08/19/2026
GRACE BEYOND MEASURE
Pastor Sooah concluded the current sermon series “Jesus’s Lessons from the Garden” with the message “Grace Beyond Measure” at Centenary’s most recent worship service. The message was founded in the Gospel of Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus’s “Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard” which was presented by worship assistant Bob Carlson.
In this well-loved story, a land owner hires workers to work in his vineyard, returning at different times to hire more help. When the work day was over, he pays each worker the same salary regardless of when they began, causing consternation among those who worked all day.
“God’s grace always goes beyond our imagination or calculation, because if love can be calculated, if grace can be predicted, if we can earn it by our efforts, then it is no longer grace, it is no longer love,” Pastor Sooah said. “Perhaps that is why Jesus told such a strange story.
“The people listening had never met a land owner like this, a land owner who kept going back, who kept inviting people in, who kept giving generously. They must have wondered, ‘Who would ever do something like this?’
“Then Jesus said, ‘God would,” said Pastor Sooah.
She continued, “Perhaps our world today is just as hungry for stories like this. Everyday we hear stories filled with violence, hatred, jealousy, division, and injustice,” Pastor Sooah continued. “But every once in a while, we hear a story that makes us say, ‘Yes, this world is still worth living in.’ “
At Centenary, all are welcome.
Centenary – The Friendly Church On the Hill
