Bottom line: God entrusts his vineyard to tenants; they are not just the powerful ones. You and I are the tenants.

It is hard to read today's parable and not think about our nation's financial mess. The parable describes greed, reckless ambition and astounding mismanagement. Now, I have nothing to say about our banking crisis that thousands of others have not said. I do believe, however, that the crisis provides a moment to examine our own lives and how we are carrying out the trust placed on us.

In the parable Jesus addresses the issue of trust. He tells about a landowner who plants a vineyard and equips it with everything necessary to produce excellent wine. Then - and this is the crucial point - he leases it to tenants. As we shall see, the tenants make a hash of it - and they are brought to judgment.

But who are the tenants? They are not just people who lived a long time ago. Nor are they only those given enormous responsibilities - like bank managers and the guys on Wall Street. No, brothers and sisters, the tenants are you and me.

Sometimes you and I can imagine that because our responsibilities are small in comparison to the president or the bishop or the head of a corporation - therefore, we are off the hook. God does not see it that way. He will hold each of us accountable. What is happening on the national stage in some way reflects your life and mine.

Let me make a comparison. Perhaps you have seen a Shakespeare play like Julius Caesar or King Richard III. These plays fascinate us because they give a glimpse of the foibles of the famous. The dramas draw us in. We see ourselves in Brutus or Hamlet. We identify with their struggles and failures.

Similarly, the current national drama mirrors your life and mine. Many analysts have pointed out that even though it involves sums of money none of us can really imagine, still the story line is familiar: