Sunday, September 27, 2026
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell
Matthew 21:23-32
When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.
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I have been in love with words for as long as I can remember. My mother still likes to brag that I could speak in full sentences while most of my peers were still babbling. Because of this, my mother taught me the alphabet and how to sound out words before I ever went to school.
When I was about eight or so, I decided that I was going to write a children’s book. And so, I came up with a concept, did all the illustrations and cover art myself, and then bound the one and only copy with copious amounts of scotch tape.
I was also a big fan of the PBS educational children’s program called Zoom. Does anyone else remember Zoom? One day they announced a short story contest and said that the winner’s story would be read on the air. And so, I got busy and sent off a new story. And, lo and behold, I did actually hear back from them… in the form of a rejection letter. But I kept on writing.
And then, many years later, even though I swore that I would never do it, I became a pastor – a dream job for blabbermouths! Pastors actually get paid to use our words! You might actually be here today with an interest in what I have to say.
And I do take all that very seriously, because I take words seriously. Because I know that words can be purveyors of great and noble truths. They can create beauty and meaning. But in the wrong mouths and with the wrong motives, words can also destroy and abuse and demolish. And sometimes they just fail.
The setting of today’s Gospel lesson is the Monday of Holy Week – just four days before the Crucifixion. And the day before that Monday, on Sunday, Jesus had gone into the Temple and, outraged by what he saw, overturned the tables of the money changers and drove the merchants out of the Temple with a whip. It had been quite a scene.
So, when Jesus showed up in the Temple again the next day, the religious authorities were ready for him. And they cornered him and demanded: “By what authority are you doing all these things, and who gave you this authority?”
Well, Jesus knew a trick question when he heard one. And so, he replied, “I’ll answer your question if you answer mine. Was John’s baptism from God or not?” Now, this was not a simple yes or no answer. Because the masses loved the populist named John the Baptist. So, if those religious authorities answered that John was from God, then they stood condemned for not following God. But if they said he was not from God, then they risked the wrath of the people who believed that John was a true prophet. And so, in an answer worthy of any politician, they said: “We’ll have to get back to you on that.” And Jesus replied, “Well, then, I won’t answer your question either. But I will tell you a story.”
Once upon a time, there was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and asked him to go work in the family vineyard. “No way, old man”, the son replied. “I’ve got better things to do.” But later, his conscience got the better of him. And he felt bad for his cheeky answer and decided to go to work in the vineyard after all.
There were lots of grapes to be harvested, so the father also went to the second son and asked him to go work in the vineyard as well. And unlike the first son, the second son answered very politely: “I go, sir” he said. But then he looked out the window and saw how beautiful the day was. And he decided to go to the beach instead. “So,” Jesus asked, “which of the two sons did the will of their father?” “Was it the one who said all the right things, but didn’t do the right things? Or was the one who said the wrong things, but then did what was right?”
“It was the one who did what was right,” the religious leaders answered. And with that, they walked right into Jesus’s trap. “You’re right,” Jesus said. “It was the one who actually did what as right. You know, like those sex workers and IRS agents who listened to John the Baptist and then repented and turned around and walked in a new direction. They will get into the Pearly Gates long before you do. Because you might know all the right words, but you do not put them into practice. Your words fail.”
Words sometimes fail. And in this old world of ours, words seem to fail at an ever-increasing and alarming rate. Some people lie with such impunity that their words have become meaningless. Leaders, in the church, and the government, and industry say one thing and then do another. And the result is the massive failure of words, and the loss of hope, and the increase of cynicism.
But the sex workers and the IRS agents proved what we all know to be true – that actions can very often speak louder than words. And I sometimes wonder what the church would be like it spent less time talking about religion and more time just doing it; less time talking about what we believe about Jesus and more time imitating what Jesus actually did and said.
Years ago, the United Church of Christ had a slogan that made some people nervous. And it went like this: “To believe is to care. To care is to do.” Our critics said that it seemed to devalue theology. But I never read it like that. Because I actually think that theology is important. I have spent my entire life thinking about and writing about and speaking about God and Jesus and the church and the human condition. But I also know that few of those words mean a blessed thing to most folks outside of these walls. What gets their attention is not what we say about Jesus, but whether or not we act like him.
One of the biblical commentators I read this week in preparation for this sermon told an interesting story. And here I quote directly: “My son sent me a bulletin from the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. One Sunday he stood in a long line of visitors to listen to Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School. He stayed for the worship service and sent me the program for the day. (It was interesting to see, but) my eyes stopped at this notice in the bulletin: ‘Rosalyn Carter will clean the church next Saturday. Jimmy Carter will cut the grass and trim the shrubbery.’
Now, we all know that the late president was a well-known Bible teacher. And as a former president, he also knew the great power of words. But as a follower of Jesus, Carter also understood that sometimes words alone just don’t do it. Actions speak louder than words. Because the church still needs to be cleaned. The hedges still need to be trimmed. The grass still needs to be cut. The hungry still need to be fed. The children still need to be educated. The outcasts still need to be welcomed. The voiceless still need an advocate. The lonely still need a friend. The lost still need to be found.
We can say all the beautiful words that we want. But words alone will never do the work of God in this world. And action always speaks louder than words. And love is a language all its own. May God teach us to speak it well.
Amen.
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell
Matthew 21:23-32
When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.
+++
I have been in love with words for as long as I can remember. My mother still likes to brag that I could speak in full sentences while most of my peers were still babbling. Because of this, my mother taught me the alphabet and how to sound out words before I ever went to school.
When I was about eight or so, I decided that I was going to write a children’s book. And so, I came up with a concept, did all the illustrations and cover art myself, and then bound the one and only copy with copious amounts of scotch tape.
I was also a big fan of the PBS educational children’s program called Zoom. Does anyone else remember Zoom? One day they announced a short story contest and said that the winner’s story would be read on the air. And so, I got busy and sent off a new story. And, lo and behold, I did actually hear back from them… in the form of a rejection letter. But I kept on writing.
And then, many years later, even though I swore that I would never do it, I became a pastor – a dream job for blabbermouths! Pastors actually get paid to use our words! You might actually be here today with an interest in what I have to say.
And I do take all that very seriously, because I take words seriously. Because I know that words can be purveyors of great and noble truths. They can create beauty and meaning. But in the wrong mouths and with the wrong motives, words can also destroy and abuse and demolish. And sometimes they just fail.
The setting of today’s Gospel lesson is the Monday of Holy Week – just four days before the Crucifixion. And the day before that Monday, on Sunday, Jesus had gone into the Temple and, outraged by what he saw, overturned the tables of the money changers and drove the merchants out of the Temple with a whip. It had been quite a scene.
So, when Jesus showed up in the Temple again the next day, the religious authorities were ready for him. And they cornered him and demanded: “By what authority are you doing all these things, and who gave you this authority?”
Well, Jesus knew a trick question when he heard one. And so, he replied, “I’ll answer your question if you answer mine. Was John’s baptism from God or not?” Now, this was not a simple yes or no answer. Because the masses loved the populist named John the Baptist. So, if those religious authorities answered that John was from God, then they stood condemned for not following God. But if they said he was not from God, then they risked the wrath of the people who believed that John was a true prophet. And so, in an answer worthy of any politician, they said: “We’ll have to get back to you on that.” And Jesus replied, “Well, then, I won’t answer your question either. But I will tell you a story.”
Once upon a time, there was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and asked him to go work in the family vineyard. “No way, old man”, the son replied. “I’ve got better things to do.” But later, his conscience got the better of him. And he felt bad for his cheeky answer and decided to go to work in the vineyard after all.
There were lots of grapes to be harvested, so the father also went to the second son and asked him to go work in the vineyard as well. And unlike the first son, the second son answered very politely: “I go, sir” he said. But then he looked out the window and saw how beautiful the day was. And he decided to go to the beach instead. “So,” Jesus asked, “which of the two sons did the will of their father?” “Was it the one who said all the right things, but didn’t do the right things? Or was the one who said the wrong things, but then did what was right?”
“It was the one who did what was right,” the religious leaders answered. And with that, they walked right into Jesus’s trap. “You’re right,” Jesus said. “It was the one who actually did what as right. You know, like those sex workers and IRS agents who listened to John the Baptist and then repented and turned around and walked in a new direction. They will get into the Pearly Gates long before you do. Because you might know all the right words, but you do not put them into practice. Your words fail.”
Words sometimes fail. And in this old world of ours, words seem to fail at an ever-increasing and alarming rate. Some people lie with such impunity that their words have become meaningless. Leaders, in the church, and the government, and industry say one thing and then do another. And the result is the massive failure of words, and the loss of hope, and the increase of cynicism.
But the sex workers and the IRS agents proved what we all know to be true – that actions can very often speak louder than words. And I sometimes wonder what the church would be like it spent less time talking about religion and more time just doing it; less time talking about what we believe about Jesus and more time imitating what Jesus actually did and said.
Years ago, the United Church of Christ had a slogan that made some people nervous. And it went like this: “To believe is to care. To care is to do.” Our critics said that it seemed to devalue theology. But I never read it like that. Because I actually think that theology is important. I have spent my entire life thinking about and writing about and speaking about God and Jesus and the church and the human condition. But I also know that few of those words mean a blessed thing to most folks outside of these walls. What gets their attention is not what we say about Jesus, but whether or not we act like him.
One of the biblical commentators I read this week in preparation for this sermon told an interesting story. And here I quote directly: “My son sent me a bulletin from the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. One Sunday he stood in a long line of visitors to listen to Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School. He stayed for the worship service and sent me the program for the day. (It was interesting to see, but) my eyes stopped at this notice in the bulletin: ‘Rosalyn Carter will clean the church next Saturday. Jimmy Carter will cut the grass and trim the shrubbery.’
Now, we all know that the late president was a well-known Bible teacher. And as a former president, he also knew the great power of words. But as a follower of Jesus, Carter also understood that sometimes words alone just don’t do it. Actions speak louder than words. Because the church still needs to be cleaned. The hedges still need to be trimmed. The grass still needs to be cut. The hungry still need to be fed. The children still need to be educated. The outcasts still need to be welcomed. The voiceless still need an advocate. The lonely still need a friend. The lost still need to be found.
We can say all the beautiful words that we want. But words alone will never do the work of God in this world. And action always speaks louder than words. And love is a language all its own. May God teach us to speak it well.
Amen.
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