November 19, 2023: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen.
This past Thursday, several of you joined me at the community interfaith Thanksgiving service at Temple Ner Tamid. The service, attended by Jews, Muslims, and Christians, featured songs led by Cantor Meredith Greenberg, as well as prayers and reflections from local clergy, including myself. It was inspiring, especially in light of all that is happening in the Middle East.
Afterward, one of the members of the Peace Island Institute, Esra Tozan, emailed a note of gratitude to all of us who participated. At the bottom of her email was a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. It said “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
This could really sum up our gospel reading today.
In the passage we just heard, we get to another parable in which Jesus is talking about what is expected of those who are part of the Kingdom of God. The servants were entrusted with treasure – and I do mean treasure. A single talent in the first century was roughly equivalent to fifteen to twenty years worth of wages for the average laborer. That’s a lot of money!
The master went away, and when he returned, he wanted an accounting of what had been entrusted to the servants. The first two had doubled what had been given them, but the last servant, living in fear, not only did nothing with the talent given, but blamed his lack of return on the master – that it was because the master was reaping what he did not sow, was a harsh taskmaster, that made this servant hide the money. This, as we hear, did not go over very well.
Now, I am not sure why the authors of Matthew love to use the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” as the fav description for the worst that can happen to you, but nevertheless, that is the fate for this unfortunate servant. Better than in Mark and Luke where the result was that this “enemy” was to be killed immediately. Nice!
At any rate, when we hear about this last servant, I think many of us feel a bit sorry for the guy. Not for nuthin’ but this doesn’t warm the cockles of my heart with the sense of the Kingdom of God being sweetness and light – or for that matter, very fair. I mean, the last servant didn’t lose any money. The master got back exactly what he had given the servant. Still, not really the best idea to blame the boss either, right?
Of course, this is Jesus after all, and to understand, we have to dig a bit deeper.
The key to understanding what Jesus is getting at here, is to view it in the context of what came before and after this particular story. So, last week, on the Jesus Channel, there was this story about 10 bridesmaids – 5 foolish, 5 wise – who waited for the bridegroom’s arrival. The foolish ones were those who were not ready to do the task set before them, and when the bridegroom appeared, they failed to light the way. That story followed warnings about the destruction of the temple, false Messiah’s, and the end times.
As I mentioned last week, Advent, whether four or seven weeks, always begins with the end – the return of Christ in what was thought to be the end times. The lectionary (our readings every week) has always been in Advent, but the Western church has just ignored it since shifting to a short season in the 13th century.
And now for today’s episode on the Jesus Channel – our savior tells them about these three servants and what they did with the money entrusted to them. What on earth could that be about?
Well, Jesus wasn’t talking about being an actual bridesmaid and lamp oil in the previous story any more than he is now talking about material wealth. Despite what some televangelists may try to tell you, the gospel is not, nor has it ever been, about financial prosperity. To use this story as a means to justify building up financial wealth is to ignore the radical message of Jesus – his life, his death, his resurrection and ascension.
No, Jesus isn’t talking about money – he is talking about us. The gift we have been given is our very lives. We need to use it wisely, and without fear. But to what end?
For the answer, we need only continue reading beyond this parable of the talents. In the next verses after this, which we will hear next week, Jesus drives his point home, in words so very familiar to most of us.
In yet another vision of the end times, he says that some will be found to have used well the gifts from God. He says “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ When asked when this might have been that they did all of that, Jesus tells them: “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Do we still think this parable about the servants entrusted with talents is about money?
The thing is, these end times stories we get in the beginning of Advent can sometimes be deceptive. Despite their imperative to keep watch, or as the epistle we heard this morning put it “stay awake,” we know Jesus is already back…he always has been. As he makes clear – he can be found in the hungry poor, the oppressed, the stranger (in our context – immigrant), the imprisoned, the sick. The end times that will catch us like a thief in the night is the realization that life is short, and we don’t have eternity to care for what has been entrusted to us by God. In other words, the so called “end times” are always the present age.
And we are charged with stewardship of what has been entrusted to us by our Creator – the care of all people – male, female, black, white, brown, gay, straight, trans, Jews, Muslims, democrats, republicans, rich, poor, addicted, homeless, mentally impaired, physically challenged – every single person no matter what.
We are charged with the care of God’s creation – to be good stewards of the land, the sea, the air, and all the creatures that inhabit the Earth.
And the question for all of us today: What are we doing with what has been entrusted to us?
Are we standing alongside the oppressed?
Are we being a voice for the voiceless?
Are we fighting against the destruction of our Earth and the abuse of all the creatures who dwell on it?
Do we recognize Jesus crying out for compassion, for love, for warmth, for hope – really just to be seen?
Or are we afraid of risking what we have – our own security – because to follow Jesus might just mean we end up crucified ourselves.
The thing is, this story Jesus tells only makes sense when we come to know deep in our hearts that there is too much at stake to turn away and play it safe. All of us are in living in a time where Christ needs us to step up – to risk big – to change what is to what God dreams for us all.
To expand on that quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “It isn’t enough to talk about the gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
We cannot bury ourselves in the ground as a way of hiding from our calling – we must take the risk!
As we enter this week in which we give thanks for all that God has given us, let us remember that the way in which we are called to show our gratitude goes far beyond the grace said at our tables laden with food.
Rather, Christ calls us to be mindful that those gathered at our table are not the only family we have. Our sisters and brothers all across the world are our family.
It is to never forget that the food we eat comes from the earth and for some, creatures who dwell alongside us – God’s creation.
And it is to understand that with all these gifts comes a responsibility to give back to God.
In other words, we are entrusted with the gift of God’s grace far beyond the food we eat and the people at our own table. And if our life is to have meaning, we need to believe in Christ enough to work hard at bearing his love into the world, moving past our fear of failure, and being willing to follow the Holy Spirit wherever she leads – risking what we have for the sake of the world.
We need to take the risk – the risk to truly live as God intends.
As the Rev. William Sloan Coffin once said, to “risk something big for something good…because the world is too dangerous for anything but truth, and too small for anything but love.”
Today, as part of our stewardship season, you will receive one last gift blessed at the altar – a stone with the word gratitude on it.
Let it be a sign of the pledge you will bring forward today – a pledge which is a financial support of the work we do from here to love and serve in Christ’s name, but also a commitment to the radical gospel of God’s all inclusive love.
Let this stone be a sign of Christ’s love for you – just as you are.
Let this stone be a sign of thanksgiving – not of lots of food and family gatherings – but of gratitude deep within your soul. Gratitude for all of creation, for all the diversity of life, for your very breath, for the ability to help others, for the gifts the Holy Spirit has given you – your faith, your hope, your love, your courage – and for this place you call your spiritual home.
Finally, let it be a reminder that it isn’t enough to believe in Jesus and the gospel, you must work at it, live it in the world, have the courage to take the risk for the sake of God’s creation – for the sake of your own life.
Amen.
For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible):
The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
November 19, 2023
Advent 2
First Reading – Judges 4:1-7
Second Reading – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Gospel – Matthew 25:14-30
