Trinity 18_2026

Readings:

• Isaiah 5:1-7
• Psalm 80:8-16
• Philippians 3:4b-14
• Matthew 21:33-end 

Sermon:

The readings that we have this Sunday may seem tales of devastation and wickedness. I am reminded somewhat of the sight that greeted me when I returned from holiday this summer. As I ventured out into the garden, after ten very restful, cool, and damp days in Norway, I discovered that my irrigation system had failed in the vegetable garden. Whereas I had been refreshed by the atmospheric mists of Scandinavia, my tomatoes had baked in the heat of our English summer. I’ve had barely anything to harvest, and even writing this in the middle of September, my butternut squashes are still smaller than tennis balls. It is disappointing when we put so much work into trying to create something, to grow something, or to make something, and conditions beyond our control bring all of our efforts to nothing.

In the readings, the prophet Isaiah shares God’s disappointment that the harvest of Israel, a harvest of justice and righteousness, seems to have failed. The psalmist laments that all of the efforts made to build a city to the praise of God have been devastated by an enemy, and they plead with God to intervene. In his parable about wicked tenants, Jesus describes how poorly treated were the prophets before him, and how the son was killed on the false premise of a worthless inheritance – foreshadowing his own murder.

In the earliest part of his life, Paul seems to have benefited greatly from the prosperity of a privileged upbringing, a good education, and a place in society upon which to build a substantial career. Yet he says that he counted it as so much rubbish after coming to know Christ. For him, nothing can be of greater worth than his finding faith in Jesus. He says that he, “wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his suffering by becoming like him in his death.” Do you find this a curious thing? I wonder how you regard the death of Jesus, and of what that might mean for you to become like him in his death?

Jesus encouraged his disciples to take up their cross and follow him. The cross, a symbol of rebellion against worldly power, marks out those who follow in God’s ways. Jesus’ death was the sign of the Paschal Lamb, the one whose blood acted to protect against death and which serves as a gateway to salvation in the power of the Lord. Paul wanted to have a part in being that sign which protects against death, and he urges all of us who read his letters to also strive to play our part. As we walk together, we become a hopeful sign, giving confidence that devastation and wickedness will fade away, and that the harvest of justice and righteousness is just around the corner.

You must have heard other preachers say that the cross is not a sign of defeat but rather a sign of a hopeful victory (or something like that). When there is devastation and wickedness, it is important that as followers of Christ we become hopeful signs of victory over sin and death; just as Christ on the Cross and risen in the Garden is a sign of God’s indefatigable power and total victory. Working together confidently, God kingdom can be built.

We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from the path of righteousness by the corruption that Isaiah warned against, nor the fear of a violent enemy, nor of greedy capitalists, nor of jealous Pharisees. These things all appear in our readings today, and sadly remain a cause of devastation in our world.

Paul notes that we are not there yet. There is a way to go. The goal is not yet reached, but we press on, forgetting what lies behind and straining for that which lies ahead. For what lies ahead exceeds the glory of the past, makes a nonsense of the trinkets we treasure, and is more than sufficient reward for the efforts that we make as we strive for love, compassion, justice, and freedom; building the Kingdom of our Lord, in Jesus’ name.

Questions:

1. What does it mean for you, ‘to become like Christ in his death’?
2. What most gives you confidence to press on and make the Cross your own?
3. What will you say the next time anyone suggests, ‘everything is getting worse’?