October 3, 2021
…for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow….- Luke 19:21
As we enter into the month of October, we will be focusing on prayer. Specifically, I hope you will all begin to pray about the projects and campaign that will begin today with our Town Hall Meeting, and an emphasis to “Revitalize for New Growth.”
We will begin our prayer focus with an unfamiliar version of a common story in the Bible. We may very well be accustomed to the story in Matthew, the Parable of the 10 talents. In Luke’s gospel (Luke 19:11-27) We here a similar yet vastly different idea on the story. In this particular telling, Jesus is about to enter into Jerusalem, the be coordinated, as King, though not in a worldly sense. Before entering Jesus tells those who are following him, the story of 10 servants each receiving a Mina, or sum of the master’s wealth. The master is on his way to become king, but some already do not like this man who is to become king. Still, this wealthy man becomes king, then returns and calls in the servants to show what they had done with this gift, this blessing given to them by the master.
One servant has brought back 10 fold (10 times) from his master’s gift. One has brought back 5 fold, and then there is the servant who did nothing more but keep this gift of the mina safe.
The emphasis of this parable with Jesus about to enter Jerusalem is that if we are to believe and accept that Jesus is King, we are expected to take risks with the blessings we have received. We are expected to believe in the Master’s authority that if we work with what we have, and work to enhance and grow it, we will be blessed even more.
There is a fine line we must walk between taking risk and being good stewards, we want to see the blessings of God increase, and we desire to do what pleases the Lord, but we must weigh the cost with our faithful prayers. We learn from the parable that the servants are held accountable, yet all investments made in faithful service to God should be seen as pleasing to God. It is a call to believe in God’s faithfulness in the trying. In believing with faith that if we invest in God’s work, God will lead us to success for the building of his kingdom, now and always.
Let us begin our prayers for the future of St. Mark, prepared to have faith, and prepared to invest for a great tomorrow for the glory of God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to understand that because I am a steward of all your resources that are entrusted to me, I am also accountable for how I share them. Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Sam