​Our God is right into taking risks - that’s obvious, isn’t it?
Otherwise, we human beings, imperfect creatures as we are, wouldn’t have been left in charge of this planet.
This strategy, the degree of free will that God has permitted us, is a high-risk undertaking.
It means that God is prepared to even hold back on applying his divine power, so that we might have such freedom.
And that’s really quite a dicey decision.
God chose to live dangerously in order to open the opportunity for his “many children on earth to come into glory”.
In dark contrast, the temptation for believers to “play it safe” may be one the smartest items in Satan’s box of tricks.
 
Today’s Gospel reading features the parable of the talents.
Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven:  “is like a man going abroad, who called his servants and trusted all his capital into their hands. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to one he gave one talent. To each, according to his ability.”
 
Over many generations, preaching and teaching has focussed on how well Christians used the gifts God gave them. 
It’s stressed our need for good stewardship. 
The amounts of money that were mentioned - 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent, have been likened to our special abilities, thus the meaning of the word “talent” changed; no longer does it mean just a unit of currency, but it now includes the special gifts we have been given by God.
 
The value of a talent depended on where you grew up.
For the Greeks, a talent weighed about 25 kilograms of silver or gold.
But for the Jews, it was about 50 kilograms of either silver or gold.
 
The point is that it was a large sum of money, so let’s not feel sorry for the servant who was given only 1 talent.
Okay, the others got more to manage, but even one talent was a huge amount of money.
In silver, it would be the equivalent of 15 years of wages for a labourer and in gold, it would be a small fortune.
 
What the master did, before he went away, was to entrust them to trade with these large sums of money, and to try making a handsome profit for him.  
He didn’t specify whether they should utilise wine, oil, grain, textiles, pottery, land, shipping, or whatever. 
He just took a big risk and allowed them to make their own decisions.
 
I guess he expected them to take a similar risk.
They were to put what was entrusted to them to good use.
Trade and commerce, like human life itself, can be a precarious business.
There’s always the possibility of setbacks and even losses.
Witness the fact that in Australia, over 40% of small business ventures fail within the first two years.
Trading is high risk, but the master knows all about that; he understands, and he wants them to give it their best.
 
Let’s recognise the key element in this parable: the Lord truly places the responsibility in the hands of his servants. This is not make-believe stuff - he was serious.
He doesn’t even stay in the background, like a back-seat driver, tut-tutting when things aren’t going well.
Nor is he akin to a driving instructor, with calm nerves, yet with a separate brake pedal for him to employ in an emergency situation.
No, the Lord in the Gospel fully trusts his servants.
He leaves his country and travels abroad, so it’s now entirely up to them whether they succeed or fail.
A high-risk strategy indeed!
 
The first two servants honour the trust placed in them by taking some risks and put the money to use.
Their talents became highly productive in the commerce of this life.
Both of them make a 100% return while the Master is absent overseas, so these two receive the Master’s gratitude.
Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You have proved yourself in a small way, now I will entrust you with something bigger. Come here and enjoy your master’s delight.
Note this: those who are faithful receive a two-pronged reward.
    1) Immediately there is the sheer joy of celebrating in the Master’s presence and:
   2) Then comes more trust and responsibility.
Those who do well for Christ Jesus are not given a “golden handshake” and allowed to sit back and do nothing.
This idea of extra trust is a sobering thought for us, isn’t it!
 
In the many generations since Jesus told this parable, among Christians there has always been a tension between those who want to play things safe and those who are prepared to take a risk in the name of their Master.
That’s true in the way we either hoard or share the Gospel story with the world.
Some opt for exclusive religion, like the Brethren, who keep to themselves and don’t interact with the world.
They turn in on themselves, maintaining a tight knit fellowship, using their talents for each other, yet never risking them in the evil world outside their community.
 
In contrast, some other churches and individuals are more of the risk taker kind.
These groups quote Jesus when he said: “Go into all the world and make disciples of all men.”
Such Christians take risks which can sometimes relate too closely with the world and its secular values.
 
At the present time in the Uniting Church In Australia there are some who feel keenly that in social justice matters we have taken some large, and even foolish, risks, which may have been gravely influenced by the outside world. But only God can judge whether our church has exceeded acceptable risks or not.
 
So - playing it safe, or talking the risk?
Well, for my part, I’d always prefer to take the calculated risk for Christ’s sake.
Better that than becoming constricted like that one talent bloke who went and buried his master’s treasure.
He’s the big disaster in this story.
 
We have no commission from the Lord to be foolhardy in the way we use our lives and our gifts, or in the way we employ the treasure of the Gospel, so I encourage you to risk it - for God’s sake - don’t be afraid.
 
I guess none of us can look back over the years of our Christian experience and be completely satisfied with how much we have achieved and many of us have some regrets. 
But fear certainly isn’t an appropriate strategy.
It was the over-cautious servant who was the one who was afraid - and look where it got him!
 
Our stewardship of the gifts God has given us and those calculated risks we take in utilising our talents, should never be exercised under the shadow of fear.
Ours is a God of perfect love, who is always on our side - perfect love - no room for fear.  
The God who is love is a risk taker and we’re called to be like him - for loving is always a risk.
Yet it leads to the greatest bonus of all: “Come and enjoy your Master’s delight.”
 
Think hard about the talents that God entrusted you with.
Are you taking risks in utilising them, and multiplying their impacts, on the people you meet in your daily lives.
We need to be showing them how God’s love has impacted our lives and sharing the good news with them – that they, too, can share with us in God’s kingdom.
 
It’s not only the money God has graciously allowed us to accumulate, but the abilities we have.
Instead of locking them away and keeping them just for ourselves, let’s get out there and put them to use, furthering the Kingdom of God here on earth.
 
Pastor Rick

Let’s start this reflection with a general look at the 25th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel.
Jesus tells 3 parables, referring to the future coming of the Son of Man, the Holy One who comes to consummate the kingdom of God on earth.
Today’s parable is about waiting, being alert and being ready for his arrival and looks at the 5 wise and 5 foolish bridesmaids (sometimes called the 10 virgins).
 
In understanding the parable, we have to remember that we’re in a different culture and time period.
The marriage customs were exceedingly different from ours today.
Today we expect bridesmaids to attend the bride.
Not so these ten maids who are attending the groom.
What’s more, today we announce a set date and time for the wedding.
Evidently, in the culture and time when Jesus lived, the time of the wedding was generally not specified.
Bible commentators have suggested that it was considered clever to trick guests by arriving at an unexpected hour.
Hence, in this parable, the bridegroom’s party chooses to arrive at midnight and catch some folk ill prepared.
 
That’s one cultural custom we should never adopt!
The nerves of a bride’s parents are generally stretched tight enough as it is.
These days, the maidens wait for the arrival of the bride and escort her.
In Jesus’ time the groom was to be met by the maidens with their lamps shining, to escort him into the wedding ceremony and feast.
Whereas now everything might be well lit by rows of LED lights, in the time of Jesus, they relied on lamplight.
These lamps had a reservoir of oil and a wick.
 
In today’s parable, five of the girls neglected to have a reserve supply of oil and they had waited such a long time that their lamps burned low and began to smoulder, so they tried to borrow oil from the other five, but to no avail.
At that critical moment, the bridegroom arrived and the wise maidens who had back-up oil went into the feast with the bridegroom.
The other five, after rushing out to buy more, arrived back to find the door firmly shut against them.
In a panic, they knocked at the closed door and cried: “Sir, sir, please open the door for us.’
However, the voice inside replied “Go away. I do not know you.”
 
They had missed their opportunity - they weren’t prepared and ready.
 
It sounds somewhat hard-hearted, all very final, and I think Jesus meant it to be so.
I believe he’s telling us that we must make the most of our opportunities and be always ready to welcome him, whatever the hour.
If we miss the moment, we will miss out altogether.
We need to remember that God’s timetable is not the same as ours.
Most of us would like to have a God who fits in with our wants and needs.
You know, one who is always on time for US!
 
Some stroppy churchgoers have even been heard to complain: “Where is God in today’s affairs? What is he doing? We need his help right now. Why doesn’t he show his love? Why won’t he give us a hand when we most want it? Why keep us waiting?”
It’s easy enough to get weary when we hear about so much trouble in the world.
The absence of God may seem prolonged indeed.
It’s easy to grow careless and allow our lamp of faith to grow dim.
We give up supplementing our supply with new reserves, becoming negligent, apathetic - even faithless.
 
I guess we’ve all met people who complain about God’s tardiness.
Some will tell us: “Well that’s it! I gave him some of the best years of my life and what has he done for me? Where was he when I desperately wanted him to come to my side?” 
 
We notice their light is growing dim, even going out and they start complaining about a lot of things in the church.
Nothing seems right in their eyes and before long they’re just a smouldering wick, giving off a nasty odour.
Or they fall asleep and miss the moments when the groom comes with abundant blessings at the marriage feast.
It’s an all too familiar story to many church elders and ministers.


I urge you, as Jesus said, to keep awake, for you never know the day or the hour.
All very well, I hear you say, but how do we top up our oil supplies?
How can we become numbered among the wise - who are ready whenever the Son of Man arrives?
 
Well, one thing we can’t do, is borrow it from our fellow Christians, but we can, however, be encouraged by others.
We may be inspired by their example, but we can’t actually borrow their faith.
From the other side, we should remind those who are running low to top up their reserves before they run out.
 
We need to seek for ourselves and look for all the opportunities we can to keep our faith alert and growing.
Let me suggest some time-honoured ways of finding the good oil:
·       In regular worship and in the reading of the Scriptures
·       In Bible study and prayer groups
·       In our private devotional life
·       Spending time in prayer and meditation with those who love the Lord         and
·       Further oil will come our way as we serve Christ in the rough and tumble of daily life.
 
But there are also some less recognised sources of oil for our lamps of faith.
Some of us have received oil from most unexpected quarters.
·       It may flow from critics and unbelievers. Such unlikely folk can actually contribute to increasing our faith as we address their criticisms.
·       Sometimes our oil is replenished in the giving of ourselves to those in need, without any thought of reward. In Greek, this type of love is called Agape. We unselfishly care for others and, to our great surprise, discover the oil of happiness rising up within our own souls.
 
It’s in giving that we receive, and we can find ourselves spiritually enriched by those whom we set out to serve, with no thought of a reward for ourselves.
On occasions, your oil will be replenished when you undertake some tasks which you strongly dislike.
Those times when you loyally, yet reluctantly, perform some service for Christ which you find difficult.
 
When our oil tank is regularly topped up, only then will our lamps glow warmly.
They glow, not for our own satisfaction, but for the sake of those around us, and to the glory of Jesus.
 
It’s then that we can indeed recognise the privilege and honour that is ours.
Jesus once expressed it this way: “Let your light so shine before all people, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
 
That’s what is it all about - not for our glory, but God’s.
And in return, we receive his love.
A perpetual motion, where we don’t have to worry about running out of oil.
That’s brilliant! Truly awesome!
 
So, I encourage you to be alert and be ready and remember that it’s God’s timetable, not ours.
You’d better keep awake, for you never know the day or the hour when you’re going to encounter Christ.
 
And while you’re at it, look around for others who may be dimming and then help them top up and be ready.              
Pastor Rick

Today’s Gospel reading today puts Jesus in front of a large crowd and he exposes the scribes and Pharisees as fakes, telling the crowd, "The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do what they teach you, but don’t do as they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.  They tie up heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them, just doing their deeds so as to be seen by others."
Wow!        That's a pretty harsh judgment.

I guess many teenagers have lived through a whole list of do’s and don’ts that their mother or father impressed on them - and swore that they would NEVER say those things to THEIR children.
You know, things like, "You're not leaving the house in THAT outfit!" or "Wipe that look off your face!" or "Just wait until your father/mother gets home!" and at the top of that list was the one that reeked of the sort of adult hypocrisy that teens love to latch onto:  "Do as I SAY, not as I DO!"
 
Of course, what goes around comes around and so as parents, we find (or found) ourselves saying some of the very things we vowed never to repeat, and we understand so much better the frustrations our parents must have felt.
Not just the frustrations, but also the desires and the hopes they held for the kind of people they wanted their children to become. 
The truth is that it's awfully hard to live up to our ideals - you know - to practice what we preach.
 
We hear that same truth running through the tirade by Jesus against the scribes and Pharisees in today’s reading.
Have you ever heard of the country music song "Nobody Wants to Play Rhythm Guitar Behind Jesus; Everyone Wants to Be Leader of the Band"?     
No? I’m not surprised, because it wasn’t exactly top of the hit parade.
Ok, it's a bit funny, but after we get through laughing, we may start to think about the accuracy of that sentiment.
 
Some people don't want to be backup in a band behind the up-front man, Jesus.
In other words, we don’t want to see ourselves as part of the supporting cast of helpers and putting Christ first.
Most of us secretly want to be the leader of the band, to be even more important than Christ.
How appropriately this humorously phrased statement fits with today's Gospel reading, which goes to the heart of a lack of proportion in our lives.
 
It's no accident that Jesus speaks about humility.
All too many of those who opposed Jesus liked to be in the place of honour, and if the arguments against them in the Gospels are even somewhat accurate, they were always jockeying for position.
Jesus said we must have a sense of proportion - that the love of God must be in us, giving us a basis of humility.
 
Let me tell you a story about humility.
We read that because of his great devotion and faithfulness to his king, a shepherd was promoted to the position of prime minister, but the other ministers were angry that someone of such lowly origin should be so highly honoured, and they tried to find some way to bring him into disfavour.
However, try as they may, they could not find anything objectionable about him, except for one curious thing.
Once a week he would enter a little room (that he kept locked) and stay in there for about an hour.
The nobles told the monarch about this strange event and said they were certain that he must be sneaking some of the wealth of the kingdom into that room.
The king doubted it, but gave permission for them to break into the room and make a search.
What they found was a small bundle containing a dilapidated pair of shoes and an old robe.
The prime minister was brought before the king and asked about this curious bundle in the locked room.
He said, "I wore these things when I was a shepherd. I now look at them regularly, so that I won't forget what I once was and how unworthy I am of all the kindness and honour you've given to me."
 
Humility - the word comes from the Latin word for ground - “humus”.
But I don’t want you to confuse being humble with being treated like dirt.
Instead, it can mean being fertile, filled with possibility, open to the seeds of hope and the watering of baptism.
 
Another story about humility relates to the arrival of a man at the main Chicago railway station in 1953.
He was there to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Off the train stepped a tall man with bushy hair and a big moustache.
As the cameras flashed and city officials approached with hands outstretched to meet him, he thanked them politely, but then asked to be excused for a minute.
He walked through the crowd to the side of an elderly black woman struggling with two large suitcases.
He picked them up, smiled, and escorted her to the bus, helped her get on, and wished her a safe journey.
Then Albert Schweitzer turned to the crowd and apologized for keeping them waiting.
It is reported that one member of the reception committee told a reporter,
"THAT is the first time I’ve ever seen a sermon walking."
 
We've all been given a task - to live in harmony, weep with the mournful, laugh with the joyful and not be conceited.
Specifically, we are called to be righteous, but not self-righteous - instead, we are called to be humble.
 
In our Gospel today, Jesus paints a pointed picture of a barren religious life featuring all the outward signs, but none of the inward reality.
The religious leaders looked good - they were always prepared to set down the rules and regulations, but the force of God's love wasn't behind it, and they didn't practice what they preached.
 
What if we were forced to REALLY be accountable?
In other words, to preach what we practice, not the other way around, but to put in front of God and everyone what we really do?
How would we like it, and would you or I really be prepared to do that?      Probably not.

Jesus showed us that there needs to be a connection between the professions of faith we make each week and the kinds of lives we lead.    We can't be prideful.    We must be humble.
 
In the Kairos Juvenile Detention program, team members perform a number of mask skits to show the boys how all of us hide behind masks at certain times - the trick is to recognise when you’re doing it and know when to take it off.
“I wear my religious mask because it’s safe! I’ve been wrong about so many things in my life and I’ve been told that I’m wrong so many times. By wearing my mask I feel that I can’t be criticised. Sometimes I carry a bible around with me as part of my mask. I really don’t know how I stand with religion or even with God, but my religious mask keeps people from seeing and criticising ME.  I don’t even know if I live a religious life – but you think I do!”
 
The religious leaders in our Gospel story used piety as a front for their hypocrisy and their pretend charity was a lie.
Here are the words of Jesus: "They tie up heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them."
They didn’t know when to take off their “religious” masks, did they?
 
If you and I treat others with contempt, as inferiors, then our religious exercises become like clanging cymbals.
Self-made religionists usually lack love and character, preferring the spotlight and places of high visibility.
They love themselves, not God, and something is missing - Jesus Christ, because he makes us humble, grateful and receptive.

If we make Jesus Christ Lord of our lives, we get rid of hypocrisy and false religion.
Because of him and the way he led his life, we know we can’t pretend.
We can never measure up to him, but he relieves us of the burden of keeping up pretences, of playing charades.

​It’s not what others think of us, but what HE thinks of us.
 
So, yes, there's a place for us in the band of Jesus and our job is to play rhythm guitar behind Jesus.
Christ is the focus, not us.   His is the tune to sing, not ours.
If we point to the Lord and not ourselves, if we are humble, fertile humus, with God's help we can be faithful, good, earthy, productive people for Jesus.                  

Pastor Rick