Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people, one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This is a hard one, this parable about separating the sheep from the goats. It’s popular because it speaks for itself when Jesus says, “whenever you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me,” that stuff makes for a great inspirational calendar, or bumper sticker, or coffee mug, or whatever. But the rest of it is a different story – that stuff about separating the sheep from the goats, I mean. There was a thread about it on the ELCA clergy page this week with no less than 100 comments from pastors and preachers going back and forth about it what to do with it – again – on this Christ the King Sunday.

That “sheep and goats” stuff, can trigger the fear factor of our faith and makes us wonder about which side of God’s heaven we’ll find ourselves on when the time comes. And wondering about that, we become like kids on the theological playground, wanting to make sure we get picked – sooner rather than later – and that we end up getting picked for the right team. As far as the story goes, that means we want to get picked to play for the Sheep, not left out and left behind, like the Goats.

So, too much of the time this bit from Jesus moves us to worry too much – if not exclusively – about ourselves, about our own souls, about our own eternity, about our own status in the eyes of God. None of us wants to spend eternity as a goat – on the outs – and sent into everlasting punishment, am I right?

But I’m convinced, Jesus means to accomplish just exactly the opposite when he tells us this story. Because he’s Jesus … Christ the King … I’m convinced he means to get us thinking about anyone and everyone ELSE in God’s kingdom, rather than the one staring back at us in the mirror. I don’t think we’re supposed to worry as much about our own eternity as we are called to worry about the suffering of the world around us, right here and right now.

Which reminded me of a song … and a video … by Van Halen … that came out when I was a senior in high school – “way back in the 1900’s,” as my kids like to say. 1992 to be exact. Fair warning, I may not have chosen to show this on the wall in the sanctuary during a regular Sunday morning service, because some of it may seem inappropriate for some folks. But, since we’re online and in our homes, it seems doable. If not, I hope you’ll forgive me.

It’s called “Right Now.” [So much of it seems still applies, as you’ll see. And little bits of it seem even more strangely apropos, if you know/remember that Eddie Van Halen just died in early October.] Anyway, here it is:

(For the record if you ask me, the most controversial, offensive part of that video is the assertion that God kills dogs and grandmothers. I don’t think that’s even remotely true. But that’s another sermon.)

What I remembered – and still like – about that video is the way it makes you think about what’s going on in the world we live in, but that we don’t always notice. Stuff that’s easy to miss, ignore, deny, or pretend away. People, even, that are easy to miss, ignore, deny, or pretend away. And, again, I think that’s the same thing Jesus is calling our attention to in this morning’s Gospel:

“Whenever you did it to one of the least of these – you did it to me.” “Whenever you feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick or the imprisoned you do it to me.” Or not.

This isn’t just about our prospects for eternal life. This is about our potential to be God’s people, right now.

Instead of imagining who’s in and who’s out of the Kingdom when the end of time comes, I think Jesus is inviting us to imagine who’s being included and who’s being left out of the kingdom right here, right now.

Who is it that’s hungry and thirsty? Who is it that feels like a stranger in your town, in your neighborhood, in your classroom, in your congregation? Who is it that’s naked or sick or in prison and needs to be clothed with something like the love of God, the welcome of friend, the hope of salvation, the forgiveness of sins?

I don’t think Jesus is saying “we’d better get to work, or else.” I think Jesus is trying to change our perspective so that we’ll get to work because there’s a new kind of kingdom afoot.

Jesus showed up to jump-start the coming of God’s kingdom in a way that had yet to be seen. Jesus showed up – to die and to be raised – as a sign that God’s forgiveness and love and mercy and new life were for all of creation in a way that creation so easily forgets, too much of the time. Jesus showed up – this Christ, the King – to inaugurate a new era, a new, better way of being, to give us a glimpse of what has already come and to invite us to get in on it – and to get on with it: A kingdom where love rules, right now. Where justice would, could, should prevail, right now. Where hunger and thirst, poverty and nakedness, sinfulness and shame already … right now … don’t belong.

Jesus showed up to open our eyes to what’s going on in the world around us, right now, so that we would get to work doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly, loving one another – even, and especially, the goats! – showing mercy, welcoming the stranger, caring for to the least among us, and more.

Because, when we do, it could change everything – for us, for others, and for the world – right now. And the kingdom will come among us – right now. And Christ, the King, will rule our hearts and our minds and our lives for the sake of the world, right now, when we – and so many others – need it most.

Amen

Matthew 25:14-30

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There is a common thread running through Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of Heaven; we are called to pay attention to the presence and gracious activity of God in every minute and all the minutiae of our lives.

The parables of the leaven, the mustard seed, the lost coin, and so on...they all invite us to bring our attention to the presence and gracious activity of God in every minute and all the minutiae of our lives.

And last week’s Kingdom of Heaven parable about the 10 bridesmaids concluded with the admonition to “stay awake”–or, in other words, “pay attention!”

The parable of the talents begins right after the call to pay attention. This parable paints a picture of the blessing inherent in paying attention and having faith in God’s character and promises. It also presents an image of the dismay and disorder of failing to pay attention and consequently getting God’s character and promises wrong.

Jesus has already informed his disciples about his imminent death and resurrection, so there’s an obvious parallel to consider as Jesus tells a story about a master who is preparing to go away for a time and then return. In his absence, the master leaves talents with his workers. A talent is an incredibly-large sum of money–equal to 15-20 years of wages for labor. Not every worker receives the same amount of talents. One receives five talents, another receives two, and the other receives one. The test tells us the difference in amounts is related to their ability, though that’s still pretty ambiguous. What is clear, however, is that this is just how life works. In life, some receive more than others. The point of this parable is to illustrate what to do with what we receive.

The two who are entrusted with the most go and invest the talents in such a way that they double. This incredible increase hearkens back to Jesus’ insight from earlier in the gospel when he says, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). Jesus continually teaches and demonstrates that abundance is a foundational characteristic of the divine. Our Kingdom inheritance multiplies exponentially when we freely give the divine gifts of love and resources to others.

The two workers who received such incredibly valuable sums from their master had paid attention. They knew the master. They knew that he was joyful and generous. These workers were motivated by gratitude and love for their master. Their actions were rooted in a belief of the master’s promises and as a result were invited to share in the joy of the master.

The other worker, the one who received one talent, was not as confident about his master’s joy and generosity, likely because he had not been paying attention. This worker failed to pay attention to his master’s joy and generosity and drew inaccurate conclusions about his master. He took him to be a harsh man, reaping where he did not sow, and gathering where he did not scatter seed. In light of the allegorical understanding of the master as Christ, the worker’s insights are clearly shortsighted. After all, it is impossible for Christ to reap where he did not sow because every corner of creation and every seed that is sown belongs to God.

The parable’s conclusion is harsh and might be triggering for anyone who grew up thinking of God as punitive and angry; but try to hear its warning: there are real consequences for those who fail to pay attention and understand God’s character as good, loving, and generous. When we fail to notice these abundant attributes of God, we think they are scarce and are unwilling to share them with the world. If we do not share them with the world we will certainly not receive them double or a hundredfold in return. Instead we will end up in a darkness of our own making–a state of life in which there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

If we hide what God has given us, we are living out of a sense of fear and scarcity. God’s gifts of love and grace are not able to be minimized or stolen. They are only gifts if they are shared with the rest of the world. Love and grace only truly exist if they are given away. Share the good stuff with the world and watch it grow, expand, multiply, and return to you double or even a hundredfold!

Again, the call is to pay attention. Pay attention to the character of God. Meditate on God’s goodness day and night and watch as your eyes are opened to the presence of goodness all around you. Pay attention to people who are suffering or in need so that you can share God’s blessing with them. And watch as everything you give away multiplies and becomes more and more valuable.

I’ll conclude by offering a sneak peak of what is coming because it has to do with paying attention. Throughout the season of Advent I will invite you to a daily ancient prayer practice called The Examen. There’s an adage that if you do something for 30 consecutive days it becomes habitualized. I would like everyone in this church to spend 30 days developing the habit of pausing each day to pay attention to God’s presence and activity in your life. It simply involves looking back at your life experiences and underlying emotions from the past 24 hours. I will explain more later; but just know that it is a prayer of uncovering and savoring the presence and gracious activity of God in every minute and all the minutiae of our lives. As today’s parable makes clear, there is profound joy and blessing available to those who develop the ability to pay attention to the true character of our master.

Amen.