Devotional - March 23, 2022
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
An audio recording of last Sunday's service can be found on our website: https://www.citrusspringscongregational.org
Bible Study at 10 am. on Wednesday
Choir practice Friday at 11:00 am.
Luke 19: 11-27
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
Does it come as any surprise that when I was a wee lad, one of my favorite things about church was the Children's Sermon? I'm not sure it was for the residing ministers at the time, but I loved it. But don't feel too bad for those ministers, they got their revenge through all the kids who attended mine. It looks easy, but for some of us, it is not. The worst part being, some get more from the Children's Sermon than the sermon for adults. It's a bit humbling, but at least they get something. In giving the Children's Sermon, I realized I had to be brief (something the adults hope for...), to the point (that too...) and entertaining (and that makes three...). I felt it needed to be simple, but accurate and defendable. That's right defendable, because at any time during your presentation, you were liable to get a question that came right out of the blue. So, you needed to know your stuff and be focussed. Especially focussed, because usually one of the kids would either do something that drew everyone's focus away from your sermon (that was me, many years ago) or they'd ask, why are you bald, ...and, am I going to go bald too? And deep down..., you knew the congregation was more interested in how you will respond to their question than they were about the sermon. Now, the quick witted minister, could turn and spin on their question and turn it into the childrens sermon. I was rarely that guy. The reason I bring this up is because during one of the Children's Sermons I attended as a child, a text like the one above was used, and folks still remember my response. Before we go on, I need to give you a little backstory, one of the things I liked to do when I was growing up was bury things and then "discover" them later. The version of this parable used by the minister was in Matthew where the servant dug a hole and hid the money (talent) given to him (Matt 25:14-30). Not having listened to the reading, when the minister asked me what I would do with money, the answer was obvious, dig a hole and hide it. I can only imagine how stunned he must have been to hear me say the exact wrong answer to the question after reading the text. Poor fellow, but I am sure there were others in the congregation that did the same. By that I mean, they hid the talents God gave them thinking in the end, God will somehow be pleased by their actions. It is easy to lose sight of the key to this parable when reading all the drama that ensues after verse eleven. But still try to see the parable through the lens provided in verse eleven. It is about the Kingdom of God suddenly arriving and replacing the current condition. Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about Jesus saying the Kingdom is among you, here and now (Luke 17:21). Silly me, of course you do! Keep that in mind as you hear Jesus tell this parable. The Kingdom was not coming, it was/is here, now. God continues to bless us, here and now, as we do the work of the Kingdom in the world today. Understand that when the master gave them the minas and put them to work (v 13); it was for him, the master. The master enables them to do his work which they could not do otherwise. When their work succeeded, they were happy, the master was happy, and they received more. It was a win-win situation. God celebrates our work with us and enjoys that we enjoy the work. Is there plenty of learning in the process? Yes, we are not perfect, but that is to be expected. God understands and continues to bless our efforts. The minas did not double overnight. But more than that, the work of the "master", the Lord, is being done while he is away which is important to him (Luke 5: 13-16, Matt 13:44). He trusts them with his business. But there are some who do not think the work of the Lord is good. They have other ideas. They want the returns. They want to do it their way, but it's not working. It may work for them, but what they accomplish for themselves, stalls the process for the rest of us. It does not matter if you are looking at something as small as a family, or a community, or the world in general. People forget, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1), not them. How far do they think they are going to get by trying to leave God out? Interestingly, the one who hides his mina has a good excuse; at least it sounded good to him. So many think, I am not even going to get involved in all that religious stuff... And, sad to say, I understand their plight. Churches today are some of the last places people can find God because of the way people act. The Orthodox church uses artwork to remind people when they enter their sanctuary they are entering the Kingdom. I like that idea and love seeing the artwork, but God wants more than art, God wants communities that abide in God (John 15:4). Yet, avoiding the issue is not the answer, because God is there to be found regardless of the church. Your contribution to the world is needed and highly valued by God. Yes, it gets messy, but it is good.
A shovel can be used for many things. It can be used to dig holes and hide things. Or, it can be used to dig holes and plant things that continue to grow and prosper ...
Pray with me ...Holy God, thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon me. Thank you for enabling me to continue to develop and grow in the skills and abilities you have provided. Help me to rekindle my enthusiasm and stir my creativity where life has squelched my efforts and desire. Bless my loved ones and be with our church, that we can continue to serve You, in Jesus name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
