First Baptist Church of White Plains
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Faith Community
    • Our Staff
    • Friends & Partners
    • Contact & Directions
  • Media
    • Publications
    • Photo Galleries
    • Facebook Page
  • Visit
    • Welcome to First Baptist
    • Recent Sermons
    • Weddings
    • Rentals
  • Ministries
    • Mustard SEEDS Collective
    • Food Co-op
    • David Manierre Scholarship Fund
  • Pastor's Blog

Pastor's Blog

The High Risk Venture of Faith

11/16/2020

0 Comments

 
I preached on Jesus’ parable of the “Talents” this past Sunday (Matthew 25:14-30). This is that famous story where “the Master” leaves town, but before he does, he gives over his “talents” (or large amounts of money) to three of his servants. One gets five talents, another gets two talents and the third gets one talent. After a long time, the master returns and inquiries about his talents that he entrusted to the servants. The first two have doubled their talents while the third servant had dug a hole and buried his talent to keep it safe and returned it back to the master. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Jesus is telling this story during his own high risk venture in the week leading up to his arrest, torture and execution. You see, he is the master of the story and is about to “leave”. He is imparting to his disciples his “talents” of a powerful and radical message of love and compassion, forgiveness and justice. The problem with the third servant’s response is that he didn’t share, invest, or take any risks with the talent he was given. Faith is a risk taking venture. He didn’t do that, he buried it similar to their burial of Jesus on that Friday.

The greatest risk, as it turns out in the parable and in the life of faith, is to not risk anything at all! What if the first two servants had lost their talents? Of course, Jesus doesn’t tell the story this way, but even if it was, I can’t imagine that the master would be angry with them – he might have even applauded their efforts. This parable is not about a prosperity gospel where God blesses people with wealth, but about what Jesus hopes and expects from his followers after he is gone from this world. He doesn’t want us to play it safe. He wants us to get out there and use the gifts we have already been given to invest in the reign of God in our world. Notice, we don’t know how the first two servants doubled their talents, but that is also instructive because there is no one way to participate in the Kingdom of God, but as many ways as there are people. We are freed to use our gifts and collaborate with the master to invest faithfully. Faith is a high risk venture, but incredibly liberating. This parable is inviting us to the high-risk adventure of being a servant of Christ. Let’s invest in God, together!

Pastor Tim

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About Tim

    I'm a follower of Christ, husband, father, friend, pastor, story teller, asker of questions, inspired by biblical narratives, social justice advocate, sports enthusiast, drinker of over priced coffee and general seeker of God's redemptive possibilities. Yeah, that about covers it. (If you discover something else, let me know!)

    Archives

    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    April 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    October 2019
    November 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

​First Baptist Church of White Plains
456 North Street
White Plains, NY 10605
​Phone: 914.949.5207
Fax: 914.949.5208
Email:
fbcwp@optimum.net
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Faith Community
    • Our Staff
    • Friends & Partners
    • Contact & Directions
  • Media
    • Publications
    • Photo Galleries
    • Facebook Page
  • Visit
    • Welcome to First Baptist
    • Recent Sermons
    • Weddings
    • Rentals
  • Ministries
    • Mustard SEEDS Collective
    • Food Co-op
    • David Manierre Scholarship Fund
  • Pastor's Blog