The Risk of the Kingdom
(Free Version)- Year A, Proper 28, Judges 4:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:14-30
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Our readings this week tell us something about God’s activity in the world. They are action-packed readings, sudden, abrupt, all-at-once! The all carry a sense of risk, a counter-intuitive way of being in the world which characterizes the people of God.
In our Old Testament reading (Judges 4:1-7), the people of God are in the Promised Land, but they do not yet rule it, and their relationship to their neighbors, the Canaanites, is complicated. The people are not being faithful to God, but they do evil in the sight of the Lord.
In the midst of such a world, there is a prophetess who is helping solve disputes for Israel. She is a governor, what the book calls a “Judge.” We see very quickly that she speaks for God, and she commands armies on his behalf. Deborah represents a drop of faithfulness in a sea of evil. Deborah is different. She hears from the Lord, and she exercises the authority he has given to her.
In our Epistle reading (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11), Paul says that there are those in the world who mumble to themselves the words “peace and security,” the propaganda statements of the Roman Empire. The belief was, in Rome, we have peace and security. Rome is our hope. But that peace was so hollow! Rome said that they brought peace, but that “peace” came through dominating everyone who wasn’t like Rome! It wasn’t real. These are people who live in darkness, and if they trust in false things, they are going to be surprised on the Day of the Lord.
In the same way, we often cling to notions of security which are not real either. Paul says that these people are going to be startled one day when disaster strikes and they can’t depend on Rome’s “peace and security.” Instead, Paul says, we have a deeper hope: salvation in Christ.
Our gospel reading (Matthew 25:14-30) speaks to the danger of not living in the abundance of the grace that God has given us, about the move towards self-obsession, protectionism. We are not called, blessed, or invited into God’s story so that we can hoard it to ourselves. We are called, blessed, and invited to be a part of blessing the world.
Our response comes out of how we see God. We might ask our congregations: when you think of God, what comes to mind? Is he a stingy, profit-driven overlord trying to make sure that you get everything right? If so, you might turn inwards, worried only about getting the right score on the test. Or, do you see God as the generous one whose kingdom is constantly working, growing, and bearing fruit?
If God is stingy, we are driven “getting mine.” Life becomes all about earning, personal security, and wealth accumulation. If God is generous, our lives are open-handed, overflowing, and bearing fruit.
You can see why it is so critical that the Church proclaim the message of the God who is generous and has gifted himself. If we paint the picture, as many have, of a stingy, oppressive, task-master God, no wonder people don’t hear that as good news.
Another important way to do this is to separate the difference between condemnation and conviction. Surely, we hope, as we gather each Sunday, that those in our congregations are convicted by the Holy Spirit. But conviction comes out of love. Conviction is when your two-year-old hears your voice of warning when they are headed towards the stove. You love them and you don’t want them to get burned. Condemnation is rooted in fear and is when a two-year-old believes that their parents don’t like them because they are moving towards the stove.
The goal is not for those in our congregations to be afraid of God. Grace declares that you are invited into this beautiful life of self-giving because of the God who gave Himself for you. When we live this way, we may be surprised at what happens when we begin to give freely. It is quite difficult at first. It can be awkward. It means making sacrifices of our time, resources, money, etc. It sometimes means being around people we would not ordinarily choose to be around. Yet, there is also incredible joy. When we give, more is given to us, just like in this parable. And when more is given to us, we don’t then hoard that, but we give that. And we continue to see this beautiful thing that happens in the world by the Holy Spirit when we give out of God’s grace.
May we know and rest in the generous love of God in Jesus Christ, and may we live into the rhythms of grace that we might invest it, multiply it, and watch it bear fruit.