Year B
Zephaniah 1:7,12-18
Psalm 90:1-8,12
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth\u2026 O God\u2026 speak your Truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s Advent\u2026 and we wait\u2026 we wait for the long list of issues which continue to\u2026 stress<\/strong>\u2026 us<\/strong>\u2026 out<\/strong>\u2026 to end\u2026 the pandemic\u2026 rising infection rates and death tolls\u2026 when a vaccine will be available\u2026 and whether enough people will accept the science which went into it\u2026 concerns about our health care workers\u2026 our school teachers\u2026 and first responders\u2026 concerns about our families\u2026 and our parents\u2026 and grandparents\u2026 about those who are unemployed or underemployed\u2026 about racism and the divisions in our country\u2026 about the disputed results of the presidential election\u2026 and the stunning abdication of national leadership\u2026 and the lies about voter fraud that are being promoted\u2026 and the resistance to the peaceful transfer of power\u2026 and we wait for the rhythms of life\u2026 and the patterns of activity that are familiar to us\u2026 to return to normal\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s no wonder so many of us feel as though we have post-traumatic stress disorder\u2026 because\u2026 in fact\u2026 some of us do\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the June newsletter\u2026 I quoted Sonya Renee Taylor\u2026 who wrote\u2026 that we will not go back to normal\u2026 and neither should we\u2026 because what we made normal\u2026 and what was revealed in the laws and the ethos of this country\u2026 were attitudes\u2026 like prejudice\u2026 greed\u2026 fear\u2026 doubt\u2026 and suspicion\u2026 that are antithetical to those of the Gospel\u2026 but we are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment\u2026 one that fits all of humanity and nature\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n But for some\u2026 it may not feel like an opportunity\u2026 it may feel more like divine retribution\u2026 like we\u2019re being punished for something that someone else did\u2026 but God is not vindictive\u2026 and God does not punish us\u2026 God is incapable of that\u2026 all that God is eternally capable of\u2026 is love and forgiveness\u2026 asking us over and over and over and over again\u2026 giving us opportunity after opportunity after opportunity\u2026 to choose life\u2026 and it is we the people<\/em>\u2026 who choose less\u2026 than what God has ordained for us\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is only so much we can do individually\u2026 if only one person votes in favor of background checks for gun purchases\u2026 and ninety-nine vote against it\u2026 there\u2019ll be no background checks\u2026 if only one person votes to protect the environment\u2026 and ninety-nine vote against it\u2026 it\u2019s not going to be protected\u2026 if only one person votes to protect voting rights\u2026 and ninety-nine vote against it\u2026 our democracy is in trouble\u2026 it is our corporate\u2026 collective\u2026 communal behavior that makes a difference\u2026 we can\u2019t have a national community without accountability\u2026 but sometimes\u2026 I just want God to swoop down\u2026 and save us from ourselves\u2026 but wait\u2026 Jesus has already done that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to begin to realize just how limited our human vision is\u2026 and as the Psalmist reveals\u2026 attempt to see things through God\u2019s boundless vision\u2026 since before the mountains were brought forth\u2026 or the land and the earth were born\u2026 from age to age God is God\u2026 who turns us\u2026 and says\u2026 go back to dust\u2026 O child of earth\u2026 for we consume away in God\u2019s displeasure\u2026 and are afraid because of God\u2019s indignation\u2026 and we ask God to teach us to number our days\u2026 so we may apply our hearts to wisdom\u2026 God\u2019s wisdom\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jonathan Bratt-Carle\u2026 a United Methodist pastor I know\u2026 a colleague and a friend\u2026 wrote one week ago\u2026 regardless of the outcome of the election]\u2026 or how any one of us feels about it\u2026 neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden has the right to claim our highest allegiance\u2026 for anyone who is baptized\u2026 our highest allegiance belongs to Christ\u2026 and to him alone\u2026 and the President of the United States is not God\u2019s direct instrument\u2026 any more than you are\u2026 or I am\u2026 and this truth is one we all must accept for a simple reason\u2026 [because] if the omniscient Divine Being gets it wrong every eight years or so\u2026 He is disqualified from being God\u2026 it is “we the people” who put presidents into the Oval Office\u2026 not the Divine Creator\u2026 the Creator of the Universe does not deal in half-way measures\u2026 yearning for the “long arc of justice” to go Her way\u2026 the Creator of the Universe deals in life and death\u2026 and the billions of years told by the story of light\u2026 are not [too] long for the Ancient of Days\u2026 you cannot hope for God\u2019s will to be done by the President of the United States\u2026 you can\u2019t outsource your discipleship to another human being\u2026 you can only pray for God\u2019s will to be done in your own unique life\u2026 to be sure\u2026 our faith is active in our politics\u2026 but if our faith is not active in our daily life\u2026 our politics will not be faithful\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today\u2019s Gospel\u2026 is the Parable of the Talents\u2026 in Jesus\u2019 time\u2026 one talent was equal to about fifteen years of income\u2026 so the first slave received seventy-years\u2019 worth of income\u2026 a lifetime of wages\u2026 in our time\u2026 at a modest annual income of $30,000.00\u2026 five talents would be equivalent to about $2,500,000.00\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And during stewardship time\u2026 our leadership talks about giving of our time\u2026 talent\u2026 and treasure\u2026 and in Matthew 13:44-47\u2026 Jesus had already told the disciples that the Kingdom of Heaven was like a treasure hidden in a field\u2026 like a merchant in search of fine pearls\u2026 and like a net cast into the sea catching fish of every kind\u2026 mysteries of the kingdom which are given to us to share\u2026 so we don\u2019t lose them..<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if the talents in today\u2019s Gospel aren\u2019t money\u2026 what if they are the seeds of God-given gifts\u2026 of\u2026 talent\u2026 that we could choose to nourish and develop\u2026 then we could understand\u2026 that the first and second servants developed their gifts\u2026 their talents\u2026 and doubled them\u2026 but the third servant was afraid of stepping out of his comfort zone\u2026 didn\u2019t want to take any chances\u2026 decided to play it safe with what he had been given\u2026 hid that talent\u2026 let it stagnate\u2026 and gained nothing\u2026 didn\u2019t further the Kingdom at all\u2026 and if we go through life doing no more than what\u2019s expected\u2026 that\u2019s not going to build the Kingdom very much\u2026 that\u2019s why\u2026 if someone\u2019s speech and actions are against the message of Jesus and the Gospel\u2026 we need to call them out\u2026 if they\u2019re not doing enough\u2026 we need to encourage and invite them to do more\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pastor Martin Billmeier writes\u2026 this psalmist shows us how God looks on as generations rise and pass away\u2026 perhaps he compares the brevity of human life with the eternity of God\u2026 and goes on to see\u2026 how even the concept of time cannot be the same for the Ancient of Days\u2026 it\u2019s a passage that invites us to look at our creature-hood\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s so much we don’t know\u2026 there\u2019s so much we can\u2019t see\u2026 we\u2019re so limited by time and space\u2026 and Jesus is fond of pointing out how our priorities\u2026 are not God’s priorities\u2026 how God’s view of things\u2026 is much different than our view of things\u2026 In our short lifespan\u2026 we make hard and fast rules [and laws] for ourselves and for others\u2026 rules that change as generations pass\u2026 we equate success with dying wealthy\u2026 old\u2026 and surrounded by family and friends\u2026 yet the Son of God died neither wealthy\u2026 nor old\u2026 and family and friends had largely deserted him\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus died alone on the cross\u2026 everyone deserted him\u2026 but God never deserts us\u2026 all that God is ever eternally capable of\u2026 is love and forgiveness\u2026 God cares little for the litmus tests\u2026 or the labels\u2026 that we create and impose on each other\u2026 beaus the only litmus test that matters\u2026 is the Gospel\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year B Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 Psalm 90:1-8,12 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30 May the words of my mouth\u2026 O God\u2026 speak your Truth\u2026 It’s Advent\u2026 and we wait\u2026 we wait for the long list of issues which continue to\u2026 stress\u2026 us\u2026 out\u2026 to end\u2026 the pandemic\u2026 rising infection rates and death tolls\u2026 when a vaccine will be available\u2026 and whether enough people will accept the science which went into it\u2026 concerns about our health care workers\u2026 our school teachers\u2026 and first responders\u2026 concerns about our families\u2026 and our parents\u2026 and grandparents\u2026 about those who are unemployed or underemployed\u2026 about racism and the divisions in our country\u2026 about the disputed results of the presidential election\u2026 and the stunning abdication of national leadership\u2026 and the lies about voter fraud that are being promoted\u2026 and the resistance to the peaceful transfer of power\u2026 and we wait for the rhythms of life\u2026 and the patterns of activity that are familiar to us\u2026 to return to normal\u2026 It\u2019s no wonder so many of us feel as though we have post-traumatic stress disorder\u2026 because\u2026 in fact\u2026 some of us do\u2026 In the June newsletter\u2026 I quoted Sonya Renee Taylor\u2026 who wrote\u2026 that we will not go back to normal\u2026 and neither should we\u2026 because what we made normal\u2026 and what was revealed in the laws and the ethos of this country\u2026 were attitudes\u2026 like prejudice\u2026 greed\u2026 fear\u2026 doubt\u2026 and suspicion\u2026 that are antithetical to those of the Gospel\u2026 but we are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment\u2026 one that fits all of humanity and nature\u2026 But for some\u2026 it may not feel like an opportunity\u2026 it may feel more like divine retribution\u2026 like we\u2019re being punished for something that someone else did\u2026 but God is not vindictive\u2026 and God does not punish us\u2026 God is incapable of that\u2026 all that God is eternally capable of\u2026 is love and forgiveness\u2026 asking us over and over and over and over again\u2026 giving us opportunity after opportunity after opportunity\u2026 to choose life\u2026 and it is we the people\u2026 who choose less\u2026 than what God has ordained for us\u2026 But there is only so much we can do individually\u2026 if only one person votes in favor of background checks for gun purchases\u2026 and ninety-nine vote against it\u2026 there\u2019ll be no background checks\u2026 if only one person votes to protect the environment\u2026 and ninety-nine vote against it\u2026 it\u2019s not going to be protected\u2026 if only one person votes to protect voting rights\u2026 and ninety-nine vote against it\u2026 our democracy is in trouble\u2026 it is our corporate\u2026 collective\u2026 communal behavior that makes a difference\u2026 we can\u2019t have a national community without accountability\u2026 but sometimes\u2026 I just want God to swoop down\u2026 and save us from ourselves\u2026 but wait\u2026 Jesus has already done that\u2026 We need to begin to realize just how limited our human vision is\u2026 and as the Psalmist reveals\u2026 attempt to see things through God\u2019s boundless vision\u2026 since before the mountains were brought forth\u2026 or the land and the earth were born\u2026 from age to age God is God\u2026 who turns us\u2026 and says\u2026 go back to dust\u2026 O child of earth\u2026 for we consume away in God\u2019s displeasure\u2026 and are afraid because of God\u2019s indignation\u2026 and we ask God to teach us to number our days\u2026 so we may apply our hearts to wisdom\u2026 God\u2019s wisdom\u2026 Jonathan Bratt-Carle\u2026 a United Methodist pastor I know\u2026 a colleague and a friend\u2026 wrote one week ago\u2026 regardless of the outcome of the election]\u2026 or how any one of us feels about it\u2026 neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden has the right to claim our highest allegiance\u2026 for anyone who is baptized\u2026 our highest allegiance belongs to Christ\u2026 and to him alone\u2026 and the President of the United States is not God\u2019s direct instrument\u2026 any more than you are\u2026 or I am\u2026 and this truth is one we all must accept for a simple reason\u2026 [because] if the omniscient Divine Being gets it wrong every eight years or so\u2026 He is disqualified from being God\u2026 it is “we the people” who put presidents into the Oval Office\u2026 not the Divine Creator\u2026 the Creator of the Universe does not deal in half-way measures\u2026 yearning for the “long arc of justice” to go Her way\u2026 the Creator of the Universe deals in life and death\u2026 and the billions of years told by the story of light\u2026 are not [too] long for the Ancient of Days\u2026 you cannot hope for God\u2019s will to be done by the President of the United States\u2026 you can\u2019t outsource your discipleship to another human being\u2026 you can only pray for God\u2019s will to be done in your own unique life\u2026 to be sure\u2026 our faith is active in our politics\u2026 but if our faith is not active in our daily life\u2026 our politics will not be faithful\u2026 Today\u2019s Gospel\u2026 is the Parable of the Talents\u2026 in Jesus\u2019 time\u2026 one talent was equal to about fifteen years of income\u2026 so the first slave received seventy-years\u2019 worth of income\u2026 a lifetime of wages\u2026 in our time\u2026 at a modest annual income of $30,000.00\u2026 five talents would be equivalent to about $2,500,000.00\u2026 And during stewardship time\u2026 our leadership talks about giving of our time\u2026 talent\u2026 and treasure\u2026 and in Matthew 13:44-47\u2026 Jesus had already told the disciples that the Kingdom of Heaven was like a treasure hidden in a field\u2026 like a merchant in search of fine pearls\u2026 and like a net cast into the sea catching fish of every kind\u2026 mysteries of the kingdom which are given to us to share\u2026 so we don\u2019t lose them.. But what if the talents in today\u2019s Gospel aren\u2019t money\u2026 what if they are the seeds of God-given gifts\u2026 of\u2026 talent\u2026 that we could choose to nourish and develop\u2026 then we could understand\u2026 that the first and second servants developed their gifts\u2026 their talents\u2026 and doubled them\u2026 but the third servant was afraid of stepping out of his comfort zone\u2026 didn\u2019t want to take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1031"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1032,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031\/revisions\/1032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\n\n\n\n