Sermon: Risking for Life (November 16, 2014)

Pentecost 23/Lectionary 32

Nov. 16, 2014

Matthew 25:14-30

            Question: How many of you would say you are risk-takers? Or, how many of you have ever taken a risk in your lives?

            I’ve been thinking a lot about that word, “risk,” this week. Personally, I don’t really fancy myself to be much of a risk-taker. I mean sure, I may be brave in response to a situation that requires it, but I don’t tend to put myself in dangerous situations willingly. Like most people, I like the safety of knowing what to expect.

            Yet today’s parable, the Parable of the Talents, has gotten me thinking a lot about risk.  The money the wealthy landowner entrusts to the servants is no small sum: just one talent is equivalent to about 15 years manual labor! Yet the landowner entrusts it to these slaves and goes on his merry way. Now, the first two servants both end up doubling the sum they have been given. You out there who are financially clever – how do you double your money so quickly? You invest it. Perhaps in a new business, or in the stock market or some such thing. And if you know anything about investments, you know that the investments with the greatest potential reward also require the greatest… what? Risk! So in order to have doubled their money, the first two servants must have been willing to risk this money that had been entrusted to them, and indeed the payback on their investment was great.

            But what of this third servant? His response to the extravagant gift from the landowner was completely risk-free: he buried it in a hole. And not surprisingly, there is zero return on his investment, because indeed he hasn’t invested anything into it. Surely he knew that would happen, so why would he have chosen to go that route?

            Well, because it seems like the safest approach! He says so himself: “Master, I knew that with you there is no room for mistakes. I didn’t want to lose any of your money. And so I figured if I just buried it in this hole, then it would be safe. I would know exactly where it is all the time, and it wouldn’t be at risk if the market crashed.” Does he expect to be applauded for his safe move? After all, safety is one of our highest values, so shouldn’t he have been rewarded for being so careful with what had been entrusted to him?

            But of course he isn’t rewarded. The landowner is unimpressed. In fact, he chooses not to trust the servant with anything anymore. The servant loses everything.

            Why wasn’t the servant willing to risk? What was his barrier? It is the same barrier that keeps all of us from risking: FEAR. “I was afraid,” he says, “and I buried your talent in the ground.” When I think of all the times in my life where I opted not to risk, it almost always comes back to fear. Fear of judgment, fear of failure, fear of change, and especially fear of loss – loss of security, loss of safety, loss of self-image, loss of reputation… But it is a catch-22: in refusing to risk those losses, how much do we end up losing out on somewhere else?

            James Cameron is the creator of the epic movies, Avatar and The Titanic, and he’s also a deep sea explorer. I heard a wonderful quote from him recently. “Whatever you’re doing, failure is an

option, but fear is not.” To me, this defines faith. Failure doesn’t keep us from taking the leap of faith, fear of failure does. Loss doesn’t keep us from risking, fear of loss does. But in this faith, even as we may experience failures in our earthly life, we also know and trust that the end of the story is never failure, it is never death. The end of the Christian story is always life, resurrection, new beginnings. Without failure, there cannot be a new beginning. But our God, who is our light and our life, turns failures and deaths into life and hope.

            That is why in our baptism, we hear those wonderful words, “Let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” It is a command and a promise. It is a command because God wants us to let the light that is inside us shine, because when we do that, we let others see God through us and our actions. And it is a promise because letting your light shine can be terribly scary and vulnerable and risky. You could be judged, or your reputation could be damaged, or you could get hurt. But the promise is that no matter how risky the world can be, God has your back. God will catch you if you risk… and fall. God’s love is stronger than judgment, stronger than hatred, stronger than bullies. And God’s promise is that your light will always win in the end, because your light comes ultimately from Christ, who is the victor over all evil.

            Boy, I wish I could have remembered that when I was in middle school. I know this is hard to

believe, but I was pretty dorky. I remember going to school dances was the worst, because I wasn’t a very good dancer. I stood, feet planted, swaying back and forth, trying to mimic the moves of the cooler people around me. [Demonstrate] In no way was dancing a way that I felt my light shining. Maybe that is why I so appreciate the music video for singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles’ 2013 single, “Brave.” You’ll see the text of her song is printed in your bulletin, but I encourage you to watch the video instead. The song reflects on how often we are willing to just turn over and let things happen because we don’t have the guts to stand up and say what we know is true. Her rousing chorus says again and again, “I wanna see you be brave!” In the music video, we see people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities dancing in public – letting their light shine… in a word, being brave. [start video]

            As I watch these people dancing, I start to realize, “My goodness, I don’t have to be good at something to let my light shine! I don’t have to be an expert to glorify God! I just have to do it with joy!” And it makes me want to dance and not to care. [start dancing and not caring.] Can you dance with me? However you are able, can you be brave? Can you let your light shine? I wanna see you be brave! [invite others to dance, too]

            [After song] Let us pray… God our light and our life, by the resurrection of your Son, you have made it possible for us not to fear failure, and to let your light shine brightly through us. Give us courage to live and to dance in your light, willing to try, willing to fail, willing to try again, in the knowledge that your grace will always catch us if we fall. In all we do, may it glorify you! In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.