(9-27-21) The Congregation of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ – Rockford welcomed Reverend Doug Meyer to the pulpit on Sunday, September 19, 2021. He provided a Children’s Message.

Pastor Doug continued with the sermon, It is All About Grace, which was based on the Gospel scripture of Matthew 20:1-6.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

Matthew: 20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the landowner is compared to the Kingdom of Heaven. The landowner goes out at the beginning of the day and hires workers. Three more times during the day, he hires workers. Some worked all day; some an hour, but they each got a denarius for their labor. The whole day workers grumbled. But the landowner said he was being fair that the labor was worth a denarius no matter the time the labor involved. It is like that with the Kingdom of Heaven, said Pastor Doug. God wants us all to come to his kingdom. This is God’s Grace. Do we want God to give us what is fair or be gracious? Pastor Doug reminded us that we DO need God’s Grace because of our sins. Grace says I will remove you from all your sins. “This is God’s Incredible Grace; his love for us,” said Pastor Doug.

Reverend Doug Meyer is the retired minister from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Celina serving over 50 years in the ministry of God. He delivers a powerful message and will be back in the pulpit on Sunday, November 7, 2021. Services start at 10 AM. Children’s Church is during the Worship Service.

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ is located at 1538 Oregon Road west of Rockford. Check us out on Facebook!

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