Holding the Football

For those of us who are fans of the old comic strip Peanuts, as soon as fall comes around we start having images of Lucy holding a football and coaxing Charlie Brown to run up and kick it. Every year the same thing happens: she pulls it away and Charlie Brown falls flat on his back. Every year he thinks maybe Lucy actually means it, that she'll hold the football for him, and every year he's disappointed.

This weekend, we'll hear Jesus' story about a vineyard owner who sent a few groups of servants to collect his portion of the harvest, only to have them beaten and even killed by the tenants. When he sent his son, the tenants figured that if they'd kill him, there would be no one left to get the inheritance and the vineyard would then be theirs. Instead, they received terrible punishment from the owner.

Who would act like the tenants in the story? Those who in their self-centeredness think the world revolves around them.

Is it possible to change? Indeed it is. The Holy Spirit can make a new creation in Christ Jesus. St. Paul is an excellent example of that. And how do you know that has actually happened? The new person's new attitude is no longer "What's in it for me?" but, "Lord, what may I do for You and for others?"

No longer is the football pulled away at the last second so one can have enjoyment at the expense of another. Rather, the football is actually held in place and there is great delight in helping another experience what he or she has been longing for: enjoying life in Jesus.