PENTECOST 24 Study & Meditation

PENTECOST 24   11-15-2020

FIRST READING:  Zephaniah 1: 7, 12-18

The prophet Zephaniah was evidently a person of considerable social standing in Judah and was related to the royal line – a great-great-grandson of Hezekiah, who was a notable king of Judah from 715 to 686BC. His prophetic work probably began relatively early in the reign of King Josiah, before Josiah’s attempt at reform of the nation, reform of the people, restoration of the Temple, and the restoration of faith and faithfulness. Zephaniah’s prophetic work also started not long after the end of King Manasseh’s 50-year reign over Judah. Manasseh was one of the worst kings on record – he made idol worship and child sacrifice (Today’s QAnon folk might want to tweet about that!) common practice, built altars for star worship in God’s Temple, encouraged male prostitution as part of religious ritual, and shed much innocent blood.

Just before the big and positive changes in Judah that would be attempted by King Josiah, Zephaniah spoke. Like the prophet Amos in last week’s First Reading, Zephaniah speaks of “the day of the Lord” as one of judgment and wrath. Zephaniah imagines a supernatural event that would sweep clean the entire planet, and he offers no hope that it can be avoided. But – later in his ministry, and later in this brief prophetic book – the prophet Zephaniah speaks of God’s mercy, predicts that a purified remnant of God’s people, truthful and humble, will trust in God, and envisions a remade world learning to worship God. In 3:14-20 we find a beautiful picture of God’s restoration of his people… a God who delights in his people.

Throughout Zephaniah there is a pattern of rebellion, restoration, and rejoicing. If this book were the story of your life, in which of these three stages do you find yourself in relation to God? Why?

Joy will displace mourning and calm will follow the storms of God’s refining fire. How does that square with your own experience of God?

Following our election day here in the United States, political transition is at hand, and maybe even the character and behavior of our nation’s people will change. Are you pessimistic or optimistic about the days ahead?

Why? Let not your hearts become faint or your hands grow weak… God is in our midst… and ultimately God will judge, God will deliver, God will triumph, and God will bring God’s children home! 

 

SECOND READING:  1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Even in the earliest days of Christian faith, there has been much interest and speculation and even anxiety about the end times. This particular community of faith in Thessalonica is confused about an apparent delay of Christ’s return (they had thought it would be very soon!) and the death of some believers (did they miss out on heaven so close?). They are wondering when exactly the end will be. Keep in mind that they may be in constant danger of persecution by the authorities. On any night a knock on the door or the rhythm of footsteps outside could mean arrest, imprisonment, even death.

In today’s reading Paul says that we do not know and cannot calculate the day of Christ’s return. It will come unexpectedly, like a thief. There may be signs, but not ones that we can decipher with confidence.

Paul says here that, instead of reading and calculating signs about “the end” – which is also a “new beginning” – we should seek to be awake, alert, watchful and living faithfully. Get out of the darkness and live as God’s children of the day, children of the light. Keep awake, be sober, live right.

When do you find yourself anxious to know when and how things will turn out? Does such anxiety push you further from God… or does it open you up to a confession of your need of God? We don’t always know all of the future, but we do know the ONE who holds the future!

Paul speaks in this reading of the protective garb – not the offensive weapons – of the Roman soldier that would be familiar to this community of Christians – the breastplate, the helmet. How are you protected when you begin your day?

 

GOSPEL READING:  Matthew 25:14-30

Given our Western capitalist society and our present economic order… and depending on our personal economic philosophy… we might be led to miss the point of this story that Jesus told. We might lift verses out of context and shift the emphasis of what Jesus means and somehow come up with our own Wall Street Journal interpretation of Matthew 25:14-30, something like this:

“If God has blessed you with financial assets and the ability to make money, then God wants you to

use your personal gifts and material resources to the best of your ability. And God will reward you

for expanding them, God will compliment you for reaching your potential. And God will punish you

if you sit on your resources, if you don’t use your talents. So, if money is your gift, make money

like mad. Multiply your capital assets and property as rapidly as possible. Invest boldly and wisely.

It’s OK to make a big profit, it’s OK to “wheel and deal”.  Just don’t lose it, make sure you save.

Build up that wealth. That’s what God wants for you. God wants you to be affluent. That’s why

Jesus came to earth, to tell you that, to offer you that, to motivate you and guide you. Seek the 

  Kingdom of God and get rich!  Children of the King should dress and eat and live in regal fashion.

Jesus wants you to be blessed!”

Much of what I’ve just said is a summary of what I once heard preached on this Gospel text – a rationalization of affluence. As you might guess, it was preached in a setting where folks had some means, were not poor. But how many of you have heard the term “gospel of prosperity”? That’s being preached in Latin America and South America and Africa and elsewhere – including the United States – especially among the poor, calling upon them to forsake everything for the Kingdom of God… challenging them to give what little they have with the promise that they will receive both material and spiritual blessings now and also in the age to come. I once heard a minister warming up his congregation for the offering make the claim that God’s promise was to literally return $100 to the giver for every dollar placed in the offering. Have you ever noticed that those who argue that God will double our wealth if we forsake everything for the Kingdom usually are the ones who have NOT left houses or lands or possessions for God… they’re just telling YOU to do it? Is the show “Rich Preachers of LA” still on? How many of you have watched it? Is it building up your faith or is it just entertainment for you? 

Today’s Gospel story by Jesus is part of a connected series of parables, of stories. The series is about the “Day of the Lord”, which for us means either the return of Jesus to this earth or our physical death, whichever comes first. Last Sunday it was the coming of the bridegroom… today it is the return of the master… and next week it is the judgment on the last day by the King, the separation of the sheep from the goats, the punishment or the reward of those who were met by the King when he was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or in prison. This is serious stuff.

Our almighty and gracious God has given us the gift of life… breath… heartbeat… brain… body… health… strength… ability… opportunity… the gift of home or shelter and of daily bread and of family and/or friends and yes, sometimes the gift of material wealth, the gift of abundance, the gift of more than just our daily bread. And our almighty and gracious God has given us the gift of Christ and the new life of faith and a community of faith with whom to gather, with whom to serve, from whom we receive support and friendship… and God has given us even other blessings too numerous to count, too many to name.  In spite of what the culture of our society wants you to believe, you did not earn, you did not achieve much of who you are, much of what you have. God has been good to you, God has blessed you. Somebody ought to be humble and thankful rather than arrogant and boastful. Somebody ought to stop talking about how “I did it all by myself, I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps, I worked hard and I made myself the great success I am today.” Stop patting yourself on the back, stop doing a “selfie” with your self-centered words, stop giving yourself so much personal credit. Start thinking about the grace of God, what made it possible for you to get over to get through…  start thinking about what you have received and how others encouraged and helped shape you. Through it all, have you learned to trust in Jesus,

 

have you learned to trust in God, is your ATTITUDE one of GRATITUDE, are you grateful, are you thankful, are you HUMBLE?

With all those God-given gifts comes a God-given responsibility. The Christian journey demands our whole life. You are called to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind… and you are called to love your neighbor as yourself. There is a joy that comes from taking faith seriously, a joy in serving God. God expects you to use your gifts, not to hoard them, not to hide them, not to misuse them. A life that either regards God as irrelevant and powerless or that regards God as too demanding and condemning will always be a life that is too small, too constricted, and focused only upon the rewards that can be measured by worldly standards. Such a life, in turn, may be judged as so wicked and lazy and worthless that it will lead to darkness, tears, and broken teeth in the end.  But a life lived with a sense of abandon and risk for the sake of Christ leads to rewards beyond worldly measure. To be honest, some of us will not take that risk of faith or that discipline of faithfulness very long or very far. Before it is TOO LATE, how will YOU spend your God-given life? To make the most of your time on earth, always keep heaven in mind. So put the shovel down… and live IN love FOR love WITH love… and laugh in joy and with God!

If the Master returned today, what would he say about the way you have used what he gave you? What degree of responsibility do you feel towards God regarding your “talents”?  Share Christ’s love and do God’s work in your particular circumstances of life. You have been called to do “kingdom business”.  And one day we will hear, “WELL DONE, GOOD AND TRUSTWORTHY SERVANT! ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER.”