Preach Matthew!

The selected passages in Preach Matthew! are closely related, drawn from chapters at the heart of Matthews Gospel and constitute the Common Lectionary readings for Propers 19-24 (Year A). The Preach Matthew! resources, background notes, sample sermons and liturgical provision are accessed through the Matthew lectionary table. Please note that clergy and planning groups should not aim to preach on all six passages. Instead identify three or four passages selecting those most suitable for the pattern of worship in the church.

Three passages address specifically financial themes. The parables of The Two Debtors and The Labourers in the Vineyard are complemented by the vexed question of paying taxes to Caesar. The presence of these texts reminds us of just how much material in the gospels deals directly with financial themes. But stewardship preaching is not limited simply to passages with an overt financial theme. The parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard, like the Labourers, draws on a rich OT picture of Israel as a vineyard, well provided for and entrusted to the stewardship of God’s chosen people. The Tenants parable, however, addresses the demands of stewardship when the landlord is absent and the temptation to toke possession of what is in reality an entrusted gift. The parable of the Wedding Feast stresses the stewardship theme of gracious invitation and roots the call to generosity in the generous invitation of God to us.

The emphases in Matthew's Gospel at several places reflects his concern with the judgment of God on human failure to see the hand of God in Jesus' ministry. Preaching from Matthew can touch upon the crucial role of church leadership and the consequences of a failure to adequately resource the ministry of the local church. The richness and variety of the Matthew lectionary readings are an opportunity for preachers to explore the issues of stewardship in a thoughtful and creative manner. Stewardship preaching is not a weekly appeal for money but a challenge to apply biblical principles in a sensitive and important area of our lives.