Let It Go!
Posted on Nov 16, 2014 by David Whetter
Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who abides in which of us. Amen
It is good to be back, but to be very honest Jill and I were in no hurry to come home. Our trip to Israel was absolutely incredible and it was one that I believe changed both of us. To walk in the very places that the great prophets walked and taught and where Jesus himself lived, taught, and even died, is an experience that has not only helped me better understand God’s word, but it has strengthened my faith. As tired as we were at the end of the trip, I think Jill and I would have kept going if we could. But, as much as we wanted to stay, we did come home and it was awfully good to sleep in our own bed again.
Last Sunday, Jill and I attended worship at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Old Jerusalem. This church was built at the end of the 19th Century and it sits no more than 100 yards from what the oldest traditions say was the sight of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus. Redeemer currently houses Lutheran congregations that worship in Arabic, German, Danish, and English and to be able to worship in a place like this was powerful. I honestly believe I felt the Holy Spirit as we sat in the small chapel that is used by the English-speaking congregation. But as I listened to the pastor read the Gospel text for last week, The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, I remember thinking, I sure am glad Pastor Ashley is preaching today. That parable, along with our parable for today, are never fun to preach about because they contain some harsh teachings. In both stories, Jesus is very clear that when judgment day comes, there will be some who will be left out, and none of us like to hear that. None of us like the idea of a God who would not forgive everyone and find a way to let everyone “get in.”
But, if we are truthful with ourselves, we have nothing to complain about because God has told us that the Day of Judgment will come.
Now, as I was reminded on my pilgrimage last week, before the Day of Judgment, scripture says there will be a battle in the Valley of Armageddon. Now some say it will be a bloody, viscous battle, but personally, as I read scripture it will be a battle in which the word of God, Jesus, will overcome Satan, with the sword of God’s word. Jill and I looked out over that valley last week and as I looked at it, I realized that this valley, which is to be the place where Jesus will finally overcome Satan and all evil, sits at the base of the hill on which Nazareth is located. The very place where the incarnate word of God was conceived is also the place where God will have the final word.
As Amos said in our Old Testament text last week, for many, the Day of Judgment will be a day of darkness. But, the Day of Judgment, or day of the Lord, as Amos called it, does not have to be a day of darkness. God has told us how to be ready for that day, and he has also provided us what I call the “get in free card” in the form of the great Redeemer, Jesus. But, for those who choose to do so, God has given us the freedom to walk away, as the foolish bridesmaids did in our story last week. God has given us the freedom to do nothing and reject the very gifts he has given us, as we hear in our parable this week. Failure to “make it in” is not about God being mean and harsh, it is about us not accepting the gifts God has given us and then using them to his glory.
In this parable that Matthew shares with us, we are told that the lord of the land must go away and so while he is away, he wants to make sure that his land is cared for and that it will continue to grow until he returns. So, the lord identifies three “slaves” that he entrusts with his talents. Now, in monetary terms, in those days, one talent was worth about 6,000 denarii. Since one denarius was a common laborer's daily wage, a talent would be roughly equivalent to 20 years wages for the average worker. Five talents, the largest amount entrusted to any of the servants, would have been comparable to one hundred years worth of labor, an astronomical amount of money. The point here is not the amount itself, but the fact that even for the third slave who only received one talent, that slave still received an enormous amount.
Now, my guess is, all of you knew how this story ended, because we have all heard it many times. The first two slaves invested their money and grew their lord’s monies. But the third slave, who was afraid he might lose the money if he invested it, stuck the money in the ground and without any risk, he was able to return to his lord, the same talent he was given. That slave was not willing to take a risk and let his talent go so that he might get an even greater reward.
When I read this gospel text again on that long flight home I began to sing that song from the movie Frozen, Let it Go, because that is what we are called to do with all the talents (not just the financial talents God has given us), we are called to let them go and so that they might grow God’s kingdom. The “talents” each of us have are not just for us. God has entrusted them to us, so that we might grow his kingdom now, before he returns.
Now, if you are like me, you might be saying to yourself, well, that sounds great, but what if that slave had invested that talent, and just like what happened in 2008, the investment went “south,” and when the lord returned, the slave had nothing to give his lord. Well, I thought about that a lot on that long plan ride home and the more I thought about that, the more certain I was of the answer, GRACE! You see, as I read this story, what upset the lord was the fact that the slave did NOTHING! There is no doubt in my mind that had the third slave invested that talent and lost it, that his lord would have forgiven him and praised him for trying. That is the Gospel here! Jesus is the Lord and all he asks of us is that we let go of what he has given us and if we fail, then his Grace will be good enough.
Imagine if all of us here at Salem let go of the many talents our Lord has entrusted to us. Imagine what we might do. Imagine how we might grow God’s kingdom right here. Oh, if we all let go, we would fail at times, but I believe in my heart, even when we failed, we would still hear, “well done good and trustworthy slave.” As the theme of our Stewardship campaign proclaims, we are called to Imagine Greater and let go of all God has given us, for God’s sake, Imagine Greater and Let it Go! Amen.