First Reading: Zephaniah 1:7-16
7Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. 8And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice — “I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire. 9On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud. 10On that day,” declares the Lord, “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills. 11Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the traders are no more; all who weigh out silver are cut off. 12At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.’ 13Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.” 14The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. 15A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
Psalm 90:1-12
1Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another. 2Before the mountains were brought forth, or the land and the earth were born, from age to age you are God. 3You turn us back to the dust and say, “Go back, O child of earth.” 4For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past and like a watch in the night. 5You sweep us away like a dream; we fade away suddenly like the grass. 6In the morning it is green and flourishes; in the evening it is dried up and withered. 7For we consume away in your displeasure; we are afraid because of your wrathful indignation. 8Our iniquities you have set before you, and our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 9When you are angry, all our days are gone; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 10The span of our life is seventy years, perhaps in strength even eighty; yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow, for they pass away quickly and we are gone. 11Who regards the power of your wrath? who rightly fears your indignation? 12So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30
14{Jesus said to the disciples,} “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20And 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.’ 21His 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.’ 22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23His 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.’ 24He 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, 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26But 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? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29For 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. 30And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Fearless Faith
I stopped for gas the other day and one of the displays on the pump asked if I was a loyalty member. As I filled the tank, I got to thinking, how committed are we to the people and businesses in our lives today? Take gas stations for example. On my phone there are several apps for gas companies. Each of these apps offer incentives for me to utilize their company for my fuel and snack needs. The idea is for me to become a loyal customer. However, I realized that I’m not loyal to any of these companies. My commitment is to me and what’s most convenient. It’s amazing how things have changed over the years.
Reflecting back on my upbringing, I believe my parents were more loyal than I am. Unless compelled by circumstance, they filled the cars at the same gas station. When the car needed repairs beyond our capabilities, they went to the same mechanic. Mom always shopped at the same grocery store and dad always waited for his barber to get his hair cut. Dad, for as long as I can remember, wore the same brand of shoe, the same brand of slacks, and always shopped at the same hardware store, even if that meant driving out of his way. My how things have certainly changed.
I believe commitment and loyalty have become negative, or even obsolete, words in our current culture. Whether it’s in our careers, marriages, churches, or even faith, the very words “commitment and loyalty” seem to send shivers up the spines of people today. Now to be fair, there have been some significant cultural paradigm changes that have contributed to this rise in our current “zero commitment, loyal to oneself alone, instant gratification” social situation.
For example, before the turn of our century, having a solid resume meant that you were highly desired as an employee, that you were loyal and stayed with one employer for most of your working life, gaining knowledge, wisdom, and experience that proved valuable to business. However, the technological revolution, coupled with contract workers and the ability to work from anywhere, has shifted the image of the ideal employee to one with adaptable learning, multiple work experiences and environments, and the ability to shift jobs frequently in order to adapt to changing workplace needs. No longer is long-term wisdom valued, but short-term adaptability seems to have become the desired hire. The internet has also changed our ideas about authority.
No longer do we value one trusted authority on a subject, but we take our learning into our own hands, mining Google and other search engines for information on every available topic. We can access everything not only fully but instantly. We have become our own authorities. The technological revolution, in the form of social media, has also caused us to embrace a community of “online” relationships that remain convenient but mostly superficial. As the wellness movement, good in many ways, has increased, we have learned to invest in ourselves rather than others, to care first for our own needs, and to value quick and effortless change, making institutions, such as marriage and even committed relationships often a thing of the past.
Social connections, once centralized within the church or community grange hall, have fragmented into zoom meetings, coffee shop semi-sociability, and meet up groups. Independence and individualism rule to an extent never seen before. The nones and dones have made it clear to the institutional church that “their needs” are better met elsewhere, with emphasis on both “their” and “needs.” Our society has learned to believe that in a culture of constant change, we can best find stability and security in self-preservation, self-attention, and self-protection. Sadly, what we’ve become is “dysfunctionally attached” as a culture.
We see the results of this dysfunctional attachment in the way that we communicate with each other. Instead of verbal conversations, we text, tweet, or snap chat. I heard the other day that gone are the days when you ring the doorbell. It’s now best to text the host when you arrive. Apparently, this is less annoying. And when we do engage in verbal conversations, where we discuss our differences, we now instantly disparage the other and level all kinds of accusations, without any regard to truth. Any disagreement now days seems to include a war of words on social media platforms like X, formally known as Twitter. By and large, in person interactions these days seem to be adversarial. And the effect of this antagonistic environment is impacting us both mentally and socially.
Oddly, although science tells us that people in committed relationships live longer and flourish better, and that those within close communities live happier, healthier, and more stable lives, this fact is being ignored. Despite this evidence, we still choose to remain distanced from one another. Our emphasis on healthy living remains mostly self and singularly focused. To be emotionally and spiritually invested has become a “looking inward”, naval gazing as it were, rather than looking outward. And yet, the “kicker” remains, that to be a Christian without commitment is an oxymoron. One cannot be self-focused and not break the 1st Commandment, “you shall have no other gods before me.”
Interestingly, even as we see this as our current societal situation, Jesus addresses a similar issue in our Gospel reading for today as He takes on the perils of a “lack of commitment” or a “lack of investment.” In the case of the third servant, a lack of loyalty to anyone except himself. Although the parable is about talents, it’s clear that Jesus is talking about more than money. He’s talking about emotional and spiritual commitment, emotional and spiritual investment. A covenant-style investment to be clear: intimate, committed, invested with heart, mind, and spirit. And He’s talking about how we best can establish a secure identity for ourselves within a chaotic environment–by committing and investing in God, not in self-guardedness.
Remember Jesus’ answer to the lawyer when he quoted the Shema, the Jewish book of laws? “You shall love you’re the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, and strength.” These are at the core of what it means to be invested. Covenantal commitment is at the heart of Christianity, just as it was at the heart of Jewish theology. A covenant is a two-way agreement. It requires investment and loyalty by both parties.
When God commits to loving, valuing, and caring for His people no matter what, the other side of the coin means that those in “covenant” with God, must also agree to love and serve God exclusively and to love God fully, and to cultivate that relationship each and every day. To be in covenant with God is to be in a committed relationship, a marriage if you will, which provides stability and security, as well as encourages growth and healthy individuality. This is why the Bible talks about Jesus as the Bridegroom and the church as the Bride of Christ.
Marriage, a common metaphor for our covenant with God in the scriptures, works in a similar way. Each partner commits fully to the other–body, mind, and soul. Each agree to invest in each other emotionally and spiritually, encourage each other’s interests and growth, to be loyal to each other only, and to be with each other and support each other through everything for a lifetime. At least that’s the promise made. In a culture of non-commitment, this is a lost concept, along with communication, curiosity, and covenantal understanding. So how then can Christians learn to function within a non-committal society? The answer is simple, commitment-rich faith.
How can Christians battle “fear” of commitment in their lives and churches, so that they can build the kind of “alternative kingdom community” that Jesus imagined? Jesus tries to explain in this parable of the talents what it means to be “fearless” and to trust in God with a “fearless faith.” The “parable of the talents” is about investment in something bigger than yourself.
The parable in our gospel passage is about commitment to someone other than yourself. Moreover, this parable is about taking risks –emotional and spiritual risks, in order to gain true stability. I imagine that if Jesus were telling this story today, He’d use the stock market or a bank as His primary metaphor. Or maybe He’d use a business venture, investing in real estate, or some other kind of wiser investment. We all know that some investments are wiser and more likely to pan out than others. When God asks us to invest, God doesn’t ask us to invest our lives in shady ventures like the lottery or the next big jackpot at the casino, but into worthy relationships that will feed us, nourish us, and bear us fruit throughout our lives, that will benefit not only us, but others.
God has also given each of us varied and unique gifts and personalities. To some, God has given a multitude of gifts with which to draw from. To others He has given a few gifts to utilize for His kingdom, and to still others, a single gift with which we use for God’s glory. We all don’t necessarily invest in the same way, but we are expected to invest in ways that glorify God and further the work of His kingdom.
But the problem in the parable isn’t with which investments to choose, it highlights the servant who fears investing at all; the one who feels that it’s better to keep what he has to himself and guard it out of fear of being “hurt.” This is the root of all fear –that we somehow will be hurt, lose our sense of security or freedom, or somehow fail. This “fear of failure” can undermine our relationships, our business ventures, our wellness, our parenting, and our churches. What you don’t invest in can never grow, never love, never flourish, and never help you or anyone else. That’s the opposite of what a Christian is called to be and do.
To be a Christian is a calling to be fearless–to take risks that may sometimes feel frightening, to choose relationships and love over singularity and “safety,” knowing that with true emotional and spiritual investment comes true joy, love, security, and wellness.
Jesus calls us today, just as He called the disciples long ago, to be fearless, in a culture of fear, and to be committed in a culture of non-commitment. Jesus calls us to re-teach people how to live and love well, how to lead healthy, relationally rich lives, and how to invest in each other to create truly great and healthy communities.
A number of years ago Norman Cousins wrote an editorial in Saturday Review in which he reported a conversation he had on a trip in India. He was talking with a Hindu priest named Satis Prasad. The man said he wanted to come to our country to work as a missionary among the Americans. Cousins assumed that he meant that he wanted to convert Americans to the Hindu religion, but when asked, Satis Prasad said, “Oh no, I would like to convert them to the Christian religion.
Christianity, Parsad said, cannot survive in the abstract. It needs not membership, but believers. The people of your country may claim they believe in Christianity, but from what I read at this distance, Christianity is more a custom than anything else. I would ask that either you accept the teachings of Jesus in your everyday life and in your affairs as a nation, or stop invoking His name as a sanction for everything you do. I want to help save Christianity for the Christian.” Being a Christian is more than lip service, it’s a willingness to fearlessly commit to God and His will in our lives.
Being fearless starts with faith–faith and trust in God. When we allow God to be our stability, our source for identity, our foundation, and our assurance, everything else feels less frightening. Being fearless starts with knowing that Jesus has your back. Knowing that He had our backs when He sacrificed Himself for us centuries ago. And He continues to have our backs today in the person of the Holy Spirit. Yes, life today can feel unsure. It can feel fast, chaotic, superficial, and sometimes lonely. In God, we can find a better way, an alternative way, a relational way, a fearless way of living and loving that will feed our heart and nourish our soul. All we need to do is take a risk and trust the One who provides all our needs.
Amen