At that time, Deborah,
a prophetess…was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah
between Ramah and Bethel…and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. [Judges
4:1-7]
To you I lift up my eyes…to
the Lord our God…Have mercy upon
us, O Lord, have mercy… [Psalm
123:1a, 3b-4a]
…the day of the Lord will come like a thief
in the night…”There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction…but you…are
not in darkness…for you are all children of the light…keep awake and be sober…put
on the breastplate of faith and love and…the hope of salvation. [1 Thessalonians 5:1-11]
Jesus said, “It is as
if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to
them…to each according to his ability… [Matthew
25:14, 15b]
This week’s Gospel
is one that is not the most uplifting when it falls on what is generally known
in the Episcopal Church as Stewardship Sunday. The prior weeks are given
to various moments of personal and positive testimonies as to the value of
pledging – I’ve participated in those and have even run two successful
stewardship campaigns in two different parishes (don’t tell anyone on the
Stewardship Committee, please!). But this is one of “those” pieces of Scripture
that often drives long-term clergy around a small bend.
There are MANY interpretations and
commentaries on this Gospel and even whether or not is a parable or an
allegory. Is God the “man” or is it Jesus – after all, the “man” is going on a
long journey and later returns to judge the success of those to whom he
entrusted the money.
It is an important point to remember
that Jesus was speaking to the disciples AFTER Palm Sunday, during his last
week of life. We have only one more Gospel in Matthew left in this cycle and it
follows this one immediately. But we won’t finish to the obvious conclusion as
that will come as we journey through Lent to Good Friday and Easter next year.
Another point is that each worker was given the particular amount of money
according to their ability as decided by the man. Now I’m sure that most of us
feel terribly sorry for the poor scared schmuck who was thrown out on his ear. Yet
the question remains, is this just a cruel and heartless Master – we know he
cheats and steals from the phrasing of I knew you were a harsh man, reaping
where you do not sow, gathering where you did not scatter seed – and how could
this possibly represent our God, our Christ?
What I have accepted is that this is a
forewarning that we have each been given the gifts/talents that we need to
fulfill our purpose in this earthly sojourn. Paul has laid it out clearly that the
Lord will come like a thief in the night in the midst of seeming peace
and security. If we remember the Gospel from last Sunday, the passage just
before this one, about the Bridegroom arriving and the foolish and wise maidens
[Matthew 25:1-13] then we will remember the similar warning to Keep awake…for you
know neither the day or the hour. And this, too, now knowing we have the talents
we need, starkly reminds us that we only have so much time to use it or lose it
and we do not know how much. This isn’t the time to be shy about doing what you
know you can do or what you can learn to do for your faithful mission of Christ
in this life. Burying our gifts/talent behind a wall of false humility or just
plain fear like our friend above won’t get us the ticket to enter the joy of
your master.
I offer this passage from Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin about whom I cannot say enough. A French philosopher, noted
paleontologist, geologist, and among other things a Jesuit Catholic priest –
not, shall we say, always beloved of Rome. I hope it speaks to you as it does
to me. It is from one of his books, The Divine Milieu. Not always easily
read yet this piece brought this Gospel together for me (and it was written in
1965 so the masculine language is of its time):
God obviously has no
need of the products of your busy activity since he could give himself everything without you. The only thing that
concerns him, the only thing he desires intensely, is your faithful use of your
freedom and the preference you accord him over the things around you. Try to
grasp this: the things that are given to you on earth are given to you purely
as an exercise, a blank sheet on which you make your own mind and heart. You
are on a testing ground where God can judge whether you are capable of being
translated to heaven and into his presence. You are on trial so it matters very
little what becomes of the fruits of the earth, or what they are worth. The
whole question is whether you have learned how to obey and how to love.
This life is filled with risky investments
of time, of relationships, of errors in judgement. Yet we must continue to endeavor
to discover and recognize our gifts, our opportunities, and the path that draws
us to salvation. We must risk now to be saved later.
The image I used above is probably the most famous quote from John Wesley who is credited with the founding of a method of preaching and worship in the Anglican Church in England, whose congregations are now known as Methodist. But neither John nor his brother Charles ever left their Anglican roots.
I also commend to you a further look at the Prophetess Deborah - the only female Judge in the Bible - just an interesting serendipity to have her featured in this week when the first female and woman of color has been elected Vice President here in the USA. For an interesting piece on her click here: Deborah, Judge
PS: PLEASE consider a pledge of any amount to your church or a non-profit cause. Even a small amount that you know you can make is useful for planning a budget and you can always give more. In these times of no or few in-person offerings, even as the daily expenditures of the building and staff continue, think seriously of what you can do and to help you decide re-read Wesley, above!
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Lord, our God, you have given us each our
talents according to the abilities with which You created us. Grant us the courage
to put on the breastplate of faith, love, and the hope of salvation, to
encourage ourselves and one another to boldly risk the peace and security of what
we have, to be Your faithful stewards for all of our allotted time.
Creator
and Redeemer Lord
RESPONSE: Grant
us Your Mercy
~
O Lord, our God, keep us from
complacence as we continue to call to account those who govern now and those
who soon will, in our Nation, in our Community, and in our World. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Creator and Redeemer Lord
Grant us Your Mercy
~
O Lord, our God, calm and
heal the hearts of all who are seriously ill, in depression, or facing other
uncertain life circumstance, and steady the course of those who give them care.
We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
Creator and Redeemer Lord
Grant us Your Mercy
~
O Lord, our God, fill our hearts
with the peace of those who are now alive again, in the glorious and eternal
light of Your Kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
Creator and Redeemer Lord
Grant us Your Mercy
~
O Lord, our God, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
Creator and Redeemer Lord Grant us Your Mercy
~
O Lord, our God, we give great thanks
and prayerful gratitude
for
the faithful stewards of Your Church, who keep us on a spiritual track in daily
life, and guide us in living the mission of Christ on earth. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Creator
and Redeemer Lord
Grant
us Your Mercy
The
Celebrant adds:
O God Most High, through your Judge and Prophet Deborah, and the Apostles Paul
and Matthew, we learn the dangers and the opportunities of investing all our
mortal days in Your service. We lift up our eyes to You for the willingness,
the strength, and the mercy, to reap enough of what we sow to enter into the
joy of our master. We ask through Jesus, our Christ and our Master; the Holy
Spirit, the Sacred Breath in our souls; who together with You, live and reign
as One God, forever and forever. Amen.
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