Title: Life of a Waiter
Contents
The text is a parable. In this parable, the type of life of the servants who were entrusted with a certain life task from the master while the master was away to a foreign country is depicted. In other words, it is a parable where the responsibility is given to the servants during the time the master returns, and the master returns and asks for the responsibility. The theme of Advent is 'waiting'. It is not simply waiting, but with what kind of hope and what kind of life we are waiting for.
In this parable, there are two types of life of waiting. The first one received five talents, the second one received two talents, and the other one received one talent. Here, the person who received the five dalat and the person who received the two talents are positive types who are faithful to their responsibilities. And the one who received the remaining one talent is the unfaithful negative type. The analogy focuses more on the negative than on the positive.
In this parable, when the master leaves for a foreign country, the talent left with his servants is a type of currency used at that time. In this parable, talents do not mean money, but rather the gifts of God entrusted to the servants according to their abilities. That gift could be talent, salvation, the gospel, or goods.
Looking back at the parable, when the master left for a foreign country, he summoned three servants and left each with five talents to one, two talents to the next, and one dalat to the other according to their abilities. The one who received the five talents and the one who received the two talents traded with them and each left a boat. But the one who had received the one talent went and dug a hole and hid it. When the time came, the master returned and set an account with them. The two who left the boat were praised and rewarded by the owner, and the one who left one talent intact was severely punished.
Jesus used this parable to remind his disciples of the need for responsibility and creativity as they live their lives awaiting the kingdom of God in this world, shortly before the time when Jesus himself would pass away. If your religious life is wrong, it can lead to a passive life that is too preoccupied with self-righteousness and self-security. In doing so, he becomes far from the kingdom of God and runs the risk of losing even the gifts he has already received. The crisis of the kingdom of God lies in passiveness.
Such was the false teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. Rather than teaching a creative life and responsibility for realizing love for God and neighbor, which are the fundamental spirits of the law, we have been teaching a passive life that pursues only one's own righteousness and safety. Such a religious life bears no fruit. In the kingdom of God, an active and creative life is required with what we have received from God. What I received from such an attitude of life
You will not lose it, and you will experience the joy of the kingdom of God more fully.
In the parable, it is said, “To everyone who has will be given and have an abundance, but from anyone who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Those who live here are the ones who left their ships with the talents they received from their masters, and those who do not have the talents they received from their masters are passive people who do nothing. Such a person will be deprived of what has already been given.
When we actively and creatively practice what we hear in the field of life and give love in our life of faith, we become more confident in God and experience richer in our faith. Otherwise, when you end up hearing the word of truth and live only for yourself, your confidence in the kingdom of God will be weakened and your faith will fall into stagnation.
Because God is the Creator, we encounter Him as an active participant in His creative action and become certain of what we have already heard and learned.
This principle is confirmed not only in matters of faith, but also in the talents found in a person's growth. Even a person who has excellent talent in performing arts from birth is useless if he does not continuously develop and hone it. However, if you continuously develop and hone it and use it for other people and society, your talent will shine even more. If you bury the talent God has given you, it will disappear. It can be replaced by saying that it is taken away. Talents are given by God for creative life. The creative life is expressed through God-given talents.
In the parable, there is an important message related to the problem of responsibility and creation, which is the life attitude of those who wait for the kingdom of God.
First, what is required in the kingdom of God is the discovery of what God has given to each of us. It is not the amount of talents that is at issue in the parable. Again, it's not a question of quantity. God does not require of anyone what he does not have. What God requires is whether you have done your best with what you have already received.
The best you can do is when you find value for yourself. Otherwise, it will be buried. When you realize the value of your own, you are freed from envying or comparing yourself to others. The inner problems that plague us are frustration, envy, and jealousy compared to others. Even in the Bible, these issues are taken very seriously. The way out of that is when you discover the value of your own thing, value it, and have something unique to boast about, you can live happily with the little things. The creative life is not an imitation or imitation. It is about discovering one's own and expressing it creatively.
A young painter went through newspapers with his illustrations, but was rejected each time. Some newspaper editors openly criticized him as having no talent. But the artist never doubted his talent. So he didn't give up and went to more media outlets.
Finally he was able to get a job as an illustration for a Church publication. Having rented a cheap garage, he lived with mice and continued to paint in the hope that someone would buy him his work. One day, while on the job, he saw a mouse running around in the garage and was greatly inspired. As a result, he was able to create an animal character named Mickey Mouse. That's how Walt Disney became a legend.
The next requirement in the kingdom of God is faithfulness. In the parable, the reward for those who received the five or two talents was that the master would entrust them with more work and enjoy joy with the master. The master did not praise the amount of talent left by the servant, but praised him for his faithfulness.
Sincerity relates to honesty. In our society, if you are honest, you will lose a lot and lose a lot, as our motto in life. So I try to deceive and hide it as much as possible. As a result, our relationships in life are always turbulent and almost nothing out of the ordinary. Not so in the kingdom of God. In the kingdom of God, we can live a richer life when we are honest in our relationship with God, ourselves, and our neighbors. Honesty in the biblical sense is a degree of spiritual maturity. Without spiritual maturity, it is difficult to participate in the joy of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God belongs to the honest. Excuses, evasion of responsibility, and resentment cause us to miss the opportunities and gifts that God gives us.
When our first child was in his third year of high school, there were so many complaints and excuses. I understood that such a negative image of my son was an action that came from the mental burden that came from studying hard at school and not being able to do everything the way I thought it would. Nevertheless, I thought it would do nothing if I left it as it is, so I called him and scolded him very harshly. I wanted him to get out of that way of life rather than get into a good college. Since then, he has reflected and changed a lot in his attitude towards life. Of course, I went to college.
Finally, what is required in the kingdom of God is adventure. The problem with the one who received one talent was not that he lost the talent he had received from his master, but that he did not venture with it even if he lost it. What God requires is not speculation stemming from greed for material things. It demands an adventure towards the meaning and purpose of life. "Life is an adventure directed by God," said Dr. Paul Tournier.
We are always tempted to refuse to take risks and to be complacent with what we already have. The reason we reject adventures is that there are so many fears and risks involved. But one thing to know is that when we venture, we are not alone, we are with God. Because God is adventurous, we engage in his adventures and meet him in a new way.
When God appeared to Abraham and asked for the adventure of life, if Abraham had refused it, he would not have the blessed future God had promised him. Abraham believed in God and went on an adventure. The road was very difficult and difficult. There were many risks. Abraham showed the fragility of man on the road of his adventure. However, he made a mistake because he ventured out in the faith of obedience to God, but God eventually led him from one event to another to reach the destination God intended.
In the course of that adventure, I made many mistakes, there were agony and sleepless nights, and there were deep doubts and frustrations. In the midst of this, I was able to confirm the guidance of God more.
Human life is an adventure. Life is a constant adventure towards new meaning and purpose in spite of dangers and difficulties.
However, those who believe in God do not go on that adventure alone, but with God. God guides us through our failures and mistakes, even in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity. Biblical adventures have several characteristics.
* Adventure is a form of creative expression for those who believe in God.
* Adventure is original, not imitation.
* Adventures are united in the pursuit of one end goal.
* The goal of the adventure is love. It is love that suggests a goal, and it is love that sustains the course of the adventure.
* The adventure is at your own risk.
Dear brothers and sisters, the God who has allowed our present life will come to an end with us someday. Without it, our lives are truly meaningless. It is not the amount of talents that God requires of us at the time of settlement.
God asks of us, have you found the value of what God has given you, have you been honest, have you ventured?
Then we must have something to answer to God.
Finally, I will close the sermon by introducing a poem titled "The Prayer of a Graduate".
Lord, I have gained a little knowledge
use wisely
this world I live in
make it a better place
show me that way
a troubled life
Do you want to live more meaningfully?
give me faith and courage
Plant purpose in my days
to bear the greatest fruit
Show me the way to serve you
all my learning and knowledge and skills
learn to do your will
May it bear true fruit
when i do all my work
always make me aware
Knowledge comes from learning
Wisdom comes from you... …
H. S. Rice