Book of Faith Devotions – January 15, 2012
January 15, 2012 Second Sunday after Epiphany
John 1:43-51 (The Message)
43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” (Philip’s hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)
45-46Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.”
But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.”
47When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”
48Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”
Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”
50-51Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.”
They are a “thirty something couple” with four young children and a passion for loving the poor in the name of Jesus. For a year they traveled around the country in an old RV (Big Buster) they converted to run on used vegetable oil, visiting feeding ministries from coast to coast. When they returned to their home in Hubbard, Oregon, they decided to convert their garage into a food pantry, invite donations, and share with anyone who was hungry. “Jubilee Food Pantry” they call it. They have done this every Tuesday afternoon for a year and a half. They have a great story. When people ask about the ministry out of their garage, they invite people to “come and see for yourself”.
In their travels, they made it to Philadelphia and got to see Shane Claiborne’s Simple Way ministry first hand. They started receiving “Consp!re: Food, Feast, and Table”, a magazine that Simple Way helps publish. Consp!re doesn’t have subscribers. They have “conspirators”. In November of 2011, Consp!re sponsored “Gather ‘Round”s- evenings that embraced the sacredness and joy of the dinner table, bringing people together to “plot goodness”. This young family agreed to host a “Gather ‘Round” for people in the Portland area who had signed on through the magazine’s website. It felt like one part internet dating, one part community organizing, and one part church pot luck. They invited me as well. “Come and see what other people who love Jesus and the poor are up to.” Plotting goodness? It did sound a little conspiratorial. I brought coleslaw.
It was a great evening. I met organic farmers, staff from the Union Gospel mission, foster parents, goat herders, environmental expedition counselors and a host of other folks with a passion for food, Jesus, and serving the poor. Most had never been to Hubbard before. Everyone shared their story around the table. Not only was a lot of goodness plotted, it was encouraging to see that a lot of goodness was already going on. Even the Brussels sprouts were good!
Come and see for yourself. The body of Christ is alive, well, and plotting goodness in a garage in Hubbard and in all kinds of other unexpected places.
The Rev. Craig Johnson, Christ Lutheran Church, Aurora
Book of Faith Devotions – January 8, 2012
January 8, 2012 Baptism of Our Lord
Mark 1:4-11 (The Message)
4-6John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.
7-8As he preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.”
9-11At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”
In the 1970’s, I remember seeing advertisements for The Bedazzler on TV. It was a simple tool, ordered through the mail or over the phone, that allowed the user to fasten rhinestones, metal studs, and patches to clothes and accessories. The result? Imagine a 1970’s Elvis costume. For $19.95 (plus shipping and handling) you could make your own, ordinary stuff sparkle and shine like the Las Vegas Strip. If you wanted to stand out from the crowd, your every day outfits could be “bedazzled”! I was a little too self-conscious as a kid for that kind of personal expression. I found that the work of The Bedazzler was better left to others who could handle the extra attention.
Even though we know better theologically, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that the Holy Spirit is a limited offer, available only to certain “bedazzled” Christians. To believe or act as if there is a standard Baptism, and then a “Baptism 2.0” that includes the “Holy Spirit Package”. But the words of John The Baptist remind us that what Jesus brings is truly a holy baptism of the Holy Spirit, continually changing us “from the inside out”. This Spirit is not available only to some, those who shine brightly or who have attained a certain level of spiritual achievement. The Holy Spirit is freely bestowed upon every Christian at every baptism. The work of the Spirit begins at the font and continues for our whole lives. This is the Spirit’s work, not ours, though we are often tempted to claim some or all of it as our own.
At many baptisms, our sponsors read to us these words to us from Matthew 5:16; “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” It is the season of Epiphany. Go and bedazzle with the light of God.
The Rev. Craig Johnson, Christ Lutheran Church, Aurora
Book of Faith Devotions – January 1, 2012
January 1, 2012 Name of Jesus
Luke 2:15-21 (The Message)
15-18As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
19-20Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!
21When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
I read the invitation to a colleague’s installation service with some bewilderment. Next to the date for the service it read, “The Octave of St. James.” An Octave ? As always, when in need of enlightenment regarding things ecclesiastical, I reached for my Oxford Dictionary of The Christian Church. Apparently, an Octave refers to the eighth day after a feast, including the festival day itself. The “Name of Jesus”, observed every January 1st, is also known as “The Octave of Christmas.”
Jesus, like most Jewish males of the time, was formally named on the eighth day of his life as a part of his circumcision rite. This covenantal act, going back to the time of Abraham, was performed on the eighth day, even if it fell on a Sabbath, as a sign of God’s faithfulness. The eighth day is significant for Christians as well. Every Sunday for two thousand years, Christians have gathered together on the eighth day, not simply to mark a new week, but to commemorate the day of resurrection and to remember the new creation that we have become in the waters of baptism. Many traditional baptismal fonts are octagonal in shape in reference to this.
Our culture claims every January 1st as a day for resolutions and new beginnings. Built right into our liturgical calendar, the church has a day to embrace the new beginning that we receive when the name of “Jesus” is splashed upon us. Maybe in addition to claiming New Year’s Day, we should reclaim the octagonal shape as well. Instead of being the shape of a “Stop” sign, we would see it anew as a baptismal symbol. A Go sign, if you will. After all, Jesus himself has said, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
The Rev. Craig Johnson, Christ Lutheran Church, Aurora
Book of Faith Devotions for December 25, 2011
CHRISTMAS DAY: Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) NRSV
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see–I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
Real days, real people, real politics, real pain. Advent is over and Christmas is here. I don’t know why this is a surprise. The prophets told us. God promised. John the Baptizer points to the ongoing reality in every Gospel. We’ve heard the story before!
But now? Right now? Here? Really?
In theory baptism and Holy Communion are supposed to be those magical moments when all that Jesus was and did breaks into our here and now. And it’s true. I believe that. Christmas is a little bit that way as well, though. People take that extra moment to say “hi.” We notice the less fortunate and maybe buy mittens or milk for those who need them. Wars used to stop, at least for a moment, while people prayed and gave glory to God. Even stop lights blink a bright red and green.
I wish you joy and happiness as you celebrate Christmas this year, hopefully with friends and family, but the most important words in this wonderful story for me are “this day.”
It is not “that day” which is so important. It is “this day!” It is “this day” with its own brand of real people, real politics and real pain that must always remain front and center for us. Yes, were it not for “that day” “this day” would be much different. We need to stop, to give thanks, to celebrate and sing of Sabbath rest. I agree! Yet, it is also because of “that day” that “this day” is supposed to be much different. And now that Advent is over this is what should occupy our hopes and dreams forever more.
Tomorrow has been born into the waiting arms of today. All that is to be has begun to break into our here and now. Real days, real people, real politics, real pain. Jesus came to engage these very things. How about you?
Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke
Oregon Synod – ELCA
Book of Faith Devotions for December 18, 2011
ADVENT 4: Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Now we’re getting to it. Enough of the wild-haired John the Baptizer of Advent who called people to attention as the adult Jesus steps out on to center stage. Let’s get to Christmas. Where’s the baby?
Funny who asks what questions. Israel had been “waiting for the baby” – well, really the Messiah – for centuries. Mary and Joseph were undoubtedly among the poor who prayed for hope and new life on a daily basis. But now that the baby was on the way Mary’s question is different. “How did that happen?!”
People have such an amazing capacity to ignore or deflect what is right before their eyes. Bless you , Mary, but “how” is not really the question. “That” is the question and it’s all you need to concern yourself with right now. It’s Advent. The birth of tomorrow will come and Jesus will be right at the center of it. And ready or not, you’re going to be at the center of it all, too.
Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke
Oregon Synod – ELCA
Book of Faith Devotions for December 11, 2011
ADVENT 3: John 1:6-8, 19-28 NRSV
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. . . 19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,’ ” as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
It is so hard to know what to do with somebody who claims so little.
“No, I’m not the messiah.” “No, I’m not Elijah.” “No, I’m not a prophet.” I’m just a voice, one voice, crying out to the sand and the dune grass of the current religious and political powers that be. I do not expect to be heard, or heralded or thanked or Ted Talked. I just do what I do. “Make straight the way of the Lord!”
The killer, of course, is that people do listen – and the wrong people at that. People with nothing to lose get their hopes up. People who are supposed to be invisible all of a sudden take on substance. How dare you baptize. How dare you associate the name of God with your foolishness. How dare you set things askew.
“It’s not me you need to worry about.” says John. It’s the one coming after me. That’s all you need to concern yourself with right now. It’s Advent. The birth of tomorrow will come and Jesus will be right at the center of it. That’s not the question. The question is you.
Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke
Oregon Synod – ELCA
Book of Faith Devotions for December 4, 2011
ADVENT 2: Mark 1:1-8 NRSV
1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ” 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ . . .
Each of the four New Testament Gospel writers begins the Jesus story of good news in a different place. Matthew starts with a genealogy reaching back to Abraham and Sarah, beginners of a different kind. They, like Jesus and you and me, have a fresh set of promises from God. Matthew uses his Christmas story to raise the question of who believes and who doesn’t . So, how do you view the future? Do you believe?
Luke begins with the intervention of the Spirit in the lives of two courageous women, Elizabeth and Mary. The time has come. The poor and abused have suffered long enough. Now is the time. Jesus is to be born among the poor as one who shares their common lot. The 99% are to be lifted up and the 1% cast down from their thrones. Are you ready for things to be turned upside down?
In John’s Gospel we find the Jesus story starting up before time has even begun. “In the beginning was the word …” There is no Christmas story as such in John, but “the word becomes flesh and dwells among us.” Jesus is the light of the world for John and how we love that imagery this time of year!
Mark, our Gospel guide for 2012, begins the good news of Jesus with a single voice crying out in the wilderness. John the Baptizer calls for repentance, and frankly he sounds like a pretty weird dude. John isn’t about himself, though. He’s all about Jesus. Or rather, he’s all about whatever is coming. He’s actually not sure what it is, but he’ll know it when he sees it.
Four stories, one point. Things are about to change! Do you believe in what’s coming? Are you ready? Will you be able to let go and lay your hopes and hands upon something new? That’s all you need to concern yourself with right now. It’s Advent. The birth of tomorrow will come and Jesus will be right at the center of it. That’s not the question. The question is you.
Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke
Oregon Synod – ELCA
Book of Faith Devotions for November 27, 2011
Isaiah 64:1-9 (NIV)
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
7 No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and made us waste away because of our sins.
8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord;
do not remember our sins forever.
Kathleen Norris writes in her book, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith:
“I am a sinner, and the Presbyterian church offers me a weekly chance to come clean, and to pray, along with others, what is termed a prayer of confession. But pastors can be so reluctant to use the word ‘sin’ that in church we end up confessing nothing except our highly developed capacity for denial. One week, for example, the confession began, ‘Our communication with Jesus tends to be too infrequent to experience the transformation in our lives You want us to have,’ which seems less a prayer than a memo from one professional to another. At times, I picture God as a wily writing teacher who leans across a table and says, not at all gently, ‘Could you possibly be troubled to say what you mean?’ It would be refreshing to answer, simply, ‘I have sinned.’”[i]
What is abundantly clear is that this chapter from Isaiah—assigned for the First Sunday in Advent— is a cry of repentance. And it stands as a reminder that in the tradition of the Church, Advent was not just a season of anticipation but also one of deep penitence as well. In recent times, however, churches have altered their Advent traditions, replacing the liturgical color of purple with blue to stand not for Lent-like penitence but Advent preparation and anticipation of the arrival of the Christ. In the congregation I serve, we sort of mix it up. We use both purple and blue. The repentance called for in the assigned readings prepares us to receive the anticipated Christ. I suppose this practice softens the harshness of the reality of our sinfulness and need for repentance in such a warm & fuzzy secular season of “Pre-Christmas.”
Today, it seems, we are in the market for a kinder, gentler God. We want God to be just another Facebook friend, through the ups and downs of life. Many people shrink from descriptions of any God who would “rend the heavens,” confront his “enemies,” and just generally cause people to quake in holy fear of an impending condemnation. And let’s not even talk about people seeing themselves as unclean sinners whose virtues are likened to stinky laundry!
And yet . . . we know that in Christ we are forgiven, that we do shine like righteous stars, and that the God we face is our friend and not a harsh judge, even so we cannot ignore passages like Isaiah 64, especially in a season such as Advent.
Plainly and simply, we confess…
I have sinned. Forgive me. Thank you. Amen.
We would never be able to extricate ourselves from this predicament if it were not for the grace of God in Jesus—the one whom we prepare to receive— with great anticipation.
The Rev. Jane Baker, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Roseburg
[i] Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith (New York: Riverhead Books, 1998, p.165):
Book of Faith Devotions for November 20, 2011
Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,g you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Whatever distinguishes these two groups from one another, they do share at least one thing in common: both have spent their days without realizing something.
Interestingly, both groups ask exactly same question: “When did all that happen?” Jesus tells the righteous folks that he was grateful for all the ways they had fed, welcomed, clothed, cared for, and visited him. But the righteous, can’t figure out where or when in the world they did any of those things for Jesus, and so they search their BlackBerrys, scratch their heads and ask, “Is that right? Well when did we do all that for you Lord, because this thing is supposed to keep track of my life?”
Conversely, the folks on the left-hand side cannot for the life of them recall ever even seeing Jesus, much less encountering him in need of anything, and so they search their iPads for when that might have happened, asking, ” How could this be? This thing keeps my schedule, if I did it, it would be right here! Jesus, tell me again, what day was that???”
One group did the right things to Jesus, the other group failed, but neither realized it.
Do we see those folks living in the margins? And when we see them, are we moved to help, however we are able? Notice that Jesus’ words do not call us to a life of heroics and miraculous deeds. The kinds of ministries Jesus is talking about here are ordinary and basic. He doesn’t say that we must heal the sick, but that it is enough to tend to their needs. He doesn’t say that those in prison must be set free by us, but that it is enough just to visit them in prison. The rest of the list is also about common sense and decency: when someone is hungry, you do what you can to get her food. A thirsty person needs water. It’s a basic thing. Someone shivering in the chill of an Oregon winter evening needs a coat. Those who have no place to sleep or rest need shelter from the elements. It’s all basic stuff.
Jesus isn’t directing us to fix the economy. He is not asking us to come up with a cure for cancer. He’s not expecting us to solve global poverty. Such grand things, if we can do them, are important, but here, Jesus is taking us down to the street level of both seeing and then ministering in ordinary situations.
No matter what we do, no matter where we are, no matter which political party has the clout, for whatever reason, there will always be hungry, thirsty, cold, homeless, sick, and jailed people. That’s the way it is, Jesus says. But how will you respond, because somehow… they are all Jesus.
Pastor Jane Baker, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Roseburg
Book of Faith Devotions for November 13, 2011
Matthew 25:14-30 (NRSV)
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents,f to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter 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 replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Jesus liked stories. Here’s another one he could have told: It’s called, “Just What Could We Do?” Imagine the possibilities….
The treasurer of a congregation resigned. The church asked another person to take on the position, a man who managed the local grain elevator. The man agreed, with two conditions: 1) That no reports from the treasurer be given for one full year; and 2) That no one ask him any questions during this one-year period.
The church council members gulped, but finally agreed. He was a trusted man in the community and well known since most of them did business with him as manager of the local grain elevator. He was a wealthy man who clearly understood how to handle money. He handled their money everyday. He could handle God’s money too, they figured.
A year passed. At the annual meeting of the congregation to review the previous year, the treasurer had this report to make: The $250,000 the church owed the bank has been paid off. The pastor’s salary had been increased substantially. Mission giving was up dramatically. Long deferred maintenance on the church building had been completed. There were no outstanding bills.
A shocked congregation asked “How come?” How could that be possible—suspecting that their wealthy treasurer had done it for them himself. “No, you did it!” he said quietly. “Most of you bring your grain to my elevator. As you did business with me, for the past year, I simply withheld ten percent on your behalf and gave it to the church in your name. You never even missed it. Do you see what we could do, if we would do what we could do?”
Imagine the possibilities….
The Rev. Jane Baker, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Roseburg
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