... and the Creek rise

Today I chalked up living through ninety-one years and start into my ninety-second year. It's a great ride so far and nothing but gratitude - - shehecheyanu - - blessed are you Lord our God, king of the universe, who gives life, and sustains us, and has brought us to this Time.

We ordered the extraordinary coconut cake at the velvet bakery in Lynn Haven, picked it up Friday, and, like my mother used to make for me, it's way beyond delicious, heavy, dense, moist yellow cake and white coconut icing, OMG!! Friday afternoon we had cake and ice cream with Malinda at Pruitt. The ice cream was weird, but somebody (not me, I'm a vanilla person) wanted cinnamon, so I bought Jeni's cinnamon bun roll ice cream, not to my taste. I'll stick with our basic Southern style Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla as long as it keeps that essense of sweetened condensed milk that marked the ice cream we churned at home when I was a boy. Eagle Brand or Dime Brand.

The birthday plan was to have steak at Longhorn Steak House on 23rd Street, but it was a case of God willing and the Creek don't rise, and the Creek rose: I'm in hospital for treatment of what can be called weeping edema, related to my sixteen year journey with CHF. It involves an IV drip of antibiotics once a day to overcome the infection, and two daily IV shots of lasix to drain off excess fluid accumulated in body, legs, ankles, feet and toes.  Was admitted Saturday, and the doctor's prognosis on Sunday morning was that the treatment will take more than just the overnight we anticipated.

I spent my 13th Christmas in hospital for appendectomy, might as well mark completing ninety-one years in hospital. Heading for ninety-two, eh? God willing ...

This was not my plan. But on the high side, Linda is warming up a gift oyster dinner from Hunt's and bringing it when she comes to the hospital Monday morning.

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Here's our gospel reading for next Sunday:

Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 

When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 

And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

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This is Matthew's story, he uses "kingdom of heaven" where Mark uses "kingdom of God," and it's difficult to tell for absolute certain whether he means heaven above the clouds in the abode of God, or as "spread upon the Earth" as another gospel writer (Sayings Gospel of Thomas) has it. Have it your way, I'm with the latter.

What does it mean then? Jesus means that everybody is the same in the kingdom of God, there's no hierarchy, no class system, no ranking or favoritism. If you so choose, you're in. We on Earth see the unfairness in Jesus' vineyard example, labor unions would not tolerate it, and management would not pay out this way in any event! But the example is not about earthly things, it's about things of God, God's values; "the love of God is broader than man's mind," as a hymn line has it. God's values are so different from ours that it boggles the mind.

Well said in next Sunday's Collect for the Day:

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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As you age into my category, this will make more and more and less and less sense to you.

RSF&PTL

T91

snapshot: 269-W