Sidney UMC - First Sunday of Advent/UMC Student Sunday - 11/29/20 - Sermon - “To Christmas And Beyond!" ("The Path To Christmas" Series: Part 1 of 5)

 

Sunday 11/29/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “To Christmas And Beyond!”

            (“The Path To Christmas” Series: Part 1 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19                                   

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Gospel Lesson: Mark 13:24-37

          Welcome again, friends, brothers, and sisters, on this our First Sunday of Advent, 2020. The first Sunday of Advent is the official start of the Christian year, or calendar. So, this means that we are in a new year in the Christian calendar. For many of us, we might wish that this were the end of the 2020 calendar year, as well. Most of us can probably agree that 2020 has been a long and a tough year for many. A new year, therefore, sounds good to me! How about you? While we do not have a new calendar year today, we do have a new year in the Christian calendar.

          In this being the first Sunday of Advent, we are invited to enter this period of waiting. This period where wait for not only for the birth of Christ, but that we also wait for the second coming of Christ. We wait and celebrate Christ’s birth on Christmas, and we wait still for Christ’s return here on earth.

          The tradition of many Christian Churches has come to include Advent Wreaths and incorporating such traditions and practices into the worshipping life of this season of waiting and hoping. All of this then, is to help prepare us, excite us, and draw us closer to Christ. Draw us to the excitement of the birth of Christ and give us hope and excitement for his return to earth.

          For some of us, some of our Advent and Christmas seasons have been hectic, stressful, and busy. I have heard sermon series in Advent and around Christmas, in the past, about not overdoing it, not being so focused on the presents and all the pomp and splendor. Some people are worried about burning themselves out with the busyness of Advent and Christmas. This year, however, is different.

          Some of us have also, had our own past challenging Advent and Christmas seasons. Maybe we lost a loved one during this time of the year. Maybe we lost a job or became sick during this time of the year. For some then, Advent and Christmas is already a tough time of the year, because of past experiences. So, I want honor those struggles and those feelings that you may have about this time of the year.

          This said though, for most of us, this is and will be an Advent and a Christmas season unlike any that we have ever seen before. We are living through a global Covid-19 Pandemic, we have had over 250,000 deaths in this country alone, and our lives have been changed drastically. What we would normally be doing this time of the year has been limited, stopped, or changed significantly. Melissa and I for example, cannot have our annual Parsonage Christmas party this year, for obvious reasons. We did not have a Church Christmas or Holiday Bazaar, which was bazaar. We also canceled many other things, and the fact that we are hoping to have modified Christmas Eve Services, on Christmas Eve at 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm is great in and of itself.

          Melissa and I were not able to go to my parents for Thanksgiving like we have for years, and we had to miss mom singing funny songs into a whisk, and dancing in the kitchen. As of right now, Melissa and I do not have big plans for Christmas around having a get together either. It is fair to say then that Advent and Christmas 2020 will be unlike any that we have had in our lives.

          I lament truly, the many people from our church that I have not seen in church, in person, or at all in months. I have had many phone calls, and have visited all who I could safely, yet it is hard when a family or in this case, a spiritual family cannot be together.

          Given this extremely odd, scary, and worrisome year of 2020, I prayed about what I would preach on in Advent and Christmas of 2020. After praying and seeking God’s guidance, and the movement of the Holy Spirit, I am starting a sermon series this morning called “The Path To Christmas”. In this sermon series, I am to talk about the events leading to that first Christmas and the birth of Christ. Maybe then that first Christmas will be realer to us than it ever has been before, because of all 2020 has been.

          Again, I am not saying that all our Advent and Christmases have been perfect, some far from it. Yet, I hear so often how in recent years that Christmas has become so commercialized, materialized, and filled with great excess. I see stickers and signs that say, “Keep Christ in Christmas”. People discuss the real reason for this season. Many have said, we should peel back all of the human and secular parts of Advent and Christmas, and focus on Christ’ birth and one day, his return.

          I truly believe that out of all of the terrible things of 2020, including the global Covid-19 Pandemic, civil upheaval, political and ideological divides, a tough election cycle, etc., that maybe through this rough 2020, that this might the first Advent and Christmas in a long time that we are getting exactly what we want. We are taking away and limiting many things, to be focused on Christ. Probably not the method that we would have chosen, with a global pandemic, but it does change things. As a result, I am starting a sermon series this morning called “The Path To Christmas,” which will highlight how our paths to Christmas this year will likely be far different than ever before.

          Before jumping into our scripture readings for this morning, I want to just briefly highlight what this sermon series is about more specifically. Joseph and Mary live in Nazareth, which is in modern day Israel. They are engaged to be married and have never known each other in a physically intimate way. The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary, tells her that she will bear the Christ Child, and she must then tell her parents as an unwed woman, likely a teenager, that she is pregnant. Mary tells her parents that God did it, and I can imagine that Mary was not met with a good response to her news.

          Mary’s fiancé Joseph then cuts off his engagement with Mary, to then later be told by an Angel of Lord in dream that Mary’s child is of God, and that it is God’s will that Joseph marries Mary. So, there is all that upheaval.

          Then the Roman Caesar of Emperor that rules over Jerusalem and Palestine calls for a population census to be taken across the whole Roman Empire. With a more accurate population count, the Roman Emperor can likely charge more taxes. Since Joseph has taken Mary back, and since Joseph is from Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary then take a long trek to Bethlehem.

Once in Bethlehem, it is likely chaotic, Joseph and Mary probably have little to nothing, and to boot, Mary then goes into labor. Of course, there is room at the Inn or the hotel. Mary is forced to give birth to her baby outdoors in animal stall or maybe a cave. It was likely cold, Joseph and Mary were probably hungry and exhausted, and then they have there baby outside. By the way, the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, was about 70 plus miles away. Some movies depict Joseph and Mary traveling with a Donkey, but we have no biblical record of this.

          Imagine being in the latter part of pregnancy, and walking 70-90 miles, based upon the route you take to Bethlehem. When you get there, it is probably chaos, you probably have little to nothing, then you are in labor. Oh, and you will have your baby outside. The shepherds will arrive, the star in the sky will shine, and the Wise Men or Magi will come bearing gifts, but this is all after Christ is born on that first Christmas. This sermon series, like our 2020, is the path to a new beginning. We are all hoping for a better 2021, but what we have gone through to get there, and what Joseph and Mary went through to get to that first Christmas is very real.

          Maybe then, this year, for the first time in a long time we can really relate to the events of the first “Path To Christmas” that Joseph and Mary took. Maybe we can relate more this Advent and Christmas to the struggle, the hardships, and the uncertainty of that first Christmas, when Christ was born.

          In our reading for this morning from Psalm 80:7 the Psalmist asking to God to:

“Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved”                 (Ps. 80:7, NRSV).

          Not only did Joseph and Mary await the birth of there son Jesus, the savior of the world, but many waited centuries for Jesus, the Messiah to come. Indeed “The Path To Christmas” on that first Christmas was long and challenging, and maybe this year, 2020, we can relate to this more than ever before.

          In our scripture reading from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians for this morning, once again, the Apostle Paul tells us of our faith in Christ that:

“⁸ He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Eph. 1:8-9, NRSV).

          Mary and Joseph and so many others that awaited the birth of Christ on that first Christmas, were faithful, endured, and suffered leading up to the birth of Christ. Many of us in 2020 have endured, suffered, and yet have been faithful. So many of us need to experience “The Path To Christmas,” and Christ’s birth anew.

          When I first started pastoring churches in 2012, I was struck that on the First Sunday of Advent we often have a gospel reading like the one that we have for this morning from the Gospel of Mark. As you have heard this morning, this gospel reading does not discuss the events leading up to Christ’s birth or the prophecy of his birth. Instead, this morning’s Gospel of Mark reading, once again, is on Jesus’ return or second coming to earth. Advent then, is not only about waiting for the memory of the birth of Christ, but also waiting and anticipating Christ’s return.

          We are told of the major things that will occur when Jesus returns. The gospel says in 13:26-27:

“²⁶ Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. ²⁷ Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven”                               (Mk. 13:26-27, NRSV).

          We are walking “The Path To Christmas,” which is the memory of Christ’s birth, as we await Jesus’ return.

          Jesus then continues in our Gospel of Mark reading for this morning, once again, with his “Lesson of the Fig Tree,” saying a fig tree is ready to give forth fruit when summer is coming (Mk. 13:28-31, NRSV). In the same way that a fig tree is looking ready to bear fruit, be ready for Christ’s return. When will Christ return to earth? The Gospel of Mark then says and concludes once again saying:

“³² “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. ³⁵ Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, ³⁶ or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake”                                   (Mk. 13:32-37, NRSV).

          We are called then, through good Advent and Christmas seasons to stay awake and alert in our faith. Through 2020, and all that this year has been, we are also called to stay alert and awake in our faith. As we journey in this season of Advent, soon to be Christmas, as we make this journey “To Christmas And Beyond,” maybe this year, more than ever, be the year that we can truly relate to Joseph and Mary, and there path to that first Christmas so long ago. Amen.

Sidney UMC - Christ the King Sunday/Consecration Sunday - 11/22/20 - Sermon - “When The Son Of Man Comes”

 Sunday 11/22/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “When The Son Of Man Comes”

Old Testament Scripture: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24                                       

New Testament Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 25:31-46

          Welcome again, friends, brothers, and sisters, on this our Christ the King Sunday, and this our Consecration Sunday. It is Consecration Sunday because this is the official Sunday that we as a Sidney United Methodist Church gather our giving slips for the coming year. As I did just a little bit ago, we prayed over these slips, and we asked God to guide us, and to move in us, to help us to discern our church giving for the coming year. We can give in a variety of ways, such as time, service, etc., but Consecration Sunday is in part about blessing the financial commitments that folks have made to God through the church for the coming year. So, thank you all again for your commitment to Christ and the church.

           As I said, this Sunday is also Christ the King, or Reign of Christ Sunday. Therefore, our paraments, or the rugs on the altar table, the pulpit, and the lectern have been changed to white. This is a special and a holy Sunday in the life of the church. Let me read to you a little explanation of What Christ the King Sunday is. This is what it says:

“The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly referred to as the Feast of Christ the King or Christ the King Sunday, is a relatively recent addition to the Western liturgical calendar, having been instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. In 1970 its Roman Rite observance was moved to the final Sunday of Ordinary Time. Therefore, the earliest date on which it can occur is 20 November and the latest is 26 November. The Anglican, Lutheran, and many other Protestant churches also celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, which is contained in the Revised Common Lectionary. Roman Catholics adhering to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite use the General Roman Calendar of 1960, and as such continue to observe the Solemnity on its original date of the final Sunday of October. It is also observed on the same computed date as the final Sunday of the ecclesiastical year, the Sunday before the First Sunday of Advent, by Western rite parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Christ_the_King).

With all that fancy talk said, this is the official Sunday that we specially celebrate Christ, as the Lord of our lives, and the King of all Kings. This is a special Sunday, to celebrate the holiness, the righteousness, and the love of Jesus Christ. Further, this is the last Sunday of the Christian year, and the Christian year begins a new next Sunday, on the First Sunday of Advent, leading to Christmas.

          With all of this said, my sermon title for this morning, taken from Jesus’ own words in our gospel of Matthew reading, is called, “When The Son Of Man Comes”.

          Jesus is telling us in this gospel of Matthew reading, what things will be like when he returns to earth. He is telling us about what expects from us, and how one day he will ask us what did and why we did it? In this gospel of Matthew of reading, Jesus talks about separating the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:31-46, NRSV). The sheep are the righteous, and the goats are the unrighteous.

          Jesus is the Good Shephard, and we are his flock. Pastor’s of churches are called to shepherd their flocks. In fact, the concept of sheep as a good thing, is mentioned throughout the Bible.

          For example, our reading from the Book of Ezekiel from this morning says once again:

“¹¹ For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. ¹² As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Ezek. 34:11-12, NRSV).

This morning’s Jesus says that one day when he returns, he will separate the sheep from the goats.

          Speaking of this similarly, the Apostle Paul tells us once again through is prayer this morning in our Book of Ephesians reading that:

“¹⁵ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers” (Eph. 1:15-16, NRSV).

          In this prayer, the Apostle Paul is thanking the church member in Ephesus, or the Ephesians for their faith in Christ, and for loving each other. As a result of this, the Apostle Paul is immeasurably grateful for the church in Ephesus, and he prays for them often.

          The key question for us to consider then, on this our Christ the King Sunday, and this our Consecration Sunday, is this, if the righteous are the sheep, and the unrighteous are the goats, then how do we become the sheep?

          First, when we acknowledge our own human brokenness and our own sin, and when repent of this to God, we begin to be changed. When we acknowledge that God is bigger than us, that we are broken, when we ask God to forgive us, and we accept God Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are changed through the power of the Holy Spirit.

          If we now know Christ, and if we are changed, if we are reborn, and if we are a new creation, then we are different. If we are different, then how do we live now? If we are Christians, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ the King, then how do we live day to day? How do we love each other day to day? Further, if we are Christians, how would anybody even know this, if did not tell them?

          I was on a Walk to Emmaus Christian men’s retreat one weekend, and on that weekend a man gave a talk about being a Christian, a follower of Christ. He said, we can claim to be a Christian, we can tell others that we are a Christian, but then he asked one of the best questions that I have ever heard.

          My friend Dave asked us all, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Once again, my friend Dave said, “if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

          Now do not get me wrong, I believe that eternity with Christ in heaven is gained through faith, and faith alone. There is not a certain number of good deeds that we need to perform to be found worthy of eternity with God. If we repent of our sins, and if we know Christ as our savior, we will be with him for eternity. It is not a competition, and faith is indeed enough.

          Given this though, while faith is enough, do we live out our faith in Christ? Do we follow the teachings and the examples of Christ? If Christ has profoundly changed us spiritually, and if Christ has changed our hearts, do we not then have a desire to love, serve, heal, and forgive?

          This gospel of Matthew reading for this morning really gets to the heart of this reality. Faith is indeed enough, but do we live our faith, or is Jesus just our free pass to eternity? Or to put in another, while you are here present on earth, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

          This gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning was also inscribed in Spanish on the Christian mission building that I did service work through on my mission trip to Nicaragua 3-years ago. This once again, is what our gospel of Matthew reading says for this morning:

“³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³ and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left” (Mt. 25:31-33, NRSV).

          The imagery of this could not be more powerful for me. Christ has returned to earth, and all people are assembled before him. Every country, every nation, all people, before the Lord Jesus, or Christ our King. Jesus will separate with the sheep or the righteous at his right hand. The goats or the unrighteous will be at Jesus’ left hand. So, the righteous on the right, and the unrighteous on the left.

          Jesus continues saying:

“³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸ And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹ And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’ (Mt. 25:34-40, NRSV).

          Jesus says beyond just belief in him, the sheep, the righteous, live there faith out. The King, Christ the King, tells the sheep that they feed, clothed, gave water, cared for and visit him in prison. Then the righteous say to Christ the King, but we never did any of these things for you. Christ the King then says, but you did all these things for all those around who were hurting and who were suffering. Jesus says when we serve, love and care for others, we are serving Him. 

          When we live our faith grows, people our changed, our church I changed, Sidney is changed, and the world is changed. I honestly believe that one of the reasons that churches are largely shrinking and closing in America and in Western Europe is because faith for many is a private thing and going to church is total expression of our Christian faith. When Christ and his gospel, is the very lens through which we see the world though, we are our changed and the world is changed.

          On this Christ the King Sunday, and on this Consecration Sunday, it is utterly amazing to me that the Christian Church, all over the world, in all different denominations, has collectively survived for almost 2,000 years. For almost 2,000 years, followers of Christ all over the world have not just believed in Christ, they have strived to live like sheep. Since there faith was so central to their lives, they served, they loved, they gave, and they showed the world their faith. Friends this is how the church grows and thrives. It is more than just having a good pastor.

          On this Consecration Sunday, we have all not doubt heard the Bible Scriptures about Tithing, about giving 10% of our income to God, through the church. In fact, some of us have been brow beaten before about tithing to the church. I read an interesting statistic in preparing for this sermon. This statistic is this, in America:

• Only 5% tithe, and 80% of Americans only give 2% of their income, to the church. (https://nonprofitssource.com/online-giving-statistics/church-giving/#:~:text=Only%203%2D5%25%20of%20Americans,make%20donations%20to%20nonprofit%20organizations).

So, this makes me think one of two things, one people just do not have the extra income to give, or two they do not really believe in the mission of the church. By this I mean, are they are not so persuaded that the church is truly reaching others, and truly making a difference in the world.

Through priest scandals, clergy scandals, tv preachers asking you for your hard-earned money in exchange for a prayer rug, some magic water, or to buy them a private Jet. A pastor that did not really seem to be concerned about you, the church, or the community. Yes, indeed, believe me, I can understand why so many give so little, and why so many have lost faith in the church. Many have given up on the church and stopped going altogether. Can you blame them though?

Imagine for a minute though, a church were the people love and care for each other? Imagine a church that is unified and that wants to serve each other like Jesus tells us to serve this morning? Imagine a church where the clergy are working hard, are devoted to Christ, to you, to your family, and our communities. Imagine a church that does its best to do what it says, and to say what it does.

Friends on this Christ the King Sunday, and on this Consecration Sunday, what I am telling you is that the Christian Church in America and Western Europe can still grow and can still be strong. If people truly knew that were churches out there like the ones that I just described, would we not be shocked if these churches grew quickly? Would you not be shocked if these churches had new life, new hope, new members, and was revitalized? Therefore, Melissa and I tithe, and friends therefore we give. We give because we believe in that kind of church, the church of the sheep. I am asking you to continue to travel with God and me in that direction, and if we do, I believe that God will continue to bless this church through Christ our King.

     Jesus, Christ our King, then tells us this morning the fate of the goats at his left hand. Once again, Christ concludes our gospel lesson saying:

“⁴¹ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt. 25:41-46, NRSV).

          On this Christ the King Sunday, and on this our Consecration Sunday, I believe that many churches in the United States and Western Europe stand on a cliffs edge. I believe that many churches that have operated for decades and even centuries are teetering. Will we, the followers of Christ, the sheep of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace, live our faith and serve others, thereby watching the church continue to grow in faith, number, ministries, impact, and yes giving. Not so that the pastor can buy a sports car or a private jet, but so that this church might continue to become stronger, serve others, be revitalized, and once again be force in Sidney to be reckoned with.

          I do not know about you friends, but Jesus, when Christ the King returns, I want to be one of the sheep. I want to know that beyond just faith in my heart that I lived faith. I want to know that as a person and as a pastor I was part of something that changed hearts, changed lives, and changed Sidney and the world forever. I will definitely give generously to that. For this is what I hope for “When The Son Of Man Comes”. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 24th Sunday after Pentecost - 11/15/20 - Sermon - “The Parable Of The Talents”

Sunday 11/15/20 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title: “The Parable Of The Talents”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 123                                     

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 25:14-30

          Welcome again, on this the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty-Four Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          With this said, this morning Jesus tells us a story or a parable about using the gifts or the talents that we have been entrusted with. We all have gifts and graces given to us from God. Some of you have musical talent, some of you can build, create, manage, develop, etc. What are your gifts, graces, and talents?

          We are reminded once again in our reading from this morning from Psalm 123, who God is. The Psalmist writes once again in Psalm 123:1:

“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!”                      (Ps. 123:1, NRSV).  

          We lift our eyes, our hearts, and our souls to God, the giver of all good things. What gifts and graces has God given you? What talents or abilities do you have? Further, has anyone ever entrusted you with something valuable or precious. Some of us have family heirlooms that we have been entrusted with for the rest of our lives, and some of us are entrusted with things temporarily. Some of us have been asked to care for someone or something for a period of time.

          For example, who here has ever been a dog or a cat sitter? Did you take good care of the animals? Who here has ever been a house sitter for someone? Did you take good care of the house? Who here has ever been asked to hold onto to something valuable for someone else? Maybe someone had something worth a lot of money, and they wanted you to hold it for a while.

          These examples are like my sermon title, which is taken from our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning, called “The Parable Of The Talents”. Jesus uses this parable or this story, in part, to explain the significance of his second coming to earth, but also to tell us what do with our gifts and our talents.

          In our reading for this morning from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 once again, the Apostle Paul tells the church in Thessalonica or the Thessalonians, that Jesus will return to this earth like a thief in the night. The Apostle Paul tells us to stay awake in our faith, to not loose heart, and to not become complacent in our hope in Jesus Christ. Be of good cheer for Jesus Christ has overcome the world, overcome sin and death, and will return one day in glory (1 Thess. 5:1-11, NRSV). Let us work the make this world better in the hear and the now, but stay away, keep the faith, and be prepared.

          Again, with the title of my sermon being “The Parable Of The Talents,” my focus this morning is on this story or parable that Jesus tells us. This parable eludes to Christ’s second coming or return to earth, but it also emphasizing using gifts, graces, and talents.

          In getting into this gospel lesson once again, Jesus tells us:

¹⁴ “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵ to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸ But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money”                                                                  (Mt. 25:14-18, NRSV).

          Jesus gives us this example of distributing 5-talents to one slave, 2-talents to another, and finally 1-talent to a third slave. The real question we might be thinking though, is what is a “talent”? Before defining what a “talent” is, this parable, in addition to pointing to the second coming of Christ, can be used broadly. Any ability, gift, grace, or talent that you have, how are you and how will you use it? What we do between now and when we go to be with the Lord then, or until the Lord returns then, matters. Our time on earth, here and now, matters.

          To define biblically though what a “talent” is, let me read to you from one of my favorite Bible commentaries. This is what it says:

“In this parable, a ‘talent’ refers not to a natural ability, such as an aptitude for music or leadership, but to a large sum of money, for a talent was equal to 6000 denarii, and a denarius was a day’s wage for a labourer. The master gave different amount to his servants according to their abilities (25:14-15)” (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1189).

          So while “The Parable Of The Talents,” can be used to broadly discuss using our own gifts, graces, talents, and abilities, and while it points to the second coming of Christ, Jesus give us an example this money involving money. In fact, three different slaves were each given a different amount of money. These amounts of money are referred to a “talents,” and one talent is equal to 6,000 denarii, which is equal to 6,000 days of work or labor. One slave was given 5-talents, or the equivalent of 30,000 denarii, or 30,000 days of work or labor. One slave was also given 2-talents, or the equivalent of 12,000 denarii, or 12,000 days of work or labor.

          We are told by Jesus that the master of these slaves entrusted these large sums of money, based upon, once again, the slave’s abilities. So, imagine, if some gave you a sum of money equal to 6,000 days of work, or 12,000, or 30,000? Could you be trusted with a responsibility like that?

          How many of you have people that you know that you would happily entrust your money or your possessions to? How many of you have people that you would not entrust anything to?

          Our faith in Jesus Christ, as our Lord and our savior, is like being entrusted with a large sum of money. One day the master will return, and when he does, he will want to know what we did with what he has entrusted us with.

          Before getting into how this parable ends, once again, how many of you have ever seen the sings at the bank that say “FDIC” on them. “FDIC” is the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and from what I understand, at most banks someone could deposit up to $250,000, and that sum backed up and protected by the US government/US treasury.

          For those than know their history, when the Great Depression began in this country in 1929, our stock market plummeted, and many people ran to there bank to pull out their money. These “bank-runs” resulted in some banks closing or refusing to give people their money. Not until President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed “The Banking Act” in 1933, where their protections for the money that you had deposited at the bank. You entrusted your money, your “talents,” and your bank closed on you, and you lost everything. Today however, short of the entire United States economy collapsing, your money is hopefully now protected through the FDIC.

          I have met a couple of depression era people in my life however, that their whole life long, they did not trust banks. You could tell them years after the Great Depression that banks now have protections to guarantee your money. Still some of the people had a safe in house, money between the mattresses, or like the one slave in our parable this morning, buried their money in a hole. I really do not meet as many people leery of banks like I used to, but I remember when I was younger, I knew a few. Anyone here every know someone that would never put their money in bank? There money was under a floorboard, a hole on the wall, a hole in the mattress, a hole in the backyard, etc.

          This morning in “The Parable of the Talents,” all three of these slaves are given different large sums of money to manage. Yet, they do different things with this money. So, what exactly did they do with the “talents” that the master entrusted them with?

          In finishing our gospel lesson for this morning, it says once again:

“¹⁹ After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²² And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹ For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰ As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Mt. 25:19-30, NRSV).

          So, two of these slaves were given large sums of money from there master, and to honor their master’s trust in them, they went out, traded, invested, and grew the money. In fact, they double the “talents,” or the money. Yet, the one slave buried the one talent in a hole in ground, much like of those anti-bank folks we might know who grew up during the Great Depression.

          For starters, I think that this parable blows multiple holes in the idea that Jesus was a socialist or promoted that sort of an economic system. From a broader view however, Jesus is telling us to use what God or the “master” has entrusted us with for his glory. To take our gifts, our abilities, our graces, and our talents and use them for God. Grow them and even double them if possible. While this parable shows two of the three slaves being awarded for doing well with there master’s money, ultimately, Jesus says use what God has given you, and has entrusted you with. For when Christ returns, expect him to ask you what you did with what he entrusted you with.

          I do not know about you, but I do not want to bury my talent in a hole in the ground, instead I want to grow it, to double it. On this earth we are also entrusted with resources, like property, possessions, and yes money.

          In his 1789 sermon called “The Use of Money,” the founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley, tells us to “Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can” (https://www.gnjumc.org/earn-all-you-can-save-all-you-can-and-give-all-you-can/). Whatever God entrusts to us, gifts, talents, graces, abilities, let us use them fully for his glory. For Jesus says this morning, when he returns, he will ask you what you did with what you were entrusted with.

          May we all in this pledge season be good stewards of our resources, our gifts, and our graces, and lastly do not entrust your money to person who will bury it in a hole in the ground! Amen.

Sidney UMC - Veteran's Day Sunday/23rd Sunday after Pentecost - 11/08/20 - Sermon - “The Kingdom of Heaven Will Be Like”

Sunday 11/08/20 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title: “The Kingdom Of Heaven Will Be Like”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 78:1-7                                 

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 25:1-13

          Today is the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, and Veteran’s Day Sunday. Twenty-Three Sundays after the Christian Church was born almost 2,000 years ago on the day of Pentecost, and this again, is also our Veteran’s Day Sunday.

          Veteran’s Day Sunday is not a formally recognized Sunday in the life of the United Methodist Church, but I chose to celebrate our veterans, as Veteran’s Day is this Wednesday November 11^th. On Wednesday November 11^th Canadians and other countries will also celebrate Remembrance Day, which is like our Veteran’s Day.

          As a United Methodist Church, we do not celebrate or condone war, and we do not celebrate and condone violence. Yet there have times in the histories of all countries that their leaders asked brave men and women to serve. In this way, today we say thank you to the brave men and women that have served in our now six branches of the armed service. As our video for this morning explained, Veteran’s Day began from the day that the Armistice or the cease fire occurred that ended World War I. This famous day was November 11^th, 1918, which was at the 11^th hour, of the 11^th day, of the 11^th month of 1918.

          According to a source that I researched it says this:

“At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May. Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who had died while in military service. Another military holiday that also occurs in May, Armed Forces Day, honors those currently serving in the U.S. military. Additionally, Women Veterans Day is recognized by a growing number of U.S. states that specifically honors women who have served in the U.S. military” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day).

          Today then, we honor and defend the veterans in our country, as many do the same in their countries. We do not like war, but we honor service and sacrifice, and we say thank you to those who answered the call to serve.

          I remember a burial service that I was asked to officiate probably about 4-5 years ago. It was a beautiful summer day, and the person that who died was a Vietnam War Veteran. For some reason, the honor guard that was supposed to show up to this funeral and play taps and do the flag folding and presentation ceremony did not show up. Two family members of the man that died were also Vietnam Veterans. The one cousin was really upset. It turned out that the honor guard had the wrong address, and they were stuck in traffic. They told the cousin of the man who died that they would be there in about an hour and half. The cousin of the man who died soon after said some things that I cannot say in church and hung up the phone.

          The cousin of the Vietnam Veteran and the other Vietnam Veteran family member proceeded to do the flag folding and presentation ceremony. I remember the cousin of this man who died was so angry that honor guard did not show up. I will never forget what he said to me. He said, “Pastor, my government drafted me during the Vietnam War. I went as I was told to do. I trained, I fought, and when I came home there was no parades, no celebrations. Instead we were spit upon and called baby killers. We could have dodged the draft, or refused to fight, but then we would go to jail, and get a dishonorable discharge”. Then he said, “I love all Veterans, but if this was a funeral for a World War II Veteran, the Honor Guard would be here!”

          I cannot honestly say whether that would be the case if the funeral was for a World War II veteran, but I really felt this man’s pain and frustration. He had a Vietnam War Veteran hat on, and a Pow Mia patch on his denim vest, and he basically said, my government asked me serve, and I got no recognition for it. I have never told this story in church, but this, among many other reasons, is why I will always celebrate our veterans and those who died serving this country.

          We do not love war, but some of our men and women saw and endured things that no one should have to see and endure. So today, and this Wednesday on November 11^th, as your pastor, and as the leader of this church, I say thank you to our veterans. Thank you for the times that you were afraid, thank you for the days that you were home sick, and in general, thank you for your service.

          To connect this celebration of our veterans to our scriptures for this morning, I really like our reading this morning from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Once again it says in 13:14:

“¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words”

(1 Thess. 4:13-18, NRSV).

          In this scripture, the Apostle Paul writes to a very new and young Christian Church in Thessalonica. In this church, some of the members were concerned about the fate of some of the fellow believers that had died. The Apostle Paul tells the church in Thessalonica or the Thessalonians that those who died serving and loving Christ, will be with God for eternity. Do not grieve their loss the Apostle Paul says, but have hope, and the return of Christ, or the day of the Lord will come the time is right. Have hope, and encourage one another (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1489).

          As Christians we are called to have hope in the life lived now for Christ, and the eternal life to come with Christ. Those who have died in Christ then, live on with Christ in eternity. Whether these believers died from persecution, disease, or old age, they live on in glory. Have hope, remember them, and trust in God.

          Give this, this scripture really resonated with me about the meaning of Veteran’s Day. Do not lose hope, do not give up, and know that we will see many who believed again. Imagine in heaven among the countless others, having many veterans, having many who died in battle. Imagine further, that the uniforms of these soldiers might be American, and many other countries.

          The truth is, is that we live in a broken and sinful world, but we are offered wholeness through Jesus Christ. This world will never be perfect until Christ returns, but maybe, just maybe with God’s help, we can make this world much better. I long for the days of no more war, no more violence, and no more hatred. I know this will be the reality in glory, but we cannot seem as humans to live this out as well as should on this earth.

          My sermon title this morning, on this Veteran’s Day Sunday, is called, “The Kingdom of Heaven Will Be Like”. This title is taken once again from our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning. You see, the United Methodist Church and many other denominations, as I said, are opposed to war, and no one likes war. Yet will live in a fallen and broken world. So, in eternity, in Christ’s kingdom of heaven, what will it be like? We know that there will be no war, no suffering, no violence, and probably, likely, no elections or political parties in heaven. As one Facebook post that I saw said, why vote for a donkey or an elephant when the Lamb reigns for eternity.

          Yet in the gospels, Jesus offers us these glimpses of what this kingdom of heaven will look like. In tell his parables or stories, Jesus many times would explain what the kingdom of heaven would be like, by literally saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven Will Be Like”. Jesus would then go to explain his example. In our gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning, Jesus once again says:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹² But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt. 25:1-13, NRSV).

          Jesus uses the example of brides to be, waiting for there bridegroom, or soon to be husband. Half of these bridesmaids are prepared to meet the bridegroom, and other half are not. The ones that were not prepared, missed the bridegroom, and the great realities there in. Yet, the ones that were prepared, received their bridegroom.

          Jesus tells us to be ready, to be vigilant, and to be prepared. Be prepared for his return, do not lose faith, and do not become idle and complacent. While we sit here in worship here this morning, so many men and women in uniform are in places with great dangers and challenges. These soldiers do not have the luxury of, as Jesus says this morning, keeping “awake”. They must stay alert, for lives are dependent upon it. During this time of pandemic and always, do not fall asleep in your faith in Christ.

          May we all, therefore, be vigilant with our faith, be ready to serve Christ, and forgive and boldly love each other. May we pray and through Christ build a better world. A world with no war, no violence, and no heartache. Until this day, however, may still pause, bend the knee, and remember those who have loved us, served, and cared for us. Happy Veteran’s Day Sunday, and God bless.