Zephaniah 1:7-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

No one can fault you for your effort if you always do your best. You might still fail. You might mess something up. Because nobody is a master at everything. And when you fail, you can learn and do even better the next time. This was the sentiment that I grew up with, which my parents instilled in me from a young age. Whether it was in school, sports, or any other activity, I knew I just had to give it my all and when I did, I could be proud of what I was able to do.

But don’t get me wrong. There were still plenty of times where I knew my best still wasn’t good enough. And even with this type of encouragement, there were times I didn’t even try because of it. We can easily become our own worst enemy. We concoct all these narratives around ourselves as to why not to do something, so that we give up before we even try.

 In our Gospel lesson this week, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. A master gives out talents (money) to his servants before he leaves so that when he comes back, they can give him of the increase. Only problem is, one of them doesn’t know what to do. He’s crippled by this fear that his best still won’t be good enough. “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hit your talent in the ground,” Matthew 25:24-25. While the first two servants double what is given to them, this servant doesn’t even try. He has more fear of losing what was given to him that he buries it in the ground!

This is where many people will talk about stewardship. Yes, God tells us in many different ways to be good stewards of his gifts. Like the first two, we’re supposed to use his gifts wisely, not foolishly burying them so they can’t be used. But if you think this parable is only about how we use God’s gifts, then you’ve missed the entire point. For the nature of it all is, we’re all bad stewards. Yes, even our best still won’t be good enough, because we’re sinners. We’ve not just buried God’s treasure, but we’ve gone and wasted it on our own passions.

The difference which we’re supposed to notice between the first two servants and the last one… is their motivation or attitude. The first two servants have a completely different attitude towards their master which motivates their success. This last servant believes just the opposite. He thinks there’s no pleasing his master. He believes that even the best he can do is insufficient. But he’s wrong! As Christians, we don’t become good stewards because of what we do. We become good stewards by knowing the master we serve. And we serve Christ, who gave up his life for us, who forgives us all our sins, who rose from the dead to bring us into the very joy of his “master”. When we know God as someone who loves us, cares for us, and will never be disappointed in us, we’re much more motivated to go and serve him with the gifts and talents he has given to us! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty and ever-living God, You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You. Dispel from us the works of darkness and grant us to live in the light of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that our faith may never be found wanting; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!