The Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that you have inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation, and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. That you had the opportunity to gather with family and friends and remember what it is that we have to be thankful for. There is so much that we have to be thankful for, isn't there? Even with the challenges that many of us face we have a great many things to give thanks to the Lord for. So, today we have reached a milestone. The end of the year of the "Sundays after Pentecost in Ordinary Time." Today we have the opportunity today to celebrate Christ the King Sunday. Next week we will launch another series of Sundays. The Sundays of anticipation, of hope joy, and love. We will begin Advent next Sunday as we prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of the coming of Christ. All of this will culminate in our joyous celebration of the Feast of the Coming of Christ, with the Mass for the Celebration of Christ on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The past few years the scriptures for Christ the King Sunday have focused on the Kingship or Lordship of Christ. There has been an emphasis on Christ and how we should recognize and acknowledge His Lordship or Kingship in our lives. This year the Lectionary takes a different tack. The readings this year are more about our behavior because we are in relationship to Christ as our Lord or our King. But before we get to talking about the scriptures for this morning I would like to spend some time talking about motivation. I would like to use the phrase "You could tell they really put their heart into it." Or its counterpoint: "Their hearts just weren't in it." We usually use phrases like that when we are talking about sports teams, or athletes don't we? We reflect on their level of participation and sometimes on their success by talking about how much effort they appear to put into the game or the event. One of the highest accolades you can give an athlete or a sports team is to say "They played their hearts out." When we do that we are seeking to describe what we understand to be the motivation behind the athlete's performance or the sports team's efforts and achievements. We might say that we are seeking to express how much we understand about how committed to, or how much they love, what they are doing. We can often tell when an athlete or sports team is grateful for the opportunity they have to be competing or to be a member of a team. Motivation is key to the level of participation and often results in athletics or sports. Sometimes it is the heart, that is shown, that makes the difference between athletes or teams that have face other athletes or teams with greater skill levels or abilities. Sometimes the "underdog" will rise up and defeat the "better" athlete or team because their hearts are in the competition. The passage from Ephesians this morning uses a really interesting phrase that I believe is key to connecting our readings for today. "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power." Ephesians 1 "The eyes of your heart enlightened. You may know what is the hope to which he has called you." Isn't that an interesting concept? "The eyes of your heart be enlightened." Why does Paul pray that for the Ephesians? Well, because he wants them to "know what is the hope to which he has called you." Paul wants the Epesians to know the hope that is theirs. Paul is consistent in his concern, throughout his writings, to have people understand deeply in their hearts what the hope of the Gospel is. He understands that when people get a heart knowledge of the Gospel it makes a difference in how they go about living their lives. They stop living for themselves alone. They want to live for others and for Christ. I would suggest that people who know for themselves the hope of the Gospel are also motivated to want to bring others into a similar relationship with Christ and the Trinity. At Sundays@Five two weeks ago I spoke about having an "attitude of gratitude." When we are grateful and thankful for what we understand has happened in our spiritual lives we are eager to draw others into a similar relationship. Going back to my sports metaphor from earlier when a fan notices that the athlete they support or their team is playing with heart. When they know that the person or the team will give their all for the cause they want others to know about it. How often have you heard the phrases: "Did you see....... play the other night " or "What about those...." "They are really on the top of their game" You can insert your own athlete or team? When they are doing well we want other people to experience the joy and the hope that we feel. We want others to know about someone or a team that is performing well. In the Old Testament text this morning from Ezekiel we see that it is the Lord's desire to draw all those who are wandering and lost into his loving compassion. Ezekiel uses the metaphor of the sheep to describe the people of Israel, and unfortunately us. He shows how the Lord desires to draw us to Himself. There is a corollary to that proposition and it is expressed in the famous passage from St. Augustine’s Confessions in which Saint Augustine states “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” I am sure many of you have heard of the "heart-shaped hole" or "the Jesus hole in our hearts" that some preachers talk about. That emptiness within us that only Jesus can fill. When we experience that infilling we suddenly have all kinds of motivation to talk about what the Lord has done for us. It is a bit like Scrooge on Christmas morning after he has experienced the visitations through the night. He realizes he has an opportunity for a new lease on life and his response is to shout it from his window. He begins to make amends to those he has slighted or ignored. Now in the time we have left, I would like to consider the Gospel from Matthew. As we consider this Gospel reading this morning there is a great challenge for us all isn't there? I would be tempted to say that this reading is a wonderful follow-up to my message last week. As we look at our life together here at Christ Church what is our motivation? Where are our hearts? Have our hearts been moved by the realization of how much the Lord has done for us? Are we like Scrooge, on Christmas morning, ready to shout from the windows - Merry Christmas - and then go out into the world to share what we have experienced? Are we putting our hearts into it? Are we playing our hearts out in the mission and ministry of the life of Christ Church in this community? Maybe it is taking the sports metaphor a little too far, but do people here in Huron know what team we are on? I would be willing to say that the Goats in the parable in Matthew this morning are unaware that they are playing the game for themselves. They are focused on the outcome for their own sake. While the sheep are engaged in the sharing of their lives and their resources for the sake of those around them. Isn't it interesting that they are surprised to be rewarded for doing what they are doing out of gratitude? "Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’" They weren't even aware that they were doing anything unusual. The King's response is clear and direct: "‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’" I can't help but think of the prayer we pray after Communion. I know I have quoted it quite recently, but it is worth sharing again: "Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen." I love that part that says: "Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart..." We are not passively leaving the Sanctuary this morning we are being sent into a world where we will need the peace that only Christ can offer us. Then we ask the Lord to "grant us strength and courage to love and serve you" Then it all climaxes with our asking that we would make the Lord our focus and our priority - our heart motivation: "with gladness and singleness of heart.." That we would be glad to be a Christian in the world and that we would desire to do it with a singleness of purpose and care. A care for the sake of others. The Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that you have inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation, and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: As part of the Bishop's address, on Saturday, at the Convention, Bishop Anne spoke about the results of the Listening Sessions that she conducted across the Diocese through the Summer. There is a lot of information that was collected and analyzed. I want to touch on just one aspect of that report and Bishop Anne's response to it. There was a lot of conversation in the Listening sessions about the "decline" of the church. There was also a lot of talk about the need for "growth" in our church communities across the Diocese. Bishop Anne addressed the decline head-on. She said that there is empirical evidence that the church, in general, and the Episcopal Church, in particular, is in decline. She then went on to talk about the need for growth. Bishop Anne said, now I am paraphrasing here because I didn't take notes and I don't have her exact words written down, but she talked about how when we talk about growth we should be focussed on the desire to bring our family, our friends and our neighbors, our community, into a faith relationship, and a knowledge of the love of God. When we do that she is all for it. She said: "Jesus is what we are all about. Drawing people to know Jesus. To follow his directive to love God and to love our neighbor is our mission." She then went on to talk about a concern she has when she hears people talking about the need for growth. Particularly when it comes to growth in the area of young people and young families. She talked about her concern that when we do that in the church we often talk energetically and forcefully about how "we need more young people." She talked about how she sometimes hears that with an unspoken or unfinished sentence. She said that what we don't say is that we feel we need more young people or need young families because otherwise we, the church, won't survive. She said what that does is to turn the young people or the young families who might be attracted to our churches into a commodity. They become numbers or goals that we have to achieve. When we do this we devalue them as people and as fellow members of the body of Christ. We don't intend to do this, but the way we talk about them has a depersonalized feel about it. I believe at the heart of what the Bishop was saying was the question: "Why are we looking for growth?" Or to put it a different way: "Do we want growth for our sake or is it for their sake?" Or maybe we should ask ourselves: 'Are we concerned for them or for us?" The Bishop said that sometimes we also don't realize the other impact of talking this way is that we are actually saying that the people we do have in our church communities are "not enough." So again without thinking about it, or doing it on purpose, we are devaluing the people that we do have. "Oh yes they are here, but they aren't enough to do what we need to do." Basically what The Bishop was saying is that we have to be careful we don't begin to operate out of a poverty mentality. That, when we think, and talk about our churches and our fellow parishioners we have to be aware not to talk about them as being inadequate. We can begin to operate as though there are aren't enough, people, or resources to meet the needs of the community. Now if you read my Mike's Musings this week in the Weekly Update you will already know where I am going with my message this morning. Before I talk about that I want to quickly say I don't think there could be a better Gospel reading for us this Sunday as we prepare for our ingathering for our Stewardship Focus. The Parable of the Talents says it all, doesn't it? When it comes to the issue of giving into the resources of the Kingdom of God. It addresses what happens when we don't do anything with what God has given us. It also addresses the real need for us to participate and engage in the work of the vineyard, the community, the church. Can I just say at this point that I believe that the poor guy who buried his gift from the landowner was operating out of fear. I relate so clearly to this poor guy. He is so afraid, that he buries his gift, even when he knows that eventually, when he is found out, exactly what he is afraid is going to happen to him. And it does. As I said in my Musings column I was struck, as I was reading The Gospel, how interrelated the stories of Scripture are. There are so many connections between this Gospel lesson and the story of God providing Mana for the people in the desert, and also with the Parable of the Sower. Let's do a brief recap. The people of Israel are in the desert and cry out to God for food. God sends the Mana but warns them that it must be used. Do we remember how there was always enough for their needs, but if they tried to store it, for the future, it went rotten? The people hearing the story Jesus tells in Matthew of the Parable of the Talents and of the servant, who was given the one talent, would have known the story of the Mana. Then the parable also connects to God's word to Abraham when he called him to be the Patriarch of the people of Israel. He told Abraham he would be "blessed to be a blessing." The people of Israel had an active part or role in this process. They had to collect the Mana and prepare it for meals. They couldn't just sit back and let it fall and expect it to turn into food they could eat. This need to be actively involved is also illustrated in the Parable of the Sower. That parable begins: "The sower went out to sow." He didn't stay home, with his seed kept safely in his barn. He didn't expect a crop would come if he didn't do anything with what he had. Just as the second and third recipients of the gift from the landowner went to work and multiplied their gift, so we have a responsibility to participate and to develop what we have. In my Musings this week I shared a couple of quotes, about the "life of ministry," from two people who have influenced me. First, The founding Dean/President of Trinity School for Ministry, Rt. Rev. Alfred Stanway served on the mission field in East Africa for 30 years. When he was called out of retirement in Australia to begin Trinity he said: "If you do good ministry, the money will follow." Then another great missionary voice, Hudson Taylor, who was the founder of the China Inland Mission, said: "God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's provision." How blessed we are. What will encourage us to participate in the life and ministry of Christ's work in this community? We need to recognize when our uncertainty about whether we have enough or that there will be enough makes us hold back. Are we willing to sow/invest in to the eternal future of those that the Lord sends us? We need to do it for their sake! Finally, as we consider the question of "Do we have enough....?" I would like to read from one of the weekly Meditations from the SSJE Brothers. Brother Curtis Almquist in his sermon "Children of the Resurrection" says this: "You have been given access to the power you need for the here and now. I’ll give you a metaphor. This power is not like a “booster shot” from your doctor where, at some point in your past you got this surge of power from God and you’re set for life. A booster shot is the wrong metaphor. A better metaphor is a solar panel. You’ve been created with the capacity to receive the light. It’s of your essence. And with that light, God’s light, you have the power to be transformed and to be transforming of others. You have access to power. Be present to that power." He goes on to say: "If you were to ask me, “So what kind of power are you talking about?” I would answer with a question, “What kind of power do you need?” Because God is the source of the power you need; God is also the source of your awareness of need. Christ gives us two promises: his presence, and the provision of his power. The doorway to this power will be through your poverty, where you are powerless. You have been given power, resurrection power, in the here-and-now." As we consider the Parable of the Talents today are we able to recognize that we have been blessed to be a blessing? That we have enough, that we are enough. And can we do it for their sake? |
Archives
April 2024
Categories |