MATTHEW 25:14-30

[14] “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

[15] To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

[16] He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.

[17] So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.

[18] But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. [19] Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

[20] And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’

[21] His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

[22] And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’

[23] His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

[24] He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,

[25] so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’

[26] But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?

[27] Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

[28] So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

[29] For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

[30] And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Where are you Christmas?   Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away?
Where is the laughter You used to bring me?  Why can't I hear music play?

Those words, of course, are from the Faith Hill song in the movie “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”  Now I don’t mean to rush the season but I found myself thinking about those lyrics this past week.  I found myself thinking about them because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of happy people out there.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of joyful people out there.  What do you think?  I’ll tell you what I see. I see mothers standing in the supermarket groaning over the cost of groceries.  I see husbands stressed out from working long hours to make ends meet and high school students who are getting close to meltdown mode because of all the homework and after school activities.

It’s hard to be joyful when you feel like you’re fighting a loosing battle.  It’s like the two women who found themselves standing before the Pearly Gates one day.  After St. Peter welcomes them he says to them, “There’s only one rule in heaven. Whatever you do don’t step on the ducks.”   As you can imagine, the women are puzzled by the instructions but when they walk through the Pearly Gates they discover that there are ducks everywhere.  When one of them accidentally steps on one of the ducks St. Peter quickly shows up with one of the ugliest men they’ve ever seen.  He then handcuffs the woman who stepped on the duck to the man and says, “Your punishment is to spend the rest of eternity with this man.”   After seeing that the other woman decides that she’s going to be extra careful.  The last thing she wants to do of course is step on a duck.   Several days go by and then all of a sudden St. Peter shows up again.  Only this time he has with him the most handsome man the woman has ever seen.  Much to her surprise St. Peter handcuffs her to the man. “Oh my,” the woman says.  “I wonder what I did to deserve a man like you?”  To which the man replies, “I don’t know about you lady, but I stepped on a duck.”

It’s hard to be joyful when you feel like you can’t win.  So, how can you be joyful in a world full of stress and distress?  The answer is right there in the Parable of the Talents.  All you have to do is go to work for the Lord. That’s what the first two servants do in the parable. The first one receives five talents of silver and when the master comes back the servant gives him ten talents of silver.  The second one receives two talents of silver and when the master comes back the servant gives him four talents of silver.  The master then says to each of them, “Well done good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master.”

That’s what happens when you work for the Lord.  Just ask the people who go on the mission trip every year.  They’ll tell you that the work is hard and exhausting.  You might spend hours under the hot Carolina sun digging ditches for a foundation.  At the end of the week though you come home with a heart full of joy.   Or how about those of you who help out with the collations after a funeral?  It’s a lot of work but after it’s over don’t you feel good about what you’ve done?  Each year dozens and dozens of people spend hours and hours getting ready for Frosty’s Fair.  After everything is said and done though there’s a spirit of joy in the air and that joy isn’t tied to the money that is raised.  It’s all about the sense of community and working together to make it all happen.  The advisors to the Youth Ministry and the Young Disciples will tell you the same thing.  I also feel it every time I visit someone in the hospital or I walk with a family through that valley of the shadow death.  At the end of the day I often feel like I’m the one who has been blessed. I feel like I’ve received more than I’ve given.  

There’s a story about a little three year old girl who was looking at the presents one day under the Christmas tree.  While she was doing that she found a big red bow that had fallen off one of the presents.  So she picked the big red bow up and put it on hear head.  She then turned to her father and joyfully shouted, “Look at me daddy!  I’m a present!”

That’s the joy that the first two servants found in the parable.  It’s the joy comes from working for the Lord.  Receiving the gift of love and then passing it on to others.   That’s the joy that we’ve found here in this Body of Christ.

No compare that joy with what happens to the third servant. What does he do?  He quickly buries his talent and when the master returns he gives him back his talent.  For that the third servant earns a rebuke. He is rebuked and banished to the outer darkness where we are told that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now some people feel sorry for the third servant.  After all he got only one talent while the others got two and five talents. Not only that but the only reason he did what he did was because he was afraid of his master.   So what happened really wasn’t his fault.  The one who really needs to take a look at himself in the mirror here is the master. him.  He’s the one who is unreasonable and unfair.

Not so fast though.  Remember.   That’s what the third servant wants you to believe.  The parable shows that the master was actually very generous. It’s true that the third servant only got one talent but today that talent would be worth about $360,000.  It’s also important to remember that the master gave them according to their ability.  What that means is the master knew that one talent was all the third servant could handle and it turns out he was right.

Let’s also look at the claim that third servant only that he did what he did because he was afraid of the master. Because the master is able to see into his heart he knows that isn’t true.  That’s why the master basically says to him, “I know that you’re not being honest here because it you really were afraid you would have taken the money and invested it with the bankers.  That way when I came back I would have received what was mine with a little interest.”

No this isn’t a case of fear.  It’s a case of a servant who was lazy or couldn't be bothered or had other things to do. So, he took the easy way out.  That’s why he was rebuked.  That’s why he was banished to the outer darkness. Now it would be easy to jump on the bandwagon and dump on him as well.  Rather than judge him or feel sorry for him though why not try to help him?  The third servant made an unfortunate choice and because of that he missed out on the joy that the other two servants discovered.

That’s true for so many people today. They're caught in a hum drum existence with bills and mortgages to pay; stuck in jobs that demand more and more work..  Then on the weekends they try to escape all the stress and distress by watching football games that in some cases are played by highly paid self-absorbed athletes.

They’re missing out on the joy that we have discovered. It’s the joy of doing the Lord’s work. It’s the joy of magnifying Christ’s love; the joy of being instruments of his peace; the joy of being a blessing to others.

I'd like to think that there's a p.s. to the parable.  It’s a p.s. where the first two servants go to the third servant and help him find his way into the joy of working for  the master.

In the book Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul there’s a story about some teenagers who were members of the Shively Christian Church.  The story doesn’t mention where the church was located. In any event, the youth group at the Shively Christian Church had a friendly rivalry with the youth group in the Shively Baptist Church which was located right next door.  One day the youth pastor at the Shively Christian Church read the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet.   He then divided the youth into five groups and challenged them to go out and find a way to be a servant to others.   When the youth came back two hours later the first group announced that they went and did some yard work for an elderly parishioner.  The second group purchased ice cream treats and delivered them to some of the church’s elderly shut ins.   The third group went to see someone in the hospital.  The fourth group went to a nursing home and sang Christmas carols which the residents loved even though it was the middle of August.  And the last group?  When they announced what they had done everyone groaned.  They groaned because they t next door and asked the pastor of the Shively Baptist Church if he knew someone who needed some help.  The pastor sent them to the home of a elderly woman who needed yard work done.  For the next two hours they mowed and raked the lawn and trimmed the hedges.  When they were getting ready to leave the elderly woman called the group together and thanked them for their hard work.  “You kids at Shively Baptist are always coming to my rescue,” she said.  “Shively Baptist!” the youth pastor exclaimed.  “I sure hope you set her straight and told her you were from Shively Christian Church.”  The youth looked at each other and said, “No. we didn’t.  We didn’t think it mattered.”

It is possible to be joyful in a world full of stress and distress and somewhere in this crazy mixed up world there’s a third servant who needs you to help him or her find the joy of working for the Lord.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

November 13, 2011