MOTIVATED BY WORRY
A sermon by the Rev. Dr. James G. Kirk
Harundale Presbyterian Church
Text: “So I was afraid.” Matthew 25: 25
First
Second
There’s a
lot to worry about today. We had proof
of that three weeks ago when the whole area was in the grips of a serial
sniper. People were afraid to go
shopping, fill their tanks with gas, play after school sports, anything that we
take so often for granted. In the paper
this past week, we heard again from Osama.
The authorities have been trying to ascertain for sure whether or not it
was his voice, but nevertheless just the mention of his name evokes fear. Then there’s the fact that those who listen
for such things have heard a lot of “chatter” about the possibility of another
attack on the
It goes without saying that since 9/11 our lives haven’t been the same. Fear is out there and fear is in us and it’s difficult to deny it even though we try to live our lives with a modicum of routine. It’s just not that easy any more. Yet, our message today is not about those big fears. It’s more about those everyday worries that seem to consume us. Our parable has to do with a landowner who’s about to take a trip. So, he summons his slaves and entrusts to them his property. To one he give five talents, to another two and to the third he gives one talent.
In a footnote to the text we’re told that a talent was worth fifteen year’s wages. We’re not talking small money here. If we were to take the same formula and apply it to today’s standards five talents would amount to a rather sizeable amount of money. Say the average worker makes $60,000 a year and works for thirty years. That amounts to one million, eight hundred thousand dollars. That’s what the person with two talents received. Five talents would amount to even more than that and the person with the one talent would have received roughly $900,000.
We’re then told that the landowner leaves. There are no stipulations on what the servants are to do with the property. The owner simply leaves it in their hands. The one with the five talents trades his shares and earns five more. The same with the servant who receives the two shares, he likewise earns two more. The focus of our story, however, is the one who receives the one share.
Now, I daresay that any of us would like to worry about what we’re going to do with $900,000 that someone just gives us with no strings attached. The point of the story is, however, that the servant does nothing with it. He just buries it, because he knew the landowner was a harsh man and, by his own admission, he was afraid.
Mark
McCormack, the CEO of International Management Group, has said that, “When you
stop being paralyzed by fear, you’re ready to be motivated by it.” (
It’s already been established that there’s plenty to worry about. We live in a climate of fear, over which there’s not much we can do. Even so called “homeland security” doesn’t give us much peace of mind. There are too many targets in this country and too fluid borders to prohibit anyone really intent on doing us harm. We just have to prepare ourselves the best we can.
However, let’s move beyond that to the point where we’re no longer paralyzed by fear and we’re ready to be motivated by it. The first thing to remember is that God doesn’t give us problems; God gives us opportunities. For example, Matthew certainly intended for us to see God in the landowner. When he gave his servants the talents it was as though God likewise gives us all the talents we need. There are no stipulations on how we should use them. We are to take all that God gives us and make the most use of it. We are to invest God’s gifts to God’s glory and honor. When the first two invested their talents the landowner was pleased. When they told him that they had doubled his trust in them he invited them into the joy of their master. In other words, join the club, you’ve done well.
The third servant, however, isn’t motivated by worry. Rather, he lets fear paralyze him into burying the treasure and doing nothing with the trust the landowner had in him. In that case he’s like those who let worry get the better of them and they never move beyond it. In so doing he angers the landowner and his fate is sealed, in this case to be cast into outer darkness. Which, again, is a very good description of those who let worry consume them. Essentially they’re forever in the dark.
There we have it. God gives us the talents to do with as we will. However, God fully intends us to enhance all that God gives us to God’s honor and glory. When we do so God invites us into God’s kingdom, the joy of our master. When, on the other hand, we simply bury whatever God gives us and just spend our time worrying rather than productive effort, God will certainly not be pleased.
So, the next time you find yourself worrying consider it an opportunity. How can you invest that worry into possible benefits that return to God five-fold or even double what the worry is worth? With such an investment you’ll find yourself ushered into the joy of God’s kingdom.
Thanks be to God,
Amen