It is nearly the end of Year A when we turn, in Advent, to
the Gospel of Mark. Typical of Matthew’s urgency about the good news, we hear
today of the serious responsibilities of the faithful in stunning images of God’s
ultimate power. But we hear especially that these scripture readings assess
human life in honest terms, not neglecting the hardships of this world.
In truth, the heaven or hell into
which the servants in this morning's parable were cast was self-chosen. As
symbols of accountability, heaven and hell are of our own making, and they
begin in this life. There is no reprieve from accountability. Heaven is the
life that loving people of faith live. Hell is the life of suspicious, paranoid
people who trust and love no one, not even God. Life for people so turned in on
themselves is hell. –– James Gaughan
Matthew 25:14-30
This parable is probably a good
opportunity to teach a bit about parables in general. The tendency for the
casual reader is to compare the powerful figure in each parable with God. But
clearly, the master cannot be equated with God. God is not a slave owner, a
harsh man, or one who engages in shady dealings. The meaning of the parable
must be sought elsewhere.
Pastor Richard Jeske, some years
ago, taught workshops in which he challenged his hearers to interpret parables
by finding the Gospel in them. He said that you would find the Gospel at the
point in the story where you found yourself offended. That is, when the story
began to go against the values of our society, values we have all internalized,
and things are turned upside down, that is where you will find good news. . . .
Taking chances on behalf of the
Gospel is the way Jesus' followers participate in the kingdom. –– Judith
Simonson
Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
Judah, while enjoying political
independence, suffered under the influence of foreign religious practices
including the worship of pagan deities. The people had really stopped believing
that the God of Israel was involved any longer. (See 1:12. The people believed
“The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.”) The prophet Zephaniah
voices the contempt of YHWH towards the current state of affairs. The day
of the Lord, a great day of wrath, is announced. –– Eric T. Myers
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Paul continues what he began in the
previous six verses, that being the theme of the coming of the Lord. He assures
them that the day of the Lord is coming but that no one knows when. No one
knows when a thief will strike. If the victims knew, something could have been
done to stop the crime. Similarly, no one knows exactly when the coming of the
Lord will take place. To hammer the point home, Paul uses the image of a
pregnant woman. No one knows exactly when the pains of labor will begin, but
everyone knows the pains will begin suddenly and without warning. So too will
the coming of the Lord occur. The people of Thessalonica can fully trust that
the Lord will return and Paul now urges them to be ready: stand watch like a
girded guard on watch during the night.
–– Eric T. Myers
Grace, the grace of forgiveness and
the grace of love, is the gift we are to live and to share. It is the gift we
are not to bury or hide. It is the gift that enables us never to be taken by
surprise, when the final day of accounting comes. That is Paul's message to us
this morning. –– James Gaughan
James Gaughan is a retired
UMC pastor living in Minnesota. He originally was ordained as a Franciscan
priest.
Eric T. Myers
serves as pastor to the Frederick Presbyterian
Church in Frederick, Maryland and is a former church musician and adjunct
professor of worship at Wesley Theological Seminary.
Judith E. Simonson
is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Homily Service 41, no. 4 (2008): 130-138.
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