Luke
19:11-17: While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable,
because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God
was going to appear at once. 12 He
said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself
appointed king and then to return. 13 So
he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to
work,' he said, 'until I come back.' 14 "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation
after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' 15 "He was made king,
however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given
the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 "The first one came and
said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 17 " 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied.
'Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, take charge of ten
cities.'
We have no
shortage of 'themes' for our consideration this Sunday. In fact, on the surface
it may even seem that there's a clash of themes. For one thing, it's the last
Sunday of October which many Protestants, and most Lutherans, observe as the
Festival of the Reformation. On All Hallows Eve, October 31st, 1517, an
Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door
of the Wittenberg Chapel. We now mark this day, or more often transfer it to
the nearest Sunday in October, as a festival of the Gospel; a festival of the
Church's constant need for introspection and reform; it's a festival of the
triumph of God's word over the traditions of man. We typically sing "A
mighty fortress is our God" as a processional hymn--it was a composition
of Luther's and is often seen as the 'battle hymn' of the Reformation, but in
fact the typical hymn of the day "Lord keep us steadfast in Thy word"
more fittingly reflects the spirit of the Reformation. Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone is the final authority in matters
of doctrine and practice within the Church. Having said all of that, a note of
caution is in order. In times past, Reformation Sunday has often been
celebrated as a 'triumph' of Protestantism, or more narrowly, a 'triumph' of
Lutheranism. This is a difficult claim to maintain given the raw numbers (70
million people in the world profess to be Lutheran, vs 1.2 billion professing
Catholics). It can, however, be celebrated as a triumph of the word of God.
But as I
say, this is simply one theme of the
day. The other is that this Sunday marks our fourth and final stewardship
emphasis week. We've explored called to
be faithful, faithful in little, faithful with much...and now finally, faithful with all. ALL is a very
inclusive term. Any discussion about true biblical stewardship includes so much
more than what we do with the money God has blessed us with. This is where that
time, talents, and treasures phrase
comes in. Interestingly enough, this is also where Reformation themes can make
another appearance. When Luther was a boy, the idea of giving God one's time
and talents automatically meant devoting one's self to the religious life; a life of prayer; a life of monastic devotion;
these were the ways one did something
for God. In contrast, the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker were
engaged in mundane, non-holy pursuits. With a re-emphasis of the word of God in
the life of the believer, the Pauline emphasis on all work being
dedicated to the glory of God was reborn (1Cor 10, Col 3, Eph 6). In this
sense, one experiences CALLING... one experiences VOCATION simply by being a
productive baptized Christian in the world. In other words, any discussion
about being faithful with all must
begin with a mindset and a question. What are you: husband, wife, mother,
father, grandfather, grandmother? This is a HOLY CALLING. Are you approaching
it as such? What else are you: business owner, accountant, sales, scientist,
politician, engineer, counselor, cook, ditch-digger, etc.? This is a HOLY
CALLING. Are you approaching it as such? Being faithful with all begins by believing that if we are engaged
in responsible, ethical productivity in the real world, THIS is part of how we
answer the call to stewardship. ANYONE can be an accountant; you have
been called to be a Christian accountant. ANYONE can be in sales; you
have been called to be a Christian in sales, etc.
When we
adopt this sense of calling/vocation, something very powerful begins to happen.
The fragmentation and compartmentalization of life disappears and a vision of wholeness develops. What I mean is, we
so often compartmentalize between our 'regular life' and our 'spiritual life.'
I go to church on Sunday to practice my spiritual life, but I punch in down at
the shop to work my regular life. But a faithful
with all approach would disagree. A faithful
with all approach would say that BOTH are, or at least can be, equally
spiritual.
One last
thing comes to mind. Now that I am in CAP, I'm reminded of the way things work
in a military culture. As you progress up the ranks you are automatically given
more responsibility. Promotion often means more work. Worded another way, the reward for doing well is even greater
expectation. Most times, this is embraced with enthusiasm. The newly promoted
person WANTS the new challenge and responsibilities. They've earned it, now
they want to demonstrate their ability to do it. Note how our passage in Luke
ends: 16 "The first one
came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 17 " 'Well done, my good
servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been faithful in a very small
matter, take charge of ten cities.' Note: the master didn't say because you have been faithful in a very
small matter, retire to a life of ease and inactivity... go on extended holiday
and never come back now. JUST THE OPPOSITE! Bottom line... the call to be faithful with all means embracing the
idea that God rewards good stewardship with MORE... and NEW... challenges and
responsibilities. Congratulations on your promotion!
Cheers,
T.M.
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