Pentecost 25A
November 19, 2023
Matthew 25:14-30
INTRODUCTION
Today we continue our jaunt through the end of the world, and today is rough. Zephaniah offers us this terrifying description of how the last days will look – it’s the sort of text, full of judgment and destruction, that makes you wonder if you really want to say, “thanks be to God” at the end! Texts like this were often drawn upon by New Testament writers in describing the end of the world. 1st Thessalonians offers a bit more hope, saying that while the coming of the Lord will be a dark and terrible time, and one that comes just when we thought we were safe and secure, we need not worry because we are children of the light. Paul implores us to keep living faithfully, always ready for the day of the Lord.
The Gospel continues through chapter 25, which contains three parables about accountability and judgment. Remember that in the overall narrative this is like, Wednesday of Holy Week, just before Jesus will die, so we know that the underlying question in all these parables is, “What will you do and how will you respond when Jesus is no longer here in the flesh?” Last week’s parable, the 10 bridesmaids, told us to be prepared and ready, and this week’s parable of the talents will start describing what being ready might look like. One textual point to keep in mind as you hear this parable of the talents: a “talent” in this case is a sum of money equal to 15-20 years wages for a laborer, so in today’s money 5 talents is equal to, like, $5M. It is intentionally outrageous, hyperbolic, in order to hit home the points Jesus is trying to make.
Today’s stewardship theme to wrap up our “God’s Extravagance” series is, “God’s extravagant generosity.” This is obvious in the hyperbolic parable, but watch for it in the other readings as well. Where do you see signs of God’s generosity? Let’s listen.
[READ]
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
This is one of two questions I posed to our council this week as a part of our opening devotional. The other was, what would you like to see St. Paul’s do if you weren’t afraid – of running out of money, of losing members, of offending someone, or not having enough people, of having to close our doors. What would you do, if you weren’t afraid?
One person I asked that question to this week said, “That question itself scares me!” And that’s really true! We have a hard time putting aside our fear, practical people that we are. What’s the point of dreaming about something like that, because the reality is, we are afraid, or at least cautious, and for really good reason! We are, after all, animals, and our very nature dictates that self-preservation be at the forefront of our minds. Oh, we might go out on a limb now and then, and some of us are thrill-seekers, but for the most part, we are not going to do anything that we know will hurt us in the end. In fact, we might not even call that being “afraid.” It's simply smart, thoughtful, prudent.
Maybe that third servant in the parable thought of himself as smart, thoughtful, and prudent. After all, he knew his master to be a “harsh man, reaping where [he] did not sow and gathering where [he] did not scatter.” If he was indeed afraid, as he says he was, I am not at all surprised that he chose not to risk his master’s money. Safest was to squirrel it away, bury it, where he knew nothing would happen to it and he could, finally, return it in full. Still, even if he was afraid, I’m sure he also believed himself to be acting prudently. Truth be told, I’d have probably done the same in this scenario.
Now, this is just a story. It’s one about money, and money in exorbitant amounts (remember, each talent here is worth about $1 million). But it isn’t only about money. It’s about all the extravagant generosity God entrusts to us – including yes, our money, as well as the abilities and opportunities we have that allow us to earn that money, as well as our other various assets, and the people in our lives, and the experiences, and the food and drink, and the thoughts and feelings we have, and, and, and… All of this that we’ve been given, we can read into this story. But Jesus tells the story as one about money, because it is a language we all speak, and communicates clearly just how valuable all that we have really is. He uses the largest possible sum of money to hit home the point: we have been entrusted with a whole heck of a lot!
And yet, with all that he has… that third servant remains scared. And again, I get it. Especially if he believes the master to be a harsh man, that is good reason to be extremely cautious.
But… the first two servants were not scared. They took risks, and it paid off big time – literally! Not only did they double that with which they had been entrusted, but they were applauded and welcomed into the joy of the master.
I wonder why they weren’t scared, like the third servant? Why they didn’t feel the need to conserve and hide away and stay safe?
Maybe they just weren’t as prudent as the third servant. Maybe they lacked that animal instinct that warns us away from danger. Maybe they didn’t care if they lost the money – after all, it wasn’t theirs!
Or maybe… where the third servant saw the master as harsh and greedy, they saw the master differently. Maybe they saw him as gracious and merciful, full of compassion and abounding in steadfast love. Maybe they saw him as extravagantly generous. And so they had no need to fear. Because instead, they trusted.
The third servant expected a harsh and greedy master, and that is exactly what he got. “You knew, did you,” says the master, “that I was harsh and greedy. Well guess what? You were right.” You see, it isn’t only beauty that is in the eye of the beholder.
Yet the first and second servants also saw what they expected to see: a generous master who trusted them with an abundant gift, who commended them and welcomed them into his joy. They trusted this master, trusted him enough to take a risk, to act boldly and fearlessly, and as a result, they were welcomed into the joy of their master.
Each year as we return our pledges, our commitments to giving our time, talents and treasures in the coming year, we have a chance to act fearlessly. We can act like the third servant – erring on the side of caution and prudence. Or we can act like the first two servants – responding to God’s extravagant generosity by stepping out in faith, knowing that when we do, we might just end up entering into a joy we had not previously known. Living a generous life does tend to go hand-in-hand with living a joyful life – everyone from Jesus to Oprah to Psychology Today can agree on that!
As I have been thinking about that question we started with – “what would you do if you weren’t afraid?” – I have started to dream a bit. What if this year, we had more pledges than ever before, that reflected a significant increase in giving? What would we do with that? What if our endowment fund grew dramatically this year, and we were able to give away a ton more money to make our community stronger – where would we give it? Whom could we help? What if our benevolence, the money we give away out of our budget, could increase this year – how could it make the world a better place? I threw out some ideas to the council this week: “What if we paid to refurbish apartments for homeless families in a building Family Promise is hoping to acquire soon? What if we contributed to building more affordable housing units in the city?” Or some more ideas: What if we paid for materials and labor to fix up all the houses used to house refugees through Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services – starting with the Mutombo Family’s home? What if we updated some of the out of date spaces in our building, so that we could invite more community groups to see our space as their space? What if we became a space to meet for a support groups for people living with mental illness or those who love them, or a group of LGBTQ folx who need a safe space, or a theater club, or English as a Second Language tutoring, or children’s birthday parties, or job training, or book clubs? What if… the opportunities are endless!
So here’s what I want you to do. Take a moment right now, and on the green index card in your bulletin, I want you to dream for a moment. Write down your answer to this question: If you were not afraid – of running out of money, of losing members, of the gossip mill – if you were not afraid, what would you like to see St. Paul’s do? Think big! I’ll give you a minute to write, and then I’ll bring you back with a bell.
…
Our God practices extravagant generosity, giving us far more than 1, 2, or 5 talents. God has given us all of this, and then some. God gave his own self, his own son, precisely so that we need not be afraid anymore – of death, or the power of sin. God has given so extravagantly, so that we can act not out of fear, but out of trust and joy.
Now… what are we going to do about it?
Let us pray… Extravagant God, you have been exceedingly generous to us, yet sometimes we find ourselves afraid to be generous in return. Grant us courage to step out in faith, to return your generosity with some of our own, so that we might be a part of your mission to share the good news, build a strong community and make the world a better place. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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