for them, and grateful if you had a part to play. If someone finds a new lease on life, celebrate and put past differences behind you. If someone makes a mistake and you feel slighted, accept that, in all likelihood, you have done the same to another person in the past.

          Everyone of us needs another’s forgiveness, sometimes over things we did not even realize we did wrong. Extend the same grace to others that you pray God will extend to you. Let go of past and move forward free from the encumbrances of past resentments. If this seems like I am asking too much, consider Paul.

          As he writes his letter to the church in Philippi, he is sitting in a Roman jail cell, arrested simply for telling people about the love and grace of God, made known through Jesus Christ. He knows that he may be executed for doing what he has done, yet he spends all his time carrying on the same ministry that has gotten him into this situation in the first place. Since he cannot visit the churches he has planted or the people with whom he has shared the gospel of Jesus Christ, he dictates letters to be sent to them.

          In this letter, he is actually debating whether it would be better to die as a martyr for Christ or continue living as Christ’s servant. It has been a long, hard life since he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He has travelled great distances; been ostracized from those he once called friends; nearly drowned; been beaten; and now sits in prison wondering if or when he may be executed. To die would bring an end to all that and admission into the Kingdom of God and Christ’s presence – something he so desperately longs for. If it were only about him, the choice would be easy, even though it is not his to make.

          But it is not just about him. It’s about Jesus. It’s about what is better for Christ’s Kingdom. If, by suffering and struggling a little longer, he can share his faith with a few more people, bring just a few more into the fold, he will struggle on. For the sake of a few more people he may never even meet, he will be grateful to live a little longer, despite the conditions in which he must do so.

          There is no hint of resentment here. If anyone has good reason to carry a grudge or be angry, I think Paul has. His only thoughts, however, are about how his life might best be used for the greater good, for the betterment of others.

          I want you to take a moment and honestly think about the grudges you bear – the ongoing resentment you carry for past wrongs. The mistakes others have made that you just can’t let go.

          I know you all have them. We all do. What burdens of resentment are you carrying today?

          Last week, we celebrated the 162nd Anniversary of Knox United with a special service and a special presentation. If we hadn’t had that occasion to celebrate, and had worshipped according to our usual routine, you would have heard this scripture:

          Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! (Matthew 18:21-22)

          There is some debate about whether Jesus said 70 times 7, or 77 times, but the number doesn’t matter. The meaning is that you keep doing it as often as you need to. Every time you think about whatever was done, whatever was said, you must choose to forgive. You need to work at this. It doesn’t just happen on its own. You must consciously let it go and leave it at the foot of the cross.

          Scripture is clear. We cannot receive a gift that we are unable or unwilling to give to another. Those who cannot forgive, who refuse to offer grace to another, cannot receive the grace and forgiveness of God. (Matthew 18:21-35)

          You cannot enter the Kingdom of God with resentment in your heart. Paul calls on his readers to live as “Citizens of Heaven, … standing together with one spirit and one purpose.” He doesn’t mean sometime in the future after we have died. He means that we are to become Citizens of Heaven in the here and now. That is impossible if we carry anything in our hearts toward one another except love, grace, and compassion. Anything else is unworthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and stands as a barrier to your peace and your place in Christ’s Kingdom.

Rev. Colin Snyder, MDiv.