IT’S NOT FAIR - is usually our first reaction to this story, as we side with those who have worked all day, thinking, rightly or wrongly, that would have been us if we placed ourselves in the story. We are hard workers. We are eager. We would have been out looking for work at the beginning of the day! But to fully understand this story, we have to realize this is NOT a story about fairness, it is a story about God’s generosity. Those who came last and were paid first, wh

Two weeks ago, we heard how Jesus gave the “keys to the kingdom” to Peter, and I suggested we all have those keys that either open the way to the kingdom for us and others, or keeps us locked out of the kingdom. Keys like trust and confidence, the keys of love, care and concern, mercy, meekness, and peace. And notice that today Jesus says to all of us what he told Peter when handing over the keys to him: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you

In his book, The One Minute Manager, author Ken Blanchard says: “there is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses.” Blanchard continues: commitment is the one quality above all others that enables a potential leader to become a successful leader. Without commitment, there can be no success. One time football coach of Notre Dam