Saint Matthew 21:23-32

The story is told of a rather tight-fisted elderly man who arrived at the Pearly Gates where he was greeted by an Angel …

"Before I can open up the gates and let you in," the Angel said, "I must ask you a few questions. First question: "Were you a person of good intentions?" The man answered, "Yes, there were lots of good things I intended to do but I just never got around to doing them."

Second question: "Name the good deeds you performed in the last five years." The man thought for a while, then said, "About two years ago a homeless beggar stopped me on the street and told me he hadn't eaten anything in two days, so I gave him fifty cents. And about five years ago another homeless beggar asked me for help and I gave him fifty cents."

Hearing this, the Angel turned to Saint Peter, the Gatekeeper, and said, "What shall I do with this man?" Saint Peter replied, "Give him his dollar back and tell him he's at the wrong gate!"

In today's Gospel Reading Jesus tells a simple little parable about two sons whose Father asks them to perform a service. "Son, go and work in the vineyard today," he commands. The first son answers, "I will not." But afterwards he changed his mind and went. The second son answers his father, 'I go, Sir; but he did not go. In telling the parable, Jesus asks, "Which of the two did the will of his father?" And the answer, of course is obvious; the one who was obedient to his father's command.

There is a Gospel episode in which Jesus is walking along the Bank of the Jordan River. John the Baptist sees Him, stares hard at Him, and says, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" Seeing this, two of John's Disciples turn and follow Jesus. Then Jesus turns around and says to them, "What do you want? (John 1:36,38). In other words, "What are your intentions?"

That question is put directly to us followers of the Lord Jesus Christ - we who are trying to draw close to Him in this worship event.

Jesus is in our midst now, asking, "What do you want?" In other words, "What are our intentions?

We who have gathered together in this House of Worship, what do we want?

If we were to ask people to share their individual answers, they would likely cover a wide range of ideas, and perhaps they would illustrate the difficulty we often have in avoiding the use of many words when only a few are needed. Nut, however long the answer, or however short, unless the bottom line says simply, "What we want as Jesus' followers, is to know and to do the Will of God," it is only so much babble.

Obedience to God's Will opens up the whole secret of life for you.

Obedience to God's will - actually doing what the Lord teaches - is the only way to attain genuine peace of mind and heart and soul.

We say these things, over and over but do we really mean them? Do we really believe them enough to act accordingly?

We all know the ancient maxim, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." And many of us, if not most of us, are walking right down the middle of that road. We have good intentions about the many good things we will do in the future …

We intend to give up those habits that are destructive in our lives.

We intend to spend more time learning how to pray more effectively.

We intend to be more loving, more sensitive, more compassionate, more present to other persons.

We intend to reexamine our values and our priorities.

We intend to reexamine our whole way of life.

But we're awfully busy, we have so many other things on our minds that we don't have time to follow through on our good intentions.

This very human tendency must have been on the mind of Jesus. Again and again He made the point: Hearing His teachings is not enough. They have to be applied. They have to be translated into real action. In many, many different ways Jesus instructed His Disciples to get with it, to do it. Oh how he prodded them! …

"Enter but take the narrow gate," he told them. That was a Call to Action!

"Be like the good healthy tree that bears much fruit," He told them. That was a Call to Action!"

"It's not enough to stand around saying, 'Lord, Lord.'" He told them. That was a Call to Action!"

"The important thing is to do the Will of My Father," He told them. That was a Call to Action!"

A well-intentioned man on his way home from work one night, decided to do something special for his wife …

He went into a flower shop and bought a beautiful bouquet of roses to take home with him.

As he was leaving the shop, flowers in hand, the Florist called out to him, "Are those for your wife, sir?"

"Yes they are," the man replied.

"For her birthday?" the shopkeeper asked, "No," said the husband.

"For your anniversary?"

"No," said the husband.

Then, as the husband opened the door to leave, the Florist called out, "I hope she forgives you or at least gives you an 'A' for effort."

Your good intentions are of no account if all you do is talk about them. Jesus is ready to give you an "A" for effort. So get on with it! Do it!

This House of God is a place where we gather together as a people to receive the Good Lord's Gift of Life - through His mercy, through His pardon, through His love.

This House of God is a place where we gather together as a people, in the spirit of reconciliation and mutual forgiveness.

This House of God is a place where we gather together as a Christian People - followers of Jesus Christ, to transform our good intentions into real, live actions.

I have a suggestion. Leave this House of God today with one good intention of giving yourself in some way to someone in need - someone who is hurting. Someone who needs a good listener, someone who can benefit from your loving concern. It may be a loved one. It may be a stranger. It may be an enemy, so-called.

Then, go out and do it this week. Forget all the excuses, and do it.

Get off the dead-center of that road paved with good intentions and do it!

Jesus is waiting, eager to give you an "A" for effort!

What will be your Call to Action?

Thanks be to God!!!!!

Amen!!!