Saturday and Sunday, November 17, 18, 2007

Sermon: "The Journey - 2008"

Scripture: Matthew 25: 14 - 30

Reverend Larry M. Gerber

 

In the business world, living on the tail side of the coin instead of the head means living in a universe of abundance and choice instead of dead ends and scarcity.

When you hear those words, heads and tails, you probably think of a coin toss. As we worship and into the afternoon, all across the country, football players will gather at the 50-yard line, and a coin toss will determine the team that receives the kickoff. Heads means that you win the toss and you get to choose whether you want to kick or receive. Your choice.

But we don't want to talk about football. We want to talk about business, God's business. 

The head of the business coin equals limited choices, fewer options. You want a best seller? Fine. Want anything else, lotsa luck.

The tail of the business coin equals unlimited choices, unlimited options, and you'll find the tail of business not in a brick- and-mortar store, but on a click-and-order Internet Web site ? sites where you can get the best sellers and easy-to-find stuff, but find the obscure and arcane as well.

The tail side of the coin equals unlimited options. Unlimited choices. Abundance. Uniqueness. Creativity.

That's where Jesus wants us to live. That's what Jesus wants us to experience.

In today's Scripture lesson, Jesus tells the story of a man who goes on a journey, and before embarking on his trip he distributes his property among his servants. To one he gives ? in modern, pre-inflation dollars ?$1,000,000, to another, $400,000, and to a third, a mere $200,000.

The one with a million invests his million and makes another million, making Warren Buffet look like an intern at E.F. Hutton.

The one with $400,000 turns it into $800,000.

But the servant with $200,000 incredibly digs a hole in the back yard, stashes the cash in a coffee can, and waits.

The guy is so risk-adverse, that he's afraid he'll lose the cash, he's afraid of the consequences of losing the cash, and he's afraid of the master's reaction when he does lose it.

So he simply hangs on to it. He got the cash, but he's limited his options. He's limited the possibilities.

He opted not to opt.

He's chosen not to choose.

He's a one-talent schmo, afraid to flip to the tail of abundance, choices and creativity.

He's like a bookstore that fills all its available space with John Grisham and Steven King novels, and offers nothing else.

The five-talent entrepreneur flips the coin to the tail side. He looks around and sees a world of abundance, a universe of opportunity, a cosmos of choices. He knows that he can multiply his holdings if he is willing to take a few chances. He trades, invests, buys and sells like an online book service that's willing to offer less popular titles written by obscure authors on unusual topics. Risky business, for sure, but insanely profitable for one who's willing to embrace the tail of the coin.

So where are we living ? on the head of the coin, or on the flip side? Is our spiritual cash in a coffee can or multiplying in a free and competitive market?

It's time for us to flip the coin to tails, and embrace the world of abundance.

Fortunately, we don't have to rely on our own expertise or lack thereof.

In the spiritual world we occupy, insider trading is perfectly legal.

God, the very one whose capital we're playing with, will also give us tips on how to spend it.

This means that we trust God enough to make use of the gifts and abilities we have been given, whether our particular passion is for volunteering in the school system, volunteering at the food bank, the hospitals, through Stephen Ministry, Health and Welfare, Cancer Support, Altzhiemers, Habitat for Humanity, the prayer ministry, supporting the general Missions programs throughout the world, etc. We don't have to sit around nervously trying to mimic people who appear to be successful, and make ourselves miserable in the process. God wants us to be the unique individuals he's created us to be, people who may have unusual but valuable abilities. Remember the lady who told me she was getting too old and too sick to do anything. All she was able to do was to pray and tithe. Pray and tithe. She was giving of her time, talent, and money to the best of her ability.

How many times have we found nursing assistants who take great pride in keeping their patients clean and comfortable, carpenters who gain enormous satisfaction from building quality homes, teachers who find joy in the discoveries of the classroom, attorneys who keep the goal of justice at the very center of their practices, artists who are committed to bringing beauty into day-to-day life, and store clerks who place good service at the heart of their own personal mission statements.

Most of these workers will never achieve national recognition like the authors of best-selling books, but they'll make a lasting impact on the world around them by their willingness to invest the talents they've been given.

It's equally important for the church, the body of Christ, to be like the servant with a cool million who goes out and aggressively invests his resources. Within our community of faith, we have a great storehouse of talents, and God calls us to live in a world of abundance by taking risks and being generous.

By the way, God suggests that you keep 90% of your resources for yourself. God's Kingdom can live on 10% of the resources available.

 And a second by the way, your church keeps 90% of its resources for local ministry. The other 105, a tithe of its income goes to ministry beyond the local church.

By sharing our abilities in creative worship and innovative educational events, along with a beautiful physical plant, we give back to ourselves a goodly portion of what we give to the work of the church.

Through the other 10% of the churches budget we  look outward to a world in need, and do what we can to feed hungry, house homeless, and welcome the strangers and immigrants in our midst. God doesn't want us to live in a world of scarcity and conserve what we have; instead, he wants us to invest our time and talents and treasures in ways that multiply our effectiveness as ambassadors of Christ.

We must make the bold assumption that there's going to be a demand for every one of our talents. We step out, with confidence, believing that every God-given gift we have is going to be exceedingly useful and fruitful!

Jesus couldn't be any clearer in today's passage of Scripture. He says that when the master returns, the servants who invested their talents are described as "good" and "faithful," and they are given additional gifts. But the servant who buried his single talent is not only negligent, he is described as "wicked" and "lazy" (v. 26) and "worthless" (v. 30). Jesus obviously wants us to embrace the world of abundance, and to live on the tail side of the coin by investing our peculiar talents in the work of the kingdom.

The challenge for us is to live by faith, and to trust that God will give us what we need for an abundant life. Every one of us has an opportunity to hear Christ's message, and respond with faithfulness by investing the gifts we have been given.

Of course, some will respond, and some will not. Some will be like the servant with five talents, and some will be like the servant with one talent. Some will take risks and be generous, and some will remain cautious and close-fisted. Some will accept the idea of abundance, and some will hold to the myth of scarcity. Some will sit on the head of the coin, and some will venture to flip to the tail side.

The only question that matters this morning is: What will you do? Will you put yourself in the bracket where you should be?

Heads or tails?

It doesn't matter where anyone else is in the giving of their talents or money. The question is: "Where are you in your commitment to the work of the church, and where should you be? Where will you be?

Some of you should double what you are giving. Some of you should increase a little. Some of you need to give less due to unfortunate circumstances. The bottom line is, as always, there is plenty of resources to support the work of God's Kingdom, the problem is, much of it is still buried in your backyard.

In THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO STARBUCKS by Leonard Sweet there is a statement that reads: Brewed for Thought - What are you doing to reveal the spiritual through the natural and the material of your life? Are you doing your own thing or the divine thing.

When you get your letter and your pledge card, do at least five things: read the entire letter. Look at your assets and your talents. Pray deeply and meaningfully about where you are in relationship to God and God's Kingdom. And then look at your giving record to God and decide where you need to be in your giving. And then pray one more time before filling out your commitment to the work and ministry of this church and proudly lay your pledge card on the altar next Sunday.

If you do those five things you will find yourself at the level of giving that you should be. Some of us will move up the chart substantially if we are true to our calling to be the church.  Will you journey with me into 2008? Will you put first things first according to Matthew 6:33, and will you be knowing, loving, and serving?

We are all on a journey. If we journey together with Christ as our guide we will have a glorious time???