The
Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews
St.
Joseph-St. John, Lakewood
November
19, 2017
Pentecost
+ 24, Proper 28, A
Matthew
25.14-30
Today’s
parable from Matthew
isn't exactly a deep cut.
Even
before seminary,
before college Bible studies,
I knew the parable of
the talents pretty well.
Jesus
tells a story where a
master goes
on a long journey,
and
distributes funds to three of his slaves.
He
gives five to one,
two to another,
and one to another.
The
first two take what he’s given them
trade with it
and double what they
have.
The
third one,
saying he’s scared of the master,
hides it in the dirt.
At
least he doesn’t lose any money, right?
After
a long time
the master comes back
and wants his money
back.
He’s
been gone along time,
and Matthew says that the first two
slaves
only doubled what they
had.
But
they doubled it immediately.
They’ve
done a little work
and made the master richer
so he welcomes them into
his household.
“Well
done, good and faithful servant”
may be the translation you have
written in your heart.
The
third slave, though,
he didn’t make the master any extra
money.
He
says, “I knew that you were a harsh man,
reaping where you did not sow,
and gathering where you did not scatter seed.”
Basically,
“I was scared of screwing up,
so I didn’t even try.”
The
master wants to hear none of that.
He
says that if anything,
the slave should have put the money
in a bank
to earn interest.
If
he knows the master is so harsh,
he should have prepared for that
and made a little more.
Making
nothing isn’t okay.
If
we look at the text,
it's possible that the first two
slaves
could have made a lot
more.
They
immediately go do their trading,
double their trusted funds,
and take a break.
The
master is gone for a long time,
but they stop at doubling.
The
master doesn’t care —
they tried, and succeeded.
He
cares, though,
that the person he gave the smallest
amount to
doesn’t try to do
anything with it.
He
cares that that slave
lets his fear keep him from
doing the work he’s been
given to do.
He
doesn’t accept, “I was scared of screwing up,
so I didn’t even try.”
While
this passage has Matthew’s anger in it —
throwing servant to the outer
darkness
with wailing and gnashing of teeth,
it’s
also one that doesn’t need a lot of inspection to interpret.
It’s
hard to find context
or Jesus’ audience
because he’s on a
multi-chapter
rant about
people being prepared for his return.
He’s
denounced the scribes and Pharisees,
and he’s talking to them
and to his disciples.
Jesus,
talking in some code about his return,
is talking to us.
The
message is abundantly clear:
don't let fear of failing paralyze
you
and use the gifts God
has given you
to build
God’s reign around you.
We
have to use the gifts God has given us
to build God’s reign around us.
If
you’re visiting us today,
welcome!
Don’t
let what I’m about to say
keep you from coming back.
I’ve
been here right at three months
and I know you to be a generous
people.
From
coordinating and attending the gala,
giving generously at the auction
right after I got here
to helping to pay for major expenses
as they’ve come up
you give of
your time, talent, and treasure.
Thank
you for your faithfulness and care
in the gifts you have been given.
This
was a hard week for our finances,
[and there may be an announcement
after the sermon about that.]
No
one seems to be in panic mode
so I’m not either!
However,
with the parable of the talents
appointed for today
after a week of
squeaking through
a vicar
would be remiss to not mention that pledge cards are out
and are due
on December 17.
Our
pledge in gathering will be December 17 because that is Rose Sunday,
a break from Advent penitence
a day to celebrate joy —
and God’s
gifts to us.
Just
because they’re not due for a month
doesn't mean you should wait a month
to get them turned in.
I’ll
leave the threats
of outer darkness to Matthew’s Jesus
but I do want to invite
you to prayerfully consider
what and how
you can give and can plan to give.
I
particularly want you to think about
proportional giving.
Whether
that’s half-a-percent
or an historic ten-percent tithe
dedicating a fixed
amount related to your means to God.
Jesus
has been gone a long time now.
Last
week we heard to keep our lamps trimmed and burning
and soon we’ll hear to stay awake
for the know not the day
nor the hour.
I
personally don’t know Jesus
to harsh,
reaping where he doesn’t
sow or
gathering where he did not scatter seed.
I
know Jesus
who actually scatters everywhere
and hopes to reap from every tribe,
tongue, and nation.
Jesus
in today’s parables
is calling his disciples
to be faithful stewards
of what’s been entrusted to their care.
When
I was ordained
Bishop Andrus handed me a Bible and said,
“Receive this Bible as a sign of the
authority given you
to preach the Word of God and
to administer his holy Sacraments.
Do not forget the trust committed to you
as a priest of the Church of God.”
I
know you love this community,
and I know you love this church.
I
pray that you’ll join me
empowered by Christ’s Body and Blood
in rejecting the fear of,
“I was scared of screwing up,
so
I didn’t even try.”
Please
prayerfully consider proportional gifts
so that we can keep building the
Kingdom of God around us.
Amen.
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