You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
This week we’ve been hearing how the different characters in Jesus’ story might have experienced the event. I thought we’d hear from the Landowner last – and I’m pretty sure the Landowner in this story is God. Parables are open to multiple interpretations, but it’s hard for me to conceive of this character as representing anyone but the Almighty. After all, it is God’s Kingdom that Jesus is trying to convey in his parables, a realm that cannot be depicted or even described except through story and symbol.
Does God come out to the marketplaces of this world and call those who are willing to work in his vineyard? Does God keep at it, knowing there’s more than enough work for everyone? Does God go after even those whom no one else has wanted to hire, or those who got there late? Does God compensate everyone at the same rate, knowing there is no “more” or “less” when you dwell in abundance?
If this is who God is, we’re in good shape. We can be frustrated, not fully comprehending the ways of God, but we are also in line for more blessings than we can fathom. Above all, this story Jesus told is about blessing, blessing beyond what makes sense, blessing that doesn’t quit.
Around the year 400, St. John Chrysostom wrote a beautiful Easter Vigil sermon, drawing on this parable to convey that, no matter what kind of Lenten fast people have kept, no matter what sin, they are welcome at God’s table. I’d like to give him the last word this week, in an excerpt:
If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first.
To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
I pray you feast richly this weekend – it’s always Easter around God’s house, and the table is always richly laden.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
9-17-26 - The Idle Poor?
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Today we’ll let one of those “one-hour workers” in Jesus’ story tell his tale:
I hope you don’t think I’m lazy. I tried all day to get work, but whenever someone came in hiring, other guys got to him first. I’m not as fast as some, but I’m not lazy. It’s hard to stand there all day hoping for a job. I’d rather be working.
Not sure why I was still there at 5 in the afternoon – certainly didn’t expect a job then. But this manager guy came along hiring for the big vineyard. “Why you standing around here doing nothing all day?” he asked us. “No one has hired us,” we said. Hey, it’s not like we're just guzzling beer. He said they could still use some help to meet the day’s quotas, so come on. I figured a few bucks is better than none.
Felt a little bad getting out there with these guys who’d worked all day, so we threw ourselves into it. Barely broke a sweat, though, before they called quitting time. The manager tells us to line up first – that seemed odd, but we did it. Figured we’d get our hour’s pay, and move on. But that’s not what happened. We each got a full day’s pay. Couldn’t believe it.
I don’t know why this owner wanted to treat us like that – half the time these guys are cheating you out of what they actually owe you, looking to take as much as they can from you. But this guy? He treated us like we’d worked a full day, even coming in at the 11th hour like that. I don't think I've ever been treated so well. It actually made me want to get there earlier tomorrow, so I can work a full day.
In telling this story, Jesus gives no reason for why these last workers were hired so late in the day. He doesn’t suggest there was anything wrong with them. In the world of the parable, they stand in for the outsiders, maybe Gentiles or Samaritans; maybe the poor or the physically impaired, ritually “blemished”; or people too busy getting by in life to pay much attention to their spiritual lives. They represent the sort that the religious leaders disdained. And these, Jesus suggests, will not only receive the same reward as the “righteous" – they will be first in the kingdom.
Who do you relate to most in this story? The all-day workers? The manager? The one-hour folks? The boss? When have you been rewarded for what felt like insufficient effort on your part? How did it make you feel?
Do you ever extend that kind of generosity to another? Maybe praise someone who needs the affirmation? Help someone accomplish something? Continue to offer friendship when you are giving more than you receive back? It only works if we ask God to give that grace through us. If it’s us “being nice,” it can become manipulative. If we step out of the way, allow God to love through us, we get as filled as the other person.
Let’s pray today that God send someone our way who needs the gift of grace we can offer – of love and affirmation, of acceptance based on their identity as a child of God, not their resume or to-do list.
And if we’re the one in need, let’s pray we meet someone who treats us that way. Let grace abound!
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Today we’ll let one of those “one-hour workers” in Jesus’ story tell his tale:
I hope you don’t think I’m lazy. I tried all day to get work, but whenever someone came in hiring, other guys got to him first. I’m not as fast as some, but I’m not lazy. It’s hard to stand there all day hoping for a job. I’d rather be working.
Not sure why I was still there at 5 in the afternoon – certainly didn’t expect a job then. But this manager guy came along hiring for the big vineyard. “Why you standing around here doing nothing all day?” he asked us. “No one has hired us,” we said. Hey, it’s not like we're just guzzling beer. He said they could still use some help to meet the day’s quotas, so come on. I figured a few bucks is better than none.
Felt a little bad getting out there with these guys who’d worked all day, so we threw ourselves into it. Barely broke a sweat, though, before they called quitting time. The manager tells us to line up first – that seemed odd, but we did it. Figured we’d get our hour’s pay, and move on. But that’s not what happened. We each got a full day’s pay. Couldn’t believe it.
I don’t know why this owner wanted to treat us like that – half the time these guys are cheating you out of what they actually owe you, looking to take as much as they can from you. But this guy? He treated us like we’d worked a full day, even coming in at the 11th hour like that. I don't think I've ever been treated so well. It actually made me want to get there earlier tomorrow, so I can work a full day.
In telling this story, Jesus gives no reason for why these last workers were hired so late in the day. He doesn’t suggest there was anything wrong with them. In the world of the parable, they stand in for the outsiders, maybe Gentiles or Samaritans; maybe the poor or the physically impaired, ritually “blemished”; or people too busy getting by in life to pay much attention to their spiritual lives. They represent the sort that the religious leaders disdained. And these, Jesus suggests, will not only receive the same reward as the “righteous" – they will be first in the kingdom.
Who do you relate to most in this story? The all-day workers? The manager? The one-hour folks? The boss? When have you been rewarded for what felt like insufficient effort on your part? How did it make you feel?
Do you ever extend that kind of generosity to another? Maybe praise someone who needs the affirmation? Help someone accomplish something? Continue to offer friendship when you are giving more than you receive back? It only works if we ask God to give that grace through us. If it’s us “being nice,” it can become manipulative. If we step out of the way, allow God to love through us, we get as filled as the other person.
Let’s pray today that God send someone our way who needs the gift of grace we can offer – of love and affirmation, of acceptance based on their identity as a child of God, not their resume or to-do list.
And if we’re the one in need, let’s pray we meet someone who treats us that way. Let grace abound!
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
9-16-26 - Not the Boss
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
As we move through this Sunday's parable, let’s hear how the vineyard manager might tell the story:
Let’s get this straight right off: It was not my decision to pay everyone the same. That was the way the boss wanted it, and I follow orders. To tell you the truth, I felt weird about it. I watched how hard those guys hired at dawn worked. The ones who came later worked hard too, but there’s a big difference between working twelve hours and one.
When the boss told me to give out the full daily pay for everybody, I was surprised. I thought maybe he’d add a bonus for the ones who picked all day. But no. It was like his generosity went toward the ones who got hired late. More for them than expected; the amount agreed-upon for everyone else. He even paid them first. Fair…and not quite fair. Depends on how you look at it. Depends on who you’re looking at.
I don’t blame the all-day folks for being mad. But here’s what they don’t know: they were already at the top of the pay scale. The boss was paying out everything he was making off that vineyard. The only way to pay those workers more was to pay others less.. and that’s not how he rolls. Not how he thinks. He’s quirky, the boss… hard to understand at times. But I’ll tell you this: he knows what he’s doing.
Who might the manager in Jesus’ story represent? Maybe he stands for all who consider ourselves servants of God, who participate in what God is doing, carry out God’s mercy and God’s justice, speak God’s peace; those who forgive and heal and love and tend. God’s ways don’t always make sense to us – we take a big leap of faith whenever we walk into the works God has prepared for us.
It can be hard to be God’s rep in the face of grief or crisis, to sit with someone who feels God is not blessing her as God blesses others. It is a challenge to proclaim God’s love to someone who insists they have never known it, cannot feel it. I have to resist the impulse to defend God when someone is disappointed or accusing, when something in the Bible or the church causes offense. Then I remember that God doesn’t need my defense. God only needs me to be true to what I believe God is telling or showing or leading.
And God needs us to be true to ourselves. We don’t leave ourselves at the door when we work with God – the Spirit of God works with and through us, through our will, intellect, emotions, history, moods, our circumstances on any given day. God doesn’t want robots – God wants us.
Are you willing to be God’s “managing agent” today? What vineyard have you been called to tend? Are there difficult “orders” to carry out? We don’t have to worry about doing it ourselves. We can simply pray, “Lord, if you want me to do this thing, or have that conversation, please work in me and through me.” And then pay attention to what happens.
I stand on the reminder I once received that God already loves me the most. There is nothing I can do or have to do to make God love me more, because God is already as delighted in me as can be. I could quit accomplishing and producing right now, and my God-salary would not decrease. I’m already at the top of a really generous pay scale. And so are you.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
As we move through this Sunday's parable, let’s hear how the vineyard manager might tell the story:
Let’s get this straight right off: It was not my decision to pay everyone the same. That was the way the boss wanted it, and I follow orders. To tell you the truth, I felt weird about it. I watched how hard those guys hired at dawn worked. The ones who came later worked hard too, but there’s a big difference between working twelve hours and one.
When the boss told me to give out the full daily pay for everybody, I was surprised. I thought maybe he’d add a bonus for the ones who picked all day. But no. It was like his generosity went toward the ones who got hired late. More for them than expected; the amount agreed-upon for everyone else. He even paid them first. Fair…and not quite fair. Depends on how you look at it. Depends on who you’re looking at.
I don’t blame the all-day folks for being mad. But here’s what they don’t know: they were already at the top of the pay scale. The boss was paying out everything he was making off that vineyard. The only way to pay those workers more was to pay others less.. and that’s not how he rolls. Not how he thinks. He’s quirky, the boss… hard to understand at times. But I’ll tell you this: he knows what he’s doing.
Who might the manager in Jesus’ story represent? Maybe he stands for all who consider ourselves servants of God, who participate in what God is doing, carry out God’s mercy and God’s justice, speak God’s peace; those who forgive and heal and love and tend. God’s ways don’t always make sense to us – we take a big leap of faith whenever we walk into the works God has prepared for us.
It can be hard to be God’s rep in the face of grief or crisis, to sit with someone who feels God is not blessing her as God blesses others. It is a challenge to proclaim God’s love to someone who insists they have never known it, cannot feel it. I have to resist the impulse to defend God when someone is disappointed or accusing, when something in the Bible or the church causes offense. Then I remember that God doesn’t need my defense. God only needs me to be true to what I believe God is telling or showing or leading.
And God needs us to be true to ourselves. We don’t leave ourselves at the door when we work with God – the Spirit of God works with and through us, through our will, intellect, emotions, history, moods, our circumstances on any given day. God doesn’t want robots – God wants us.
Are you willing to be God’s “managing agent” today? What vineyard have you been called to tend? Are there difficult “orders” to carry out? We don’t have to worry about doing it ourselves. We can simply pray, “Lord, if you want me to do this thing, or have that conversation, please work in me and through me.” And then pay attention to what happens.
I stand on the reminder I once received that God already loves me the most. There is nothing I can do or have to do to make God love me more, because God is already as delighted in me as can be. I could quit accomplishing and producing right now, and my God-salary would not decrease. I’m already at the top of a really generous pay scale. And so are you.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
9-15-26 - I Was Robbed!
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
One way to “hear” parables afresh is to look at them from different angles. Today, let’s see what one of those “all day” workers in Jesus’ story might have to say:
You think I’m wrong to be resentful? I was up and at the marketplace by 5 o’clock this morning, ready to work. This guy hired me and a bunch of others, told us we’d receive a good day’s pay. It was good pay, better than some. I didn’t mind working all day, knowing I was going to get paid well.
Every few hours, a few more joined us – Good, I thought, There’s plenty of work. I was a little surprised when a few more came in at nearly quitting time. Oh well, they’ll get paid for an hour. Enough for a beer. Why not? Even with the extra hands, though, it was a long day, and the sun was hot.
When the foreman finally called time, I was ready. But the boss said those who worked fewer hours should get in front of the line; us all-day guys to the back. Okay, I thought, maybe he doesn’t want them to know how much we’re getting. Then I saw they were getting the full day’s pay, even the one-hour folks. Wow, this guy is generous! I couldn’t wait to see what kind of bonus I was going to get.
But when I finally got up to the front of the line, and got my pay… it was exactly the same as everybody else. Exactly the same as we’d been promised at the start. Seemed okay at 5 o’clock this morning, but now, with the sun going down, knowing what everybody else got, I feel stiffed. You bet I do. I worked like a dog today, never looked up, never sat down. Why did I bother, if others get more for doing less?
A few of us spoke up, but the boss, he just said, “Can’t I do what I like with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” I don’t want his stinking generosity – I want things fair. You work, you get paid. You work longer, you get paid more. Tell you this, it’s the last time I agree to a daily wage. You can just pay me hourly from now on. Then I'm in control.
This guy represents the religious rulers that Jesus was always tussling with, the ones who thought God’s rewards were only for those who kept the law like they did. They show up in a lot of Jesus’ parables – the older brother in the Prodigal Son story is another example. They want to control the terms. And Jesus keeps saying, “God controls the terms. And God can welcome whomever God wants.”
Do you know anyone like this? Have you ever been someone like this, resentful when someone else gets rewarded? How are you at asking for help? Do you prefer to give gifts or receive them? These are some of the ways we know how open we are to the generosity of God.
A prayer for today: Lord, open my spirit to receive your gifts. Open my heart to rejoice in the blessings given to the people around me, whether or not they’ve earned them. Open my eyes to see who wants to give me time or help today. Open my ears to those who want to share themselves with me. Open my hands to give and receive, in love and humility and gratitude. Amen.
There’s a lot to be said for getting paid hourly… but what Jesus offers is daily bread. Enough for the day. Take it.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
One way to “hear” parables afresh is to look at them from different angles. Today, let’s see what one of those “all day” workers in Jesus’ story might have to say:
You think I’m wrong to be resentful? I was up and at the marketplace by 5 o’clock this morning, ready to work. This guy hired me and a bunch of others, told us we’d receive a good day’s pay. It was good pay, better than some. I didn’t mind working all day, knowing I was going to get paid well.
Every few hours, a few more joined us – Good, I thought, There’s plenty of work. I was a little surprised when a few more came in at nearly quitting time. Oh well, they’ll get paid for an hour. Enough for a beer. Why not? Even with the extra hands, though, it was a long day, and the sun was hot.
When the foreman finally called time, I was ready. But the boss said those who worked fewer hours should get in front of the line; us all-day guys to the back. Okay, I thought, maybe he doesn’t want them to know how much we’re getting. Then I saw they were getting the full day’s pay, even the one-hour folks. Wow, this guy is generous! I couldn’t wait to see what kind of bonus I was going to get.
But when I finally got up to the front of the line, and got my pay… it was exactly the same as everybody else. Exactly the same as we’d been promised at the start. Seemed okay at 5 o’clock this morning, but now, with the sun going down, knowing what everybody else got, I feel stiffed. You bet I do. I worked like a dog today, never looked up, never sat down. Why did I bother, if others get more for doing less?
A few of us spoke up, but the boss, he just said, “Can’t I do what I like with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” I don’t want his stinking generosity – I want things fair. You work, you get paid. You work longer, you get paid more. Tell you this, it’s the last time I agree to a daily wage. You can just pay me hourly from now on. Then I'm in control.
This guy represents the religious rulers that Jesus was always tussling with, the ones who thought God’s rewards were only for those who kept the law like they did. They show up in a lot of Jesus’ parables – the older brother in the Prodigal Son story is another example. They want to control the terms. And Jesus keeps saying, “God controls the terms. And God can welcome whomever God wants.”
Do you know anyone like this? Have you ever been someone like this, resentful when someone else gets rewarded? How are you at asking for help? Do you prefer to give gifts or receive them? These are some of the ways we know how open we are to the generosity of God.
A prayer for today: Lord, open my spirit to receive your gifts. Open my heart to rejoice in the blessings given to the people around me, whether or not they’ve earned them. Open my eyes to see who wants to give me time or help today. Open my ears to those who want to share themselves with me. Open my hands to give and receive, in love and humility and gratitude. Amen.
There’s a lot to be said for getting paid hourly… but what Jesus offers is daily bread. Enough for the day. Take it.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
9-14-26 - Unfair!
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
This week we come to one of my favorite parables – Jesus’ story about workers in a vineyard. No blood or violence in this one, just grace beyond measure. And boy, does that make some people mad!
You can read the whole story for yourself – here’s the “nutshell” version: A landowner hires day laborers for his vineyard, agreeing to a standard wage. They’re happy, he’s happy. As the day progresses, he goes back out to the marketplace at intervals and hires more workers, even at 5 in the afternoon, when the workday is nearly done. At quitting time, he instructs his manager to pay everyone a full day’s wage. Everyone gets the same – what could be more fair than that? But the ones who worked the whole day feel they should get more than those who worked less time.
"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?’"
Now, maybe their workload grew lighter as more workers were added to the vineyard… but even so, they have a point. We almost always have a legitimate grievance when we compare ourselves to other people. But when we stand before God’s grace alone, we are confronted with the abundance of mercy extended to us.
Like many of Jesus’ parables, this one is aimed at those who believe they are “in” in God’s realm by virtue of their hard work and righteousness. If we all get the same reward no matter how hard we work, what’s the point of working hard?
Precisely! The Kingdom of Heaven is not for strivers – it is for what we become when we’ve finally reached the end of our striving and give up. Give in.
The currency of God's kingdom is grace, unmerited love, and forgiveness in abundance. Grace goes beyond contract. By its very nature it is “unfair.” We cannot earn it. It is totally up to God to give, to whomever God wants, no matter how much or how little we try to please God.
How does that sit with you? On our best days, we say, “Whew!” because we know we get a pass. On our worse days, we say, “Hey! How come that one got a break?” Are you having a “thank God for grace” day or a “I want them to get what’s comin’ to them” day? If you’re in the former position, amen! You are in in the Life of God. Spend some time today giving thanks for all the ways you see and pass along God's grace.
If the idea of mercy for another – especially a heinous monster – is troubling you, that’s fine too. We feel what we feel. With those feelings we can pray for those undeserving people. Pray that they might come within reach of God’s true blessing. That’s the only force I know of that can transform the blackest heart.
Some years ago, I-Tunes users received a free gift of a new U2 album appearing in their playlists, whether or not they wanted it. Many in fact resented it. But In honor of that gift, let’s end with an old song of theirs, “Grace,” especially these lyrics: What once was hurt / What once was friction /
What left a mark / No longer stings /
Because Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
This week we come to one of my favorite parables – Jesus’ story about workers in a vineyard. No blood or violence in this one, just grace beyond measure. And boy, does that make some people mad!
You can read the whole story for yourself – here’s the “nutshell” version: A landowner hires day laborers for his vineyard, agreeing to a standard wage. They’re happy, he’s happy. As the day progresses, he goes back out to the marketplace at intervals and hires more workers, even at 5 in the afternoon, when the workday is nearly done. At quitting time, he instructs his manager to pay everyone a full day’s wage. Everyone gets the same – what could be more fair than that? But the ones who worked the whole day feel they should get more than those who worked less time.
"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?’"
Now, maybe their workload grew lighter as more workers were added to the vineyard… but even so, they have a point. We almost always have a legitimate grievance when we compare ourselves to other people. But when we stand before God’s grace alone, we are confronted with the abundance of mercy extended to us.
Like many of Jesus’ parables, this one is aimed at those who believe they are “in” in God’s realm by virtue of their hard work and righteousness. If we all get the same reward no matter how hard we work, what’s the point of working hard?
Precisely! The Kingdom of Heaven is not for strivers – it is for what we become when we’ve finally reached the end of our striving and give up. Give in.
The currency of God's kingdom is grace, unmerited love, and forgiveness in abundance. Grace goes beyond contract. By its very nature it is “unfair.” We cannot earn it. It is totally up to God to give, to whomever God wants, no matter how much or how little we try to please God.
How does that sit with you? On our best days, we say, “Whew!” because we know we get a pass. On our worse days, we say, “Hey! How come that one got a break?” Are you having a “thank God for grace” day or a “I want them to get what’s comin’ to them” day? If you’re in the former position, amen! You are in in the Life of God. Spend some time today giving thanks for all the ways you see and pass along God's grace.
If the idea of mercy for another – especially a heinous monster – is troubling you, that’s fine too. We feel what we feel. With those feelings we can pray for those undeserving people. Pray that they might come within reach of God’s true blessing. That’s the only force I know of that can transform the blackest heart.
Some years ago, I-Tunes users received a free gift of a new U2 album appearing in their playlists, whether or not they wanted it. Many in fact resented it. But In honor of that gift, let’s end with an old song of theirs, “Grace,” especially these lyrics: What once was hurt / What once was friction /
What left a mark / No longer stings /
Because Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
9-11-26 - Forgiveness For Freedom
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Lest we think this story Jesus told was hopelessly out of date, we should remember that in the United States there are still debtors’ prisons. The Southern Poverty Law Center got one in Alabama closed down a few years ago. Threatening punishment for those who cannot pay is an old strategy. Jesus even seems to employ it in the end of his parable: “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
What will the heavenly father do to us? The king in the parable hands over the unmerciful servant to be punished until he can pay the whole debt. Forgive or else, is that Jesus’ message? Let’s hope this is another of his hyperbolic turns, where he drives home a point by exaggerating it.
Whether motivated by fear or love, the call to Christ followers to excel at forgiving others is clear. In fact, it is essential if that living water of God’s transforming power and love are going to flow through us unimpeded. Unforgiveness creates blockages, debris that can – like plaque in our blood vessels – create dams. This is why forgiveness and healing are so intertwined.
I was privileged to know Canon Jim Glennon, an Anglican clergyman from Australia who had an extraordinary gift and ministry of healing. His notion of God’s healing was simple: It is God’s desire that we be whole, so we plant the seed of faith in Christ; give thanks for God’s activity, even before we see it, and don’t be afraid to test it. Jim and I corresponded quite a bit before he died, and I invited him to lead a healing mission at my church in New York, which he did.
That Saturday, he did some teaching and then, to demonstrate this approach, he asked if someone with severe back pain would come up for prayer. One man did. He’d been injured at his workplace 15 years earlier, and his pain was incessant. Jim prayed for awhile, and then stopped and asked what the man was feeling, what was happening inside. The man said, “It’s weird – ever since you began praying, I’ve had my boss’s face in my mind.” It turned out that the boss had denied him worker’s comp benefits he should have received, and the man bitterly resented him. Who wouldn’t?
Jim just said, “Are you willing to forgive him?” He didn’t push, just invited. And the man said, “Yes, I am,” and then began to sob for dear life. After some more prayer, Jim asked him how his pain was now, and he said, “It’s gone! It’s been with me for 15 years, and it’s gone!”
If you have a sense of blessings blocked, either coming to you, or from you to others, you might ask God to show you if you’re holding onto anger or resentment toward someone. (If you’d like to pray a Litany of Forgiveness I developed, you can find it here.)
As well as you are able, release that debt, asking the Spirit to do for you what you’re unable to do for yourself. And then test out your freedom, the way Jim asked the man to test his healed back by twisting around and moving. Pray for the person who hurt you. Go out and give to someone else. See what has changed.
On this day when the United States remembers the terrorist attacks of 25 years ago, and the trauma that has flowed from that aggression, we are challenged all the more to adopt Jesus’ teaching. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” Paul wrote. (Galatians 5:1). Let’s spread it around.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Lest we think this story Jesus told was hopelessly out of date, we should remember that in the United States there are still debtors’ prisons. The Southern Poverty Law Center got one in Alabama closed down a few years ago. Threatening punishment for those who cannot pay is an old strategy. Jesus even seems to employ it in the end of his parable: “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
What will the heavenly father do to us? The king in the parable hands over the unmerciful servant to be punished until he can pay the whole debt. Forgive or else, is that Jesus’ message? Let’s hope this is another of his hyperbolic turns, where he drives home a point by exaggerating it.
Whether motivated by fear or love, the call to Christ followers to excel at forgiving others is clear. In fact, it is essential if that living water of God’s transforming power and love are going to flow through us unimpeded. Unforgiveness creates blockages, debris that can – like plaque in our blood vessels – create dams. This is why forgiveness and healing are so intertwined.
I was privileged to know Canon Jim Glennon, an Anglican clergyman from Australia who had an extraordinary gift and ministry of healing. His notion of God’s healing was simple: It is God’s desire that we be whole, so we plant the seed of faith in Christ; give thanks for God’s activity, even before we see it, and don’t be afraid to test it. Jim and I corresponded quite a bit before he died, and I invited him to lead a healing mission at my church in New York, which he did.
That Saturday, he did some teaching and then, to demonstrate this approach, he asked if someone with severe back pain would come up for prayer. One man did. He’d been injured at his workplace 15 years earlier, and his pain was incessant. Jim prayed for awhile, and then stopped and asked what the man was feeling, what was happening inside. The man said, “It’s weird – ever since you began praying, I’ve had my boss’s face in my mind.” It turned out that the boss had denied him worker’s comp benefits he should have received, and the man bitterly resented him. Who wouldn’t?
Jim just said, “Are you willing to forgive him?” He didn’t push, just invited. And the man said, “Yes, I am,” and then began to sob for dear life. After some more prayer, Jim asked him how his pain was now, and he said, “It’s gone! It’s been with me for 15 years, and it’s gone!”
If you have a sense of blessings blocked, either coming to you, or from you to others, you might ask God to show you if you’re holding onto anger or resentment toward someone. (If you’d like to pray a Litany of Forgiveness I developed, you can find it here.)
As well as you are able, release that debt, asking the Spirit to do for you what you’re unable to do for yourself. And then test out your freedom, the way Jim asked the man to test his healed back by twisting around and moving. Pray for the person who hurt you. Go out and give to someone else. See what has changed.
On this day when the United States remembers the terrorist attacks of 25 years ago, and the trauma that has flowed from that aggression, we are challenged all the more to adopt Jesus’ teaching. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” Paul wrote. (Galatians 5:1). Let’s spread it around.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
9-10-26 - Communities of Mercy
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
This week’s Jesus story still isn’t over – there is another turn to it. (You know, Jesus’ story is never really over!) The injustice wrought by the newly forgiven slave is not the last word. After he refuses to release his fellow-slave from his debt, the other servants turn the mean guy in: “When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.”
Okay, I’m pretty sure God is not in the torture business – though we do endure a kind of spiritual pain when we withhold forgiveness. (Is that what hell is?) But here Jesus explicitly links forgiveness in and forgiveness out, as he does in other teachings on prayer. We can’t get away from it. We can’t fully experience God’s love until we can forgive ourselves and others.
I like the way the community in this story watches the situation and calls out the injustice. Having witnessed the great mercy shown this slave, they are not about to let him get away with holding someone else to harsh terms.
Injustice can be perpetrated and perpetuated in communities, and misdeeds swept under the carpet. But in healthy communities, a light is always on and members are accountable to each other. When someone acts in a destructive or prideful way, a healthy community has people of integrity who can remind her of the mercy she has received, and invite her to align her values with those of the group. In Christian communities, that means the values Jesus taught and lived. Think of how our police departments and military units and financial institutions might function if they were communities of accountability and justice. Many recent news stories would have been non-events.
Have you ever been called on your behavior or treatment of another? Was the message delivered in a way that you could receive? How did you respond?
Have you ever addressed someone about the way they were acting or speaking? Perhaps a notorious gossip or someone who routinely sows discord? Those are hard conversations to have. But when we put the health of the community and of each person in it – including the one who’s being destructive – above our social discomfort, we can move forward. And if we pray it through beforehand, and during, those conversations often go much better than we anticipate.
If someone you know is damaging the community, you may need to deal with it. Pray for that person for a time before having the conversation – it gives us more peace and gives the Spirit a chance to prepare the ground. And if, as you speak, you can cite times you have been less than wonderful, and speak with humility, it might keep the walls from going up. And if you’re able to pray with the person you’re having the conversation with, so much the better.
God sets us into communities, starting with families, classrooms, workplaces, memberships. Community is a challenging aspect of human life, and one of the richest. This story Jesus tells invites us to be active in keeping our communities as healthy and life-giving as we can. That includes speaking the truth in love.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
This week’s Jesus story still isn’t over – there is another turn to it. (You know, Jesus’ story is never really over!) The injustice wrought by the newly forgiven slave is not the last word. After he refuses to release his fellow-slave from his debt, the other servants turn the mean guy in: “When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.”
Okay, I’m pretty sure God is not in the torture business – though we do endure a kind of spiritual pain when we withhold forgiveness. (Is that what hell is?) But here Jesus explicitly links forgiveness in and forgiveness out, as he does in other teachings on prayer. We can’t get away from it. We can’t fully experience God’s love until we can forgive ourselves and others.
I like the way the community in this story watches the situation and calls out the injustice. Having witnessed the great mercy shown this slave, they are not about to let him get away with holding someone else to harsh terms.
Injustice can be perpetrated and perpetuated in communities, and misdeeds swept under the carpet. But in healthy communities, a light is always on and members are accountable to each other. When someone acts in a destructive or prideful way, a healthy community has people of integrity who can remind her of the mercy she has received, and invite her to align her values with those of the group. In Christian communities, that means the values Jesus taught and lived. Think of how our police departments and military units and financial institutions might function if they were communities of accountability and justice. Many recent news stories would have been non-events.
Have you ever been called on your behavior or treatment of another? Was the message delivered in a way that you could receive? How did you respond?
Have you ever addressed someone about the way they were acting or speaking? Perhaps a notorious gossip or someone who routinely sows discord? Those are hard conversations to have. But when we put the health of the community and of each person in it – including the one who’s being destructive – above our social discomfort, we can move forward. And if we pray it through beforehand, and during, those conversations often go much better than we anticipate.
If someone you know is damaging the community, you may need to deal with it. Pray for that person for a time before having the conversation – it gives us more peace and gives the Spirit a chance to prepare the ground. And if, as you speak, you can cite times you have been less than wonderful, and speak with humility, it might keep the walls from going up. And if you’re able to pray with the person you’re having the conversation with, so much the better.
God sets us into communities, starting with families, classrooms, workplaces, memberships. Community is a challenging aspect of human life, and one of the richest. This story Jesus tells invites us to be active in keeping our communities as healthy and life-giving as we can. That includes speaking the truth in love.
© Kate Heichler, 2026. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
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