Labourers in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1-16

Pentecost 17, September 20, 2026

Holy Trinity Cathedral

“Labourers in the Vineyard”

The first night that the new students arrived at the wizarding school of Hogwarts, they were treated to a wonderful welcome banquet.  In the dining hall they sat down on rows at benches before long tables set with plates and cutlery.  By magic, the food appeared in front of them and they enjoyed themselves immensely.  And after the meal was done, all of the dirty crockery vanished again.  Only much later in the story do we find that the work is done by magical house elves, labouring out of sight of the happy diners.

When I was a wee little girl, my mother was the head of the Altar Guild at our parish church.  She was one of a group of women whose duties were to look after the holy things used in the worship services.  Quietly and reverently, they prepared the table for holy communion and laundered the fair linens that adorned the sacred space.  I was a sidekick that followed her mother down to the building on Saturday mornings. My particular job was to take the holy water left over in the font and the glass cruets down to the memorial garden.  There I poured them reverently on God’s green earth, rather than flushing them down the drain.  I was too short to help change the brocade hangings on either side of the altar, and I was not allowed behind the altar rail.  That was holy ground reserved for the priest and those special secret labourers known as the Altar Guild.

I grew up with both terror and appreciation for this band of dedicated labourers. They knew everything!  How to get a wine stain out of a purificator.  What colour vestments and hangings to lay out for each festival of the church year.  Where the palm crosses were ordered from and when to do so.  The secrets of the work were passed on by word of mouth and written instruction.  Senior members were consulted regarding tricky matters.  More junior members were corrected gently with a smile or a tug on the corner of a vessel to pull it into its proper place.  The sacristy- that hallowed space where the Altar Guild did much of their preparatory work- had notice boards with esoteric diagrams and pointed reminders. Useful for checking one’s work, even if you had done it for years. 

I came across a little booklet entitled “A Manual For Altar Guilds”.  It’s not a lengthy treatise. It is only nine pages long, including the short worship “office for Altar Guild meetings”.  Even in previous generations, you didn’t have to have “the Knowledge” to participate.  Here were the rules:

1. All active members of an Altar Guild should be communicants [that is, participating baptized Christians in a community]

2. All directions for work must be given by the directress or president, who should be appointed by the Rector

3. Meetings should be held monthly, if possible, and members should attend punctually and regularly.

4. Members should begin and end all work undertaken for the Church with prayer.

5. They should be ready and willing to undertake any work one may be called upon to do, according to one’s ability, and to do it conscientiously, in a spirit of humility, and as perfectly as possible
6. They should be careful to make no unkind remark upon the work of any other member of the Guild

7. Silence should be observed at all times within the sanctuary rail

8. It is a great help to the flower fund if individual members of the congregation will provide flowers as memorials on their anniversary date

9. There should be a strict rule that no member may accept gifts for the Church without previous consultation with the Rector

There is a mystique surrounding this ministry simply because people don’t see it going on: they only see the results of the labour.  When we come to worship, we expect the table to be set and the space to be ready for our service, but we don’t always think of the ones who have prepared for our arrival, and who clean up after our departure.  The Altar Guild members are the hidden labourers in the vineyard.  We have recollections of those in generations past who were wise, knowledgeable, and maybe even terrifying.  Some were those who had been more able to give of their time because they worked from home or were retired.  They are good and faithful servants who have earned their reward, but they are not able to do all of the work.  Because they stand so high in our esteem and memory, perhaps we are unaware that this is a ministry that continues today and needs our participation now. 

This is a challenge.  More people are working longer hours.  Gone are the days when we can expect two homemakers to meet at the church at 10 am on a Saturday morning to polish the brass and arrange the flowers.  And changes to how we arrange and prepare for worship are possible.  But the congregation still needs to gather and to share communion, as well as baptisms, weddings, funerals.  We want to honour God with a clean and inviting room.  We want to welcome newcomers and visitors in our midst and to show them how much we love our Holy Trinity Cathedral and the community that has its base in this historic building. The call is for labourers to come into the vineyard to help those servants who have already committed to the work.

As the priest of this parish, I am inviting you.  Is there anyone here who is wondering how to help?  Are there those who are standing around, waiting to be used?  There are those who are already in the field who will show you what needs to be done. For an hour of your time, you can get involved.  You can learn from the experience of those who have laboured through the day and bring fresh strength to the ones who are tired and really need extra hands.   Come and learn more about this ministry by stepping into the field.  Come alongside before or after a Sunday or Wednesday service and we will show you how simple and rewarding it is to tend to this work. The reward is great. 

May we all live this prayer:

O God, who did teach your people of old to beautify and care for the holy place of your abode; help us so to serve you in your sanctuary here, that we may be numbered among those who worship before your throne and see your face hereafter; through the merits of Jesus Christ, the Master of the Vineyard.  Amen.