24th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28)
Lectionary readings:
- Psalm 90
- Zeph 1:7, 12-18
- I Thes 5:1-10
- Matt 25:14-30
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I want to open with prayer by again saying today’s collect:
Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that bringing forth in abundance the fruit of good works, they may be abundantly rewarded when our Savior Jesus Christ comes to restore all things; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
There is a priest named Canon Andrew White who was known as the Vicar of Baghdad. Yes, that Baghdad, Iraq. He’s an Englishman who grew up Pentecostal, became a doctor. One day after a successful surgery, he stepped out of the London hospital where he worked, self-satisfied at his good work. And in that moment, he heard the LORD say, “Are you done? Are you ready to serve me?” And so began the journey that would lead Andrew to pastor an Anglican congregation in war-torn Iraq.
He is tall and wears bowties. He speaks and walks slowly, especially because of the multiple sclerosis he battles with prayer and cutting-edge medical procedures.
And when he says good-bye or he closes a sermon or talk, he says, “Don’t take care. Take risks.” Don’t take care. Take risks.
All our lessons today have to do with the coming of God. As we head toward the Advent season, the Gospel parables of the last couple of weeks teach us how to properly await the return of the King.
Parables are meant to show us what God is like. When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” he is using a story to give us a glimpse at the character of God and to teach us about our place in the Kingdom of God. Let us consider the Parable of the Talents together.
A wealthy landowner is heading out for a long trip. He calls his three most trusted servants and gives them money. In Luke’s version of this parable, the landowner is clear that he expects the money to be used in business. By one estimation, each talent would be worth half-a-million dollars today. So one servant gets $2.5 million. The second servant gets $1 million. The third one gets half-a-million dollars. The master has given each servant according to his ability. They are able to handle the responsibility.
The landowner is not just handing out money and giving orders. By entrusting so much capital to these three servants, the landowner is calling them to stewardship and thereby partnership in the business. These are servants of rank, reckoned to be trustworthy.
When the landowner returns, he checks on his servants’ business activity. The first two servants did amazingly well. They’ve doubled the owners’ money. They pull out their smartphones, log into their banking apps, and show the master that the accounts show $5 million and the other $2 million.
But the third servant doesn’t pull out his smartphone. Instead, he brings out a small cash box covered in soil from its time buried in the ground. The servant opens it to show the half-million dollars, still wrapped in money bands from the bank.
His voice cracks as he says: “I was afraid, and I went and hid your money in the ground.” Because he was afraid, he shirked his responsibility. He failed to live up to his leadership potential.
When he returns the money, he says, “Here, you have what is yours.” The third servant never took ownership. He didn’t truly value what was given him, not just the money but the opportunity to serve, to represent the landowner in business. He was full of fear.
This phrase “You have what is yours” was considered a transactional phrase. It communicates, “I am not responsible for this any further.” It further communicates his fear and betrays that he doesn’t know the landowner. He thinks him hard and doesn’t trust his judgment.
So on receiving his dusty, unused money, the landowner judges this servant as slothful, worthless as a servant, even wicked. The servant took care and didn’t take a risk.
The servant wasn’t lazy. He was slothful. Sloth is not caring, not loving, not rejoicing, not living up to the full potential, playing it safe.
The two faithful servants did take ownership. They didn’t take care of the vast sums of money entrusted to them. They risked it. They put it to work. They stewarded it not just by guarding it but by using it for the landowner’s benefit.
The faithful servants are commended with an interesting phrase: “Enter into the joy of your master.” It’s not just that the landowner is happy or pleased. He is inviting them to celebrate with him. He’s throwing a party. This joy also speaks of the transformation of relationship from master/servant to co-laborers.
It sounds a lot like John 15:15, where Jesus tells the disciples, “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.” (NLT)
We as a congregation are in an anxious time. God has called our rector to another field. Our familiar bishop has also gone. We are in the midst of a pandemic and continued political, racial, and economic tension. The temptation is to be afraid, to let anxiety rule us.
Instead, God is calling us to a new season of stewardship. This parable isn’t really about money. It’s about serving the King. It’s about caring about what he’s entrusted us with while he’s away.
What has he entrusted us with?
- First of all, each other. We are the keepers of our brothers and sisters. We do this well as a community. We care for each other in sickness and in health. As winter approaches, let us not grow weary of doing good.
- We still have a vision and call to reach this neighborhood for Christ. That doesn’t go away in this interim period. Let us continue to reach out to our neighbors, to intercede for them.
- Most importantly, Jesus has entrusted us with himself. He bled and died so we could be reconciled to God and bear his name. Jesus has called us to discipleship – to learn from him. Those of us who are answering his call, he has called us friends already. He invites us to the joy of the Eucharist table.
Let us take heart in this season. The Master has shown he trusts us with the spiritual wealth of this place. He has given this congregation a responsibility according to our ability. He declares to us that we are able to handle the responsibility. We are servants of rank, reckoned to be trustworthy.
He is calling us not just to take care, but to take kingdom risks. He is asking us to trust him, serve him, obey him with all our hearts. Let us be bold and brave and care deeply for him, each other, and our neighbors. Let us grow our faith and trust and our love.
Let us close with a prayer for us inspired by Psalm 90:
Lord, you have been our refuge, from one chapter to another
Before this congregation was brought forth, before this chapel was built,
you are God from everlasting, and world without end.
Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Be gracious unto your servants.
Satisfy us with your mercy in the morning.
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
Comfort us again. Show your servants your work, and our children your glory.
May the grace of the Lord our God be upon us
prosper the work of our hands. O prosper our handiwork.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.