You Know the End
Proper 28, Series A, Nov 16th, 2008 (Mat 25:14-30) - Holy Cross, Clayton, NC
By Vicar Michael Zeigler

Locus: "Therefore the Lord's Supper is given as a daily food and sustenance so that our faith may be refreshed and strengthened and that it may not succumb in the struggle but become stronger and stronger. For the new life should be one that continually develops and progresses" (Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar).

Thesis: If you've met the Master of the Supper, then you know the end of the story.

1. It was a big day. If life were a story, this would be an important chapter. 100's of people came out to celebrate this event. There were several middle school students sitting in the front row-most were at least a little nervous-waiting for the special moment. It was the day of my first communion. I remember it pretty well. I remember being excited and also a little scared. I didn't want to mess anything up in front of all those people. I wanted to make sure I stood in the right place and knelt at the right time. I wondered, "What was the wine going to taste like?" Maybe you 19 students in the front are thinking some of the same things I thought. Now my experience isn't exactly like yours will be. Most of you are in 6th grade now. I had to wait until 8th grade. And it wasn't in November, it was in May, so we were all anxious for the end of the school year, eager to graduate from middle school, go on summer break, and start high school next year. There were 25 of us that day. 25 eager, young Christians became a part of the church family in a new and special way. 25 of us met the Lord Jesus like we had never met Him before. 25 of us had been taught that eating this bread and drinking from this cup meant that we belonged to Jesus. 25 of us had received amazing gifts and talents from our Master. 25 knew that we were supposed to put these gifts and talents to work. And a year later, there were 7. There were 7 freshmen in the high school youth Bible study. 7 were still participating in worship every Sunday. 7 still made the church a real part of their lives. What happened to the other 18? What's become of them now? What are they doing with the gifts and talents they received from their Master? I don't know. I do know that there's a sad pattern with people who belong to Jesus. Not everyone who starts following Jesus as a disciple finishes. Not everyone uses their gifts and talents in a way that pleases the Master in the end.

2. This is a big day. Not only will 19 students receive their first communion, but we'll also receive about 40 adults and children as new members of our Holy Cross family. And then, at the most important part of this service, you and I-you 19 students-we will all come together and meet our Master in the bread and wine. We will meet the risen Lord, who told the story I just read from the book of Matthew. The master represents Jesus in this story. The master is preparing to take a trip away from home. He calls in 3 of his slaves and tells them how he wants them to work until he returns. The slaves in the story represent Jesus' disciples throughout all time, which of course includes you and me. And despite our translation-'servant'- slave is actually the word used here in Matthew's language. They're not hired employees who can quit whenever they like. They actually belong to the master. Before the master leaves, he gives each slave a massive gift. A talent was a form of money. Do you know how long it would take an average worker to earn 1 talent? About 20 years. So in today's terms, a talent might be around a million dollars. The master gives one slave 5 million dollars, the next slave 2 million, and the 3rd 1 million. He trusts them enough to give each one a life-savings-sized investment. But he doesn't give the same amount. The master, besides being ridiculously wealthy, knows his slaves well, better than they know themselves. He knows what each can handle. Then master leaves home. The 1st slave bolts out faster than a 6th grader leaving school to start Thanksgiving break. He puts his master's gift to work right away. Over time he makes a profit for his master. He doubles the investment. The 2nd slave does the same. But the 3rd slave wants to play it safe. He buries his treasure like Captain Jack Sparrow. Buried treasure was pretty common in those days. The banks weren't very honest. Hiding your treasure in a homemade time capsule was smart if you want to hold on to what you got. So he buries it and a long time passes.

3. Then, without any warning, without any signs, without any rapture, without any seven-year tribulation, or wars, or natural disasters...the master returns. Without any notice, the end is here. He doesn't even send a text to let them know he's on his way. One day he was gone. The next day he was there calling them to answer for what they've done with his property. The first two seem like they're thrilled to see him. Master, look how your gift has grown. The master is pleased with their work. Great job, good and trustworthy slaves! Notice that he doesn't tell them: "Now you can retire. Now I will take you to my vacation home in the clouds where you can float around forever." No, he says, "Now it's my joy to give you even bigger and better projects and even more responsibility right here, on my property, where you have been working all along." Eternal life isn't the 'after life' in a retirement-home world in the sky. Eternal life is life in this world as God intended it to be from the very beginning. "Enter into your master's joy." What will it be like to hear those words?

4. But as we've already seen, there's a sad pattern with people who belong to Jesus. Not everyone who starts finishes. Not everyone uses their gifts and talents in a way that pleases the master in the end. Keep in mind, this 3rd slave began the story in 'good slave' standing. He is eligible, in every way, for his master's million-dollar trust, just like the other two. Also, keep in mind what he doesn't do. He doesn't waste his master's money. He doesn't go out and buy ton of X-boxes, I-pods, I-tunes and junk food for himself. No, he hides it and then gives it all back when His Lord returns. But instead of praise, he gets rejection. "You evil and lazy slave," says the master. He didn't give the money to let it sit. He gave it so it would produce a profit. This last slave is thrown into the extreme darkness, away from the master's joy, not because he did something bad, but because he didn't do anything at all.

5. You and I belong to Jesus. We're His slaves. When I-as a slave of Jesus-when I am smacked in the face with this story, I come away with two big questions: 1) How do I live my life to please my Master, who could return at any moment? How do I live to please my Master, like the 1st two slaves? 2) How do I not be like the 3rd slave, who got thrown out in the end? These are not small questions. They're a matter of life and death. Jesus' story has a warning more disturbing than an all-night horror movie marathon. Not every slave who starts in good standing ends in good standing. Some get thrown out. Not every disciple, not every church member pleases the Master and enters His joy. Some enter never-ending death. So how do I be like the 1st two slaves and how do I not be like the 3rd? When the Master returns at the end of the story, what will He do with me and my work? What will he do with you and yours? I ask these questions because I want to know, right now, how this story going to end.

6. How's it all going to end? How is it all going to end? The suspense is killing me! Anybody who's read a good book knows what that feels like. A skilled author can write in such a way to perk your curiosity and slowly draw you in so that by the end…you're staying up all night, clenching your teeth, biting your nails, turning page after page after page because you can't wait to read what comes next. The writer gives you just a few details, just a few glimpses of what's to come…and then you're hooked. You've got to keep reading. Let me give you an example of how a well-written book does this: "The baby rolled over inside his blankets without waking up…he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by [his aunt's] scream as she opened the front door…He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter-the boy who lived!" (Rowling, Harry Potter, Book 1, 17). "The boy who lived"… if you've read the Harry Potter books or seen the movies, then you know that the author, J.K. Rowling, has just given you a glimpse of how this 7-book, 4,000 page story is all going to end. You know the story ends in life and joy.

7. You know the end, because the author gives you pre-views along the way. That's called foreshadowing. Foreshadowing brings the future ending into the present. Foreshadowing makes the future a present reality. As a slave of Jesus, I find myself in this life and death story and I need to know how it's going to end. You need to know what the Master is going to say when He returns to meet you. You need a preview. You need a foreshadow. And that's exactly what each one of you will receive in a moment, in your Master's Supper. Here you kneel and meet the Master in advance. Here He gives you His own crucified and risen body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Here He fills you with His Spirit of love and power and gives you a taste of His return, a sip of the end, a glimpse of Your Master's joy.

8. This is what the 3rd slave in the story was missing. He didn't know His master. He thought he knew. He thought his Master was harsh, self-centered, and unforgiving. So he played it safe, dug a hole, buried his gift, so he wouldn't lose anything. But in the end, he lost everything, because He didn't know his Master. But you know Him. He's the one who welcomes you to this table. He invites you to know him every week in this special meal. Come again and again so you never stray away from Him. Come again and again so you'll never forget who He is. Come again and again to find strength to use the multi-million dollar gifts and talents He's given you to do His work while you wait for His return.

9. And what is this work? It's in Matthew chapter 28: make disciples-followers of Jesus-of every man, woman, and child by baptizing them and by guiding them to hold onto everything that the Master has commanded. And that's what we're doing right here in and among the Holy Cross family. Use your gifts and talents here to be disciples and make disciples. It's not just a pastor and vicar job description. It's for all of you. It's not just about preaching and Bible study. It's more than just acquiring knowledge. It's even more than saving souls. Remember, the joy of the Master isn't souls escaping from this physical world for retirement in the sky. Eternal life is life restored in this world as God intended it to be from the very beginning. The reward for work well done is more work on the Master's property, in the Master's joy. Being and making disciples is about being human; being husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and co-workers who follow Jesus and take care of each other-soul and body, spiritually and physically. It's about working in this world. And you know the Master of this world. You know the end. So come, enjoy some supper, and then let's get back to work, because our Master is returning. Amen.

"Children of God"
1 John 3:1-3
November 2, 2008

A group of children were outside playing on the playground at school one day and they started teasing each other, as children often do. But on this day their teasing went a little too far as they started picking on a child who was adopted by saying, "You don't have real parents. You don't even know who your real parents are. You're just adopted." The adopted child then replied, "Oh yeah. Well, when you were born, your parents didn't have a choice. They were stuck with you. They had to keep you. But not mine, my parents wanted me. They picked me."

You are a child of God, because God wanted you. From eternity, God chose you to be his own. Before you were ever born, before you ever had a chance to prove yourself to be a sinner, God chose you to be a member of His family. He made your place in His family possible by carrying out a plan almost 2000 years ago to rescue the world through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Then, in time, God made his choice and his adoption a reality by sending His Spirit into your hearts, so that you would believe in Him and be His child. He put His name on you when you were baptized, (just like He put His name on Sloan this morning.) And that work which began with your baptism God has continued in your heart to this day so that you can say with confidence, "I am a child of God." That's what John says in our second lesson for today.

What's interesting is that John is somewhat stunned that God would consider him to be His child. When John wrote these words he was in his 90s and you would think by then he would have taken it for granted that he was a child of God. After all, he was one of the original 12 disciples, who along with his brother, James, was chosen by Jesus to follow Him. He saw Jesus do some amazing things and he heard many of Jesus' teachings firsthand. He wrote several books of the Bible, including the Gospel of John, this book (1 John), along with 2 & 3 John, and the book of Revelation. The Bible even says that John was "the disciple whom Jesus loved." So why would John, in his 90s be surprised to be called "a child of God?" Maybe, because John knew that he often said or did some foolish and arrogant things in the presence of Jesus. Maybe, because John knew that he had no such birth right, since Adam and Eve fell into sin. The book of Genesis says in chapter 5 that Adam and Eve were made in God's image and God blessed them, but when Adam and Eve had children, they were made in their own likeness, in their own image. Adam had a right to call himself a child of God, since he was made in God's image, but not Adam's children - they were born like Adam, sinful and rebellious. John knew that he had not earned the right to be called a child of God and neither have we. After all, have you always used God's name with respect? Have you always loved your parents and obeyed them? Have you never lost your temper and said something you later regretted? I know I haven't kept any of God's commandments perfectly, so I certainly do not deserve to be God's child.

Yet John says, without a doubt, in verse 1: "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." But what kind of children are we? I'm sure we've all heard the "Toddler's Rules of Ownership" - If I like it, it's mine; if it's in my hand, it's mine; if I'm building something, then all the pieces are mine - all of which describe the selfish nature of children. But toddlers are not the only ones who act in childish ways. Those very same rules could apply to all of us as adults, teenagers, and children alike. Children begin their lives with the world centered around them. An infant does not wake up at 2:00am and think, "I really hate to cry and wake up my parents, because I know they're tired. Maybe I'll go back to sleep for a few hours before I say anything." When an infant wakes up at 2:00am, they are hungry and they want to be fed right away and so they will cry and scream until they get what they want. And yet, adults can act in the same way. When they don't get what they want, they will yell or scream until others give in. They will pick up the phone and spread gossip and criticize other people, and then they will become stubborn.

Every parent has stories about the times when their child learns the word "no" and that becomes their favorite word. A man was walking through the grocery store one day with his son who was screaming "no" to everything he said. As the man walked up and down the aisles, he kept saying over and over, "Don't scream, Kevin. Calm down, Kevin. Don't get excited, Kevin." A lady standing next to him noticed what was happening and said to him, "You should certainly be commended for trying to settle your son, Kevin, in such a calm manner." And the man replied, "Ma'am, I'm Kevin."

Stubbornness is difficult to deal with in a child, but it's even more difficult to deal with when it's a child of God who has an attitude that says, "I know what God's Word says, but I'm not going to listen to it." And yet, despite our stubbornness and our failings, God still loves us. In fact, He has lavished His love on us by giving His only Son, Jesus, who suffered and died for our childish ways. Never once was Jesus stubborn, or selfish, or defiant. He was sent to this world to claim us as His own. Don't ever doubt that for a moment, because if that weren't true, He never would have sent His Son to die for our sins. We are God's children, chosen by Him, and if that is who we are, can you imagine what God has in store for us someday? In verse 2, John invites us to do just that. He says, "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is." There is so much that God has left for our imagination. What will it be like in heaven? Will there be houses and streets and cities? Will there be gardens, trees, and rivers? Will there be tennis courts and golf courses? Will we know everything perfectly? What will my body be like? John says that we are "God's children now, but what we will be has not yet appeared." But there is enough information that we have for us to imagine, as John says that "we will be like God," meaning perfect and holy in every way. We will be like Adam and Eve in the beginning, created in the image of God. Gone will be our sinful thoughts and temptations. Gone will be the guilt and shame we feel when we've failed to do the good God demands and managed to do the evil God forbids. Can you imagine having only pure, peaceful, and happy thoughts in your mind all the time? Can you imagine seeing Jesus face to face?

I'm sure John did a lot of imagining at the end of his life as he was imprisoned on an island. Separated from his friends on a prison island as punishment for preaching the Gospel of Jesus and living in his 90s, I'm sure John thought every day, "Maybe today I will get to see Jesus."

Remember when life is not treating you fairly, when you are struggling with your health, when things seem to be falling apart in your life, remember who you are. You are a child of God, adopted by Him in your baptism; and just like a child often becomes like their parents, we should want to be more like God every day. That's why John writes in verse 3, "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." One of the strangest moments in life is the day that you, as an adult, are talking to your children or to your spouse, and suddenly you hear your mother or father's voice coming out of your mouth. Suddenly, you start saying things that you swore you would never say to your children or your spouse. And it is in those moments that we suddenly realize we have become our parents. Even if we struggle not to be, there will be traits that have been permanently etched into our personalities.

In the same way, as God's spiritual children, as His saints, we become more and more like him every day we make our walk with Him. We keep on purifying ourselves, just as He is pure. What does that mean to "keep on purifying ourselves?" Very simply, we examine ourselves every week here in worship or every day of our lives so that we can see the impurities and our imperfections. We look at what we say and how we act. We look at our feelings, our actions, our attitudes, and desires. Are they godly, holy, or pure? If not, we bring these impurities to God in prayer or at Communion and we claim God's promise that He gives to us, namely as John wrote in Chapter 1 of this book, "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." In humility and thanks, we determine to rid our lives of our sins. And if we are unsuccessful today, we try again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. And even if we are not able to be like God in every way, we don't worry, because God has promised (as we heard in our baptismal liturgy) never to leave us. And we know that one day, when we are with Him in heaven, we shall be just like Him and see Him as he is.

Today as we rejoice in the fact that we are God's children, we remember the example of those who have faithfully departed this world to be with our Lord, and we reflect upon the life that we have been called to live as God's children - a life filled with worship, praise, and service to God and to others.