Parable of the Vineyard workers

Friday was a nice day off for vocational discernment and reflection and such. Yesterday we had a Teen Forum for the Campus for Human Development all day. It was an event that aimed to help raise awareness about poverty and homelessness among teens. Part of the event was the poverty simulation game we played on my 2nd day of work. This time, I was on the other side of the table (literally). I was running a station- the Fast Fast restaurant- and it was much easier to succeed having a property card. After the simulation game, we came together for discussion. We created a list of words- based on our experiences from the game- to describe the cycle of poverty: chaotic, confusing, frustrating, overwhelming, corrupt(people sometimes stole from the bank or businesses ripped them off because they could), unjust, etc.

I noticed that we had a lot more freedom as a business owner. First of all, I had a backup supply of money to our own personal pouch. If I was running low, I could just use resources from our business. Second, I could get away with more. For instance, when people came to our station they would pay us one "money card" and in turn we would give them one "health card". There were several instances when we (the other girl running the station and I) were low on health cards so we made up excuses when people came to buy from us (such as "we're doing maintenance today, come back tomorrow" ) In the game, If you're a citizen and you're so low on resources that you can't make a transaction, you get jailed. But the police didn't monitor the businesses as much. So we got away with a lot more :) I'm not sure if that's quite as true in the "real world" but it was an interesting observation.

Father Strobel (the priest who created the campus) spoke at the forum, and he mentioned something that reminded me of Thursday's post. He said, "If you want peace, work for justice." So I wonder, what does work mean in this sense? and HOW do we work for justice?

Today Katie and I sang in church for the first time and it was fun, although I admit that I was sort of wingin' it. But it turned out fine. The sermon today was based on the parable of the Vineyard workers (Matt. 20:1-6) in which a landowner hires workers for his vineyard at different increments in the day but then he doesn't pay them according to how long they worked (each worker receives the standard pay). The minister, Jim Kitchens, talked about how this story doesn't mesh with our understanding of good economics or fairness nor with our competitive nature. He concludes that God's Kingdom gives us a glimpse of a different kind of economy than we are used to.

Many of you have probably heard, but there has been a gas shortage in central Tennessee because of the recent hurricanes. Needless to say, it has created quite a panic in Nashville! Most gas stations are out of unleaded gas and those that do still have gas have mile-long lines. The city has been getting more gas in the last several days but it keeps running out because everyone is trying to grab it while they can (our competitive culture). Someone mentioned today that it wouldn't be so bad right now if people weren't hoarding it. I'm not sure if that's quite accurate but I think he had a good point. We're so concerned with our own future and well-being that we don't think about how it will affect others.

I was thinking about this other kind of Kingdom where people don't hoard but instead trust God's provisions. This made me think of Phillipians 6:4,

"Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

I began thinking about how it's all linked together. This different kind of economy, as suggested in the parable, is predicated on trusting that God will provide. I wonder how different all of our lives would be if we really followed that advice. The gas crisis may not have been such a crisis had we been not quite so anxious and competitive.

Something to think about..I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please pray for my roommate and I's relationship. We're still learning how to live with one another and honestly, we're struggling at times. Thanks! God bless.

Blair