Good and Faithful, or Wicked and Lazy?

This week was the second of three sermons looking at Matthew and the topic of preparing to wait.  Another one of my least favorites, the Parable of the Talents.  Ugh.  Another parable that goes against everything I learned.  

I have been thinking long and hard about the difference between the three servants.  Why did the first two decided to invest the money, while the third one hid it?  Since there is no comment about their individual abilities, I have to assume their circumstances were similar.  Although he sees them as having different levels of ability, the master trusts all three equally.  They begin the "challenge" on even footing.

The difference is not in how the master sees them, but in how they see the master.  The first two servants do not appear to fear the master.  They took what they had been given and acted.  The third not only lacked the faith and confidence to attempt to act, he was paralyzed by his fear.  At this point I want to start making excuses for him (me), but I know it won't do any good.  The third servant not only let fear prevent him from acting, it prevented him from having any kind of relationship with his master.

That really hit home for me.  Having been raised in a hell-fire-brimstone church, I was sure that God was always ready to punish, and I would never be "good enough."  It has been a struggle to work through that and find a loving God.  It's like the struggle to see setbacks and obstacles in life as opportunities.  I know from personal experience that how you see God shapes your relationship with God and also your actions (or inaction).  I do understand why the third servant hid the talent.

But, at the end of the day the message I'm getting in this study is that we are expected to use what has been given to us to further the work of God.  The kingdom is here, and not yet.  We must work to create communities that reflect and allow a peek at the kingdom yet to come. When we use what we have been given - creating communities of love, justice, compassion, welcome, peace - we demonstrate our faith in a loving and just God in unmistakeable actions.  Guess I had better get busy...  After all, I need to be responsible for getting myself ready, while I'm waiting.