Risk, Fear and
What’s Buried in the Backyard
It’s funny how we go into a class or hear a sermon and say to ourselves (or perhaps a pew mate) “I don’t like that scripture.” Why don’t we like it? Is it confusing? Is it too harsh? Does it hit too close to home? My New Testament scripture for this devotional is the third in a parable trifecta. First the bridesmaids and the oil, then the Master with the three servants and their talents and now the sheep and the goats.
Some
of the bridesmaids should have planned better.
Not sure why the goats are singled out. It’s the second of the three that I’m stuck
on. As lessons and sermons unwrapped
this passage, I don’t think I heard anyone say, “Yep, that’s my favorite. I have that one framed and mounted in the living
room.” A lot of what I heard and read (blogs and comments) about this parable centered
around risk. Did the Master expect his
servants to take a risk? Some say yes,
others have said absolutely not – it was only the end result that was
important. Why are we reluctant to risk? Fear? Fear
of what? Failure? Embarrassment? As a young elementary schooler, I was a
spirited pre-teen (not a chatty little kid – hey, I’m writing this). One day in class, without knowing it, I had
become, in this particular teacher’s view, too disruptive with my
socializing. She called me up to her
desk. In those days a teacher’s
authority was absolute and not be questioned.
When I arrived desk-side, she proceeded to place what I thought was a
hugely wide piece of sticky tape across my mouth. It spanned from my nose to my chin and with
no seep to chance, blocked the pie hole from which the disturbance
emanated. If that wasn’t enough, she made me sit in a
chair beside her desk and FACE my classmates. Embarrassed? I’m not sure we have a word… My tiny soul was embarrassed to the very core
of its being. That little episode would
follow (haunt) me for years to come. I
would spend the rest of my school years not exactly running away but certainly
not volunteering for any role that would place me in position to suffer a
similar fate - embarrassment. I’m not
sure I could really even focus on the task and say that failure bothered me. It was that failure may lead to more ‘sticky
tape.’
Years later, after joining JM, I was asked to be moderator of our Sunday School class. I still don’t know to this day what led me say yes – but I did. I called Kim and said, “You’ll never believe what I said I would do.” And I told her. She said, “Oh, you will be fine.” I protested, “But you know how much I hate to talk in front of people.” Her reply, as clear today as it was then, “They aren’t people; they are our Sunday School class.”
The church is our support group to risk. Together we are greater than the sum of our parts. I firmly believe that God expects us to risk. I believe that the Master in the parable expected risk. After all, he scolded the one for not investing with the bankers. If it were that easy, he could have dropped the money by the bank on his way out of town. Do we really think God couldn’t feed, cloth, visit anyone He wanted to - WITHOUT us? He calls us to serve. And yes, that involves risk. I heard a sermon recently that dealt with leaving our comfort zone. Staying sequestered in a nice comfy place where everything is known isn’t what gets God out there. Maybe you risk by taking a sandwich to a person who looks hungry. They take one bite, say, “Yuck, I don’t like peanut butter” and throw it away. You risked and got put down for it. What if no one had ever offered food or help to that person? You were the first. They see something in you that they’ve never seen before: love, God. You may be the only Jesus someone sees today.
I don’t claim to have any particular talent. Only a willing heart. If I leave my willing heart sitting in chair beside the teacher’s desk with tape over its mouth, then that makes me the servant who buried the talent in the backyard.
Psalm 100 says:
Make a Joyful Noise >>> nothing about being in tune
Worship the Lord with
gladness >>>nothing about things always going your way
Enter His gates
with thanksgiving and his courts with praise >>> nothing about ‘only after you
have formally learned how to pray.’For the Lord is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. >>>
1 comment:
I'm so glad you decided to risk. As misguided as your teacher was, she did teach you to decide if the risk was worth the consequence. Now you really think about what you say or write, and what's really endearing is you seem so shocked when we listen! Why wouldn't we listen? Look at all you've learned by taking risks! Thanks for the devotional.
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