Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Today’s text

Matthew 25:19-23

"Now a long time afterwards, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made." His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness." Next the man with the two talents came forward. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made." His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

Reflection

I wonder, Lord, what would have happened had they used their talents to make more but failed, losing what they had. Would the master have rewarded or banished them?

I know, this is a parable, and it’s intended to shake up how we see things. It is what it is, and it does no good to speculate about what would have happened had someone in the story acted differently. After all, this is a story you have imagined. It is not about actual people.

Except us, of course. It’s about us. So I can’t help but wonder.

It seems you want us to see and live beyond our fears. If so, then failure is an option you will prize. Yes, prize. You prize crashing failure over the failure to crash in the cause of your holy kingdom. Failure means a human soul had sufficient faith and courage to risk for the sake of your righteousness. They cared so much that playing safe was not an option.

And they trusted that you would welcome them even when best efforts crashed around their feet. There is faith and nobility in this, and the profound hope that abundant life is about your love, not about winning and losing, succeeding or failing. These things don’t matter much, despite our anxieties about losing out and the illusions the culture daily dumps on us.

What matters is living and venturing for you, allowing your love to lead me far beyond my fears to give myself and substance in service of that which does not fail or tarnish as the eons pass by.

You invite me to trust and risk, to have faith and take courage, using the days not to ensure my safety but to serve a love beyond all telling. You invite me to know that all will be well, and in all manner of circumstances.

And in my time, you will invite me into that happiness that has neither beginning nor end.

Pr. David L. Miller