June 28, 2009 Sermon

The Gold Coins
Luke 19:11-27

I quote from an obituary by Patricia Sullivan that appeared in last Sunday's Washington Post: “Each night for 24 years, Emma Daniel Gray would diligently clean the White House. When she came to the president's chair, she would pause, cleaning materials in hand, and say a quick prayer...The prayers asked for blessings, wisdom and safety for each of the six presidents she served.” Ms. Gray particularly liked President Carter, because she felt he prayed a lot. Jesus told a parable with the message that we must do all we can with whatever we have received from God. Emma Gray did a great deal with what God gave her.

She started cleaning rooms in the federal Executive Office building in 1943, so long ago her official job title was “charwoman”. Eventually she received a transfer to the White House, “because of her excellent work habits,” said one of her daughters, Lillie Collins. “It wasn't just her work, it was her character...She was a lady, a Christian lady.” Emma was born in 1914 in South Carolina. Her grandfather, a former slave, raised her. “He was sold three times,” she told a local newspaper ten years ago. “He paid his boss twenty cents to learn to read, and when he could read he loved the Ten Commandments so much they called him 'Uncle Ten'.” Emma married and had six children. When she died on June 8 she had become the matriarch over six generations. Her pastor called her generous in every way, “spiritually, emotionally and financially. She preached her own eulogy by the life she lived.”

he Post published a photograph of Emma Gray shaking hands with President Carter. Though quite short, she looks him directly, even joyfully in the eye. Mr. Carter appears genuinely respectful of his cleaning lady. Which leads us to Jimmy Carter. Whatever you may think of his political career, have we had a more sincerely Christian president? If Emma Gray preached her own eulogy with her manner of life, Jimmy Carter has written his autobiography with his. Upon leaving the Oval Office, he resumed teaching a weekly Sunday school class. He has devoted countless hours to Habitat for Humanity. Not for him, however, the photo opportunity where the politician who clearly does not know which end of the hammer to hold poses while wearing a hard hat two sizes too big even for his inflated head. No—Jimmy Carter has served Habitat in every conceivable way, from wielding a nail gun to fund raising to helping organize massive blitz builds like the one here in Michigan a few years ago.

Jesus told his parable of the gold coins to urge his followers to use the gifts God gives them. Use what God gives you.

Our passage opens with the words, “As they were listening to this...” Listening to what? Listening to Jesus converse with Zaccheus, a hated tax collector. Mobs had started following Jesus. Zaccheus wanted to see him pass by, but as a short man he had to climb a sycamore tree to do it. Jesus noticed him up there and called him with the words, “Zaccheus hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Zaccheus, delighted, responded by promising to give half of his considerable wealth to the poor. Jesus stated that salvation had come to Zaccheus.

Whom would we moderns despise as completely as those Jews following Jesus despised this tax collector? Perhaps a convicted child molester, or (for his victims at least) Bernie Madoff, the investment guru under indictment for defrauding thousands of clients out of an estimated 65 billion dollars. The Romans recruited tax collectors from among the populations they oppressed. The Jews viewed men like Zaccheus as traitors against their own kind. They were corrupt and greedy. Why would Jesus want to stay in this man's home? He answered, “I came to seek out and to save the lost.” In response Zaccheus gave generously from the treasure he had stolen from the people. Yet Jesus rewarded him with salvation not because of the treasure, but because of the faith that motivated its gift.

Jesus told his parable of the gold coins after his encounter with Zaccheus and—Luke points out—because he knew his own death loomed. He was “near Jerusalem”. Immediately following these verses Luke will alert us that Jesus, “went up to Jerusalem.” Jesus knew the cross awaited him in that city. Luke comments that Jesus also told this parable in part “because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” Jesus would have to “go away” (die) in order for the kingdom to continue to break into this world. The nobleman in his parable represents Jesus. Both went to a “far country” (for Jesus, this earth). Both were hated by their “subjects”. (Remember the reaction Jesus just got when he reached out to Zaccheus.) Both gifted their followers and both expected a return on those gifts.

When we read the parable of the gold coins we tend to focus on the unfair way we feel the nobleman treated his servants. Why should the guy who already has ten coins get even more? Why should the guys who took risks with their master's money get rewarded, while the guy who made certain he preserved his capital get punished? We could shrug it off with the old adage that every parent uses. Life is not fair. On a deeper level, we do not worship a fair God. We worship a just God. We worship a God who gifts us and expects us to use those gifts in the service of the kingdom.

If somebody gave us ten coins and told us to do business with them until he returned, what would we do? The more pious among us might take one coin, or one-tenth, and give it to the church. The more daring among us might invest the remainder—though given today's markets that might not prove wise. The more cautious among us would likely salt those coins away in a savings account. Perhaps they would not earn much interest, not when the master might return at any moment and the banks practically make us pay them interest these days, but you get the picture. Does Jesus really want us to go all Bernie Madoff on him? Are we supposed to take outrageous risks with what Jesus gives us?

No, the point of the parable of the gold coins is that we are to use the gifts God gives us. At the level of the church, we must use the gifts God has given to us to promote the ministry of the corporate body. We must give to spread the Good News through our congregation. Please, attend our brainstorming event Tuesday night. Tell us how you see the Northern Lakes Community Church might use the gifts of its members to grow its ministry. What do other churches do well that we might want to imitate? What vision might God have given you for a creative, new ministry? Please come to church at 7:00 p.m. two nights hence.

And how has God gifted you to serve as an individual? The Obama administration has named Ed Whitacre to become the new chairman of the board at General Motors. Mr. Whitacre retired two years ago from his position as CEO of AT&T. He received a retirement payout of about $158 million. He had led the corporation through a series of mergers and acquisitions that took its capitalization from $22 billion in 1990 to a peak valuation last year of $234 billion. Mr. Whitacre is a gruff Texan with a low drawl and the nickname Big Ed (he stands 6'4”). He and his wife Linda have two daughters. The older girl, Jessica, was one of our daughter Laura's first babysitters.

Ed Whitacre and his family belonged to the church I served as Associate Pastor. They attended regularly. Jessica and Jennifer, their daughters, actively participated in our youth ministry. I do not wish to imply that Ed and I are buddies. He knew my name twenty years ago. He would not know me now. Back in the day we did a series of youth meetings on vocation, on finding your God-given calling. Vocation involves your job, but it is really about your whole life. We brought in a variety of people to speak to the youth on that topic, Ed Whitacre among them. He told the youth that his job as chair of Southwestern Bell was to make money for the stockholders. Period. But his calling was to use the mind and the character God had given him to live a life that would glorify Jesus. I don't mind having a guy like that take charge at GM.

Jesus told a parable that urged his followers to use their gifts to serve the kingdom of God. Everybody has gifts. Cleaning ladies have gifts. CEOs have gifts. You have gifts. Your gifts include your personality, your interests, your strengths, the things that bring you joy and fulfillment. Use them. We discover our gifts in all kinds of ways, but the two most common techniques are prayer and peers. Pray that God might show you your gifts. Pray that God might show you where and how to use them. Then, stay alert for ways God may answer your prayers. You may experience an unexpected rekindling of an old interest. You may find yourself drawn toward serving a person in need of something you can supply. Pray and listen for a sense of direction in using your gifts.
Peers see us as we cannot see ourselves. One excellent way to learn any important thing about ourselves is to ask somebody we trust to tell us the truth about us. Seek out trusted, wise peers. Ask them to pray and to reflect on what gifts they see in you. Listen to what they have to say.

Learn how you are gifted. Use those gifts. Jesus has gifted us all. He expects us to return those gifts, with interest. Give. Give yourself. Give yourself through the church. Use what God gives you.