After spending a lovely morning at Melk Abbey, Father Michael Renninger, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church, Richmond, Virginia, made the mistake of looking at his phone when he got back on the bus. He saw the news from Las Vegas about the violence at an outdoor concert. Someone on the bus asked, “How should we react to such violence?” Then, somebody else responded, “We have to pay attention to how Jesus responds to violence.” In today’s parable from Matthew 21:33-46, something goes terribly wrong. Jesus asks the people how they would react to the parable. Jesus’ response is not the same as theirs. Listen and find out how Jesus’ response can teach us how to better respond to the violence around us.

This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.

For more sermon preparation help, check out Pulpit Resource, Will Willimon's weekly lectionary-based sermon resource, available online and through a print subscription.