Today’s readings ask a simple question that children, teenagers, parents, grandparents, and every one of us can understand: When God calls, do we only say the right words, or do we actually follow through?
In the gospel reading today Jesus tells a story about two sons.
Their father asks them to go and work in the vineyard. One says, “No,” but later changes his mind and goes. The other says, “Yes, sir,” but never goes.
Then Jesus asks, “Which one did what the father wanted?” The answer is obvious: the one who actually went even though he started badly.
That is good news for us all no matter what our age is. It means God is not finished with us when our first answer is wrong.
A child might say, “I don’t want to help,” and then still chooses to help.
A teenager might say, “I don’t care,” and then quietly do the right thing.
An older person might look back and think, “I wish I had answered God sooner,” and still discover that today is a new day to say yes.
In the first reading, the people of Israel are thirsty in the wilderness. They complain, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
It is an honest question, because thirst is real. Fear is real, and Tiredness is real. But God does not abandon them.
Water comes from the rock. And God provides what they need, not because they have behaved perfectly, but because God is faithful.
That matters for you young people here today. Sometimes life can feel like a wilderness, it can just plain suck: school pressure, friendships, bullying, choices online, worries about the future, or feeling as if no one quite understands you.
But it also matters for adults too: bills to, health issues, grief as the older you get the more people you lose, family tensions, loneliness, and the weight of many responsibilities.
The question “Is the Lord among us?” can rise in anyone’s heart, at any age.
The answer of Scripture is yes, God is among us, even in the dry places.
In Psalm 78 says that we must tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord.
Faith is not meant to be kept locked away in one age group. For us not so young people here today can I share with you that, Children and Teenagers need honest examples, of, faith, that, has survived hard times, not a lecture or sermon on the bible readings from today or from your 10 Favourite verses, where they silent mutter to themselves, here we go again, (For God so loved, blah, blah, blah, if so, why did nana die…)
They need stories of how God intervened in our lives and helped us through the same trials and tribulations that they will inevitably go through on their life’s journey. They need a safe place that they can go to when their lives suck.
Where was that for you? And how do you express that to them in real life and faith experience. Only you know how God helped you through in real time, because it’s your life experience that you are sharing.
For me I never ever forgot the two faith anchors that my mother gave to me the day I hitchhiked out of Coromandel to go to Hamilton Teachers College.
She was sitting in the back of Boys old Car on the Tiki Road. As I was about to leave, she said to me, Son if you are ever in trouble find the house with a cross and go there, and don’t forget to say the Lord’s prayer because it is THE LORDS PRAYER.
And younger people here, us older people, need the questions, energy, and courage of you, the young. The courage and freedom we once knew when we were your age.
The questions are important for them as much as their answers are for you. When you step out with courage to do whatever it may be, you need to know how much joy and peace it brings to us oldies.
A healthy church is not children in one corner, teenagers in another, and older folk somewhere else. A healthy church is just like we operate here, a family learning together how to trust God.
Paul says in Philippians, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” That means we do not follow Jesus by trying to look important. We follow Jesus by serving.
Jesus had every right to be honoured, yet he humbled himself. He came close to ordinary people. He listened. He healed. He forgave. He gave himself for us.
So, what does, saying, yes, to God look like this week? For a child, it might be sharing, telling the truth, or helping without being asked twice.
For a teenager, it might be refusing to join in cruel talk, checking on someone who is left out, or choosing what is right even when friends do not understand.
For an adult, it might be forgiving someone, making peace, visiting someone lonely, praying again after a long silence, or admitting, “I was wrong.”
The beautiful thing in Jesus’ story is that the first son changed. He did not stay trapped in his first answer. He turned around. That is what repentance means: not just feeling sorry but turning towards God and taking the next faithful step.
The door of God’s mercy is open to children, teenagers, adults, and elders alike.
Here is a small challenge for all of us. Before the day is over, ask yourself: Where is God asking me to say yes with my life? Not just with my mouth. Not just in church. Not just when people are watching. Where is God asking me to go into the vineyard?
And if your first answer has been no, do not despair. God still calls. God still gives water in the wilderness. God still works in us, as Paul says, “to will and to work for his good pleasure.” We can begin again. We can return to the Lord, that we may live before him.
Let us pray: Loving God, thank you that you do not give up on us. Help the children, the teenagers, the adults, and the older members of your family to hear your call and answer with our lives. Give us humble hearts like Jesus, courage to change, and faith to trust that you are with us in every wilderness. Amen.