Sermon for 7/4/10: "Risking It All" (Ruth 1:1-19-Favorite Things Summer Worship Series)

"Risking It All" 

Sermon for 7/4/10

Favorite Things Summer Worship Series

John Hus Communion

Ruth 1:1-19a; Mark 8:34-38

Let us prepare our hearts and pause in prayer from a hymn from Hus's time:

The Word of God, which ne're shall cease,

Proclaims free pardon, grace and peace,

Salvation shows in Christ alone,

The perfect will of God makes known.[1]

Life is full of choices, and many of our choices involve risks.  Big risks, small risks--risk comes in different shapes and sizes.  As I spent time this week thinking about the book of Ruth, the Independence day celebrations, and the celebration of John Hus, I was struck by the connections around risk.  They differ on many parts of the stories, but the connections are certainly there.  All three stories from our history have taken on a fairy tale or mythic quality, and these stories live on as we look at them again and again through the years.

The book of Ruth, like Jonah we touched on a few weeks ago, is short and deserves to be viewed as a whole story.  Due to space constraints and copyright laws, I couldn't print the whole thing in the bulletin today, but I invite you to re-read it sometime soon to relive the tale of widows trying to survive in a patriarchal society.  A story of food and family, gleaning and goodness from others and from God.  Naomi and her husband had left Bethlehem years before in search of food--ironic since Bethlehem means "House of Bread," and they ended up in Moab.  Ruth and Orpah married Naomi's sons, and all three men died.  The famine was over, and so Naomi is heading back home. Ruth and Orpah reached a fork in the road and had to make a choice. Go home to their families, or follow their Mother-in-law and take a risk.  Orpah followed directions.  Ruth took a risk.

Journeying as women without men around in that culture was unheard of, and for Ruth to leave behind her culture, her family, and her old life to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem was a huge risk.  She likely had to learn a new language, new customs, new traditions, new holidays, new foods, new everything.  She was willing to take the risk and set out on the journey with Naomi. We can't overlook or belittle Orpah as we praise Ruth for journeying with Naomi.  After all, most of us probably can relate to Orpah more closely.  We choose to stay where things are easy, or at least where things make sense.  The culture isn't foreign, we don't have to learn a new language, and our family is in the area.  It looks like Orpah made the right decision, or at least the easy decision. Scripture doesn't tell us what happened to Orpah.

For Ruth and Naomi, the risk worked out well for them. Ruth decides to follow not only Naomi, but believe in Naomi's God--Yahweh--The Lord Almighty. For Ruth and Naomi, we do know details about their story.  Spoiler Alert--Ruth ended up meeting Boaz, having a child, and becoming Great-Grandmother to King David and thus a distant relative of Jesus.  In fact, Ruth is one of only 4 women named in Matthew's Gospel in Jesus' lineage-a high honor indeed.  A stranger in a strange land ended up being in a royal family and relative to the Messiah.  For Ruth, the risk paid off.

With today being July 4th, I can't help but think of another group whose risk paid off.  The 4th of July now days is about food, fireworks, and fun.  The writers of the Declaration of Independence took a huge risk in trying to break away from England.  These renegade colonies were not seen favorably, and England was willing to fight for what they felt was their rightful land.  The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were committing treason, and were not making friends with the government at the time. I heard folks talking on the radio the other day about the early signers and the risk they took.  I don't often stop and think about that risk, because we know how the ending works out.  But they could not benefit from our 20/20 Hindsight, so they were risking their lives, their careers, and their families to stand up for what they thought was right.  They had to follow their conscience, and the risk paid off. 

For John Hus, or Jan Hus as he is also known, he took a risk as well, but whether it paid off for him comes with your perspective.  Hus grew up in what is today the Czech Republic, and though he was from a peasant family, was able to attend Charles University in Prague.  He ended up becoming a lecturer at the University, and later Rector.  He developed an interest in theology and was ordained to the Priesthood.  The church was fraught with controversy in the early 1400s, and Hus spoke out against the problems like the selling of indulgences.  He also preached in Czech, the language of the people, instead of Latin, the language of the church.  He believed that all church members should be allowed to receive both the cup and the bread during Communion instead of the cup only for the priests--a practice that was common at that time.  He felt that he could help bring reforms to the church and was willing to stand up for what he believed was what God wanted. 

Hus preached and spoke out against the church and leadership, and the church got more and more upset with him.  In 1415 he was invited to the Council of Constance, and was promised safe passage and return for his journey.  He took the risk and journeyed to Constance, where he was thrown in jail, convicted of heresy, and burned at the stake on July 6th, 1415 after he refused to recant on his beliefs.  Hus became a martyr for his beliefs, and his followers founded the Unity of the Brethren church in 1457, from which we trace our history as Moravians.  July 6th is a major holiday in the Czech Republic today.  It is a date Moravians remember by celebrating Communion--partaking both the bread and cup all these 500+ years later.  Hus' risk resulted in his untimely death, but it also resulted in a denomination that has spread throughout the world and he helped bring about reforms in the Catholic church as well.  Was his risk worth it?  I believe so.  But here again, our 20/20 Hindsight provides a viewpoint he didn't have. 

As we prepare to receive Communion today, we think back to all the saints--these spiritual forefathers and foremothers who came before us, paving the way and forging the paths for us to follow today.  They took risks to stand up for what they believed in, and we have what we have today thanks to their choices.  We also ultimately give thanks to Christ for the risks he took.  We hear his call to follow in the path he set forward through his life, death, and resurrection.  We hear his call to step out in faith and be his disciples, even when the road we travel calls us to take up our cross and follow-to take the risk. We think of Ruth who risked learning a new language and culture to follow the God that she had come to know and love.  We think of the early patriots who risked livelihood and family to live where they could practice their faith and life as they felt led to do.  We think of John Hus who choose death over recanting his beliefs, and his followers, the early Unity of the Brethren, who hid in forests and risked death to receive the cup and bread, and share their faith in their own language. 

We think about our own lives where God is calling us to follow as disciples, to risk the tough choices, and to stand up for what we believe is right.  We don't know where our journey will lead, but we know God goes before us and with us, and sustains us along the path.  Our Lord risked it all, and invites us to do the same.  May we all be willing to stand up for what we believe is right and follow wherever God leads.  Will you take the risk?  Amen.

[1] Allen W. Schattschneider and Albert H. Frank, Through Five Hundred Years and Beyond: A Popular History of the Moravian Church (Bethlehem, PA: IBOC, 2009) 13. This hymn was a rebel song from the 15th Century.

"Risky Business" (11/16/08, Proper 28A/Pentecost +27)

"Risky Business"
Proper 28A (Pentecost +27A)
Sermon from 11-16-08
Matthew 25:14-30; Psalm 90:1-8, 12


Please join me in praying the prayer Jesus taught us to pray: The Lord's Prayer (found on page 4 in the Blue Book of Worship if you need to read along).

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, power and glory forever and ever. Amen."


This week sitting in my office was risky as I was tempted, oh SO tempted by the smells wafting through the hallway-it was RISKY being in the building with hundreds of pans of fresh-baked sugar cake. It was sugar-cake-baking-week here and BOY DID IT SMELL GOOD. All those ooey, gooey pans of dough, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter--what's not to LOVE! I walked through the fellowship hall once or twice and it was all I could do to resist snatching a fresh baked, still-hot-from-the-oven sugar cake square.

Our scripture passage this morning from Matthew's Gospel is often referred to as the Parable of the Talents. I would guess it is difficult passage to understand for most of us, and there are so many different parts to examine and look at to try to interpret what Jesus is saying here. I often find it helpful to look at other translations to gain insight and would like to share another version of this story with you from The Message. Eugene Peterson, the translator, entitles it "A Story about Investment". We pick up the story when the master meets back with the third servant in verse 24.

24-25"The servant given one said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'

26-27"The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

28-30"'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.'

Strong words for sure--Living safe, cautious lives is a "terrible way to live." There are so many different angles we can take with this story--this parable--this fable to teach us a lesson that is important for us to learn. These statements about not living cautiously are what really jumped out at me this week. To follow Jesus means not living cautiously--Christianity is risky business.

The three servants were given talents from the master. Then the master left. A talent in those days was an amount of money. One talent was equal to the money a day laborer would earn after working 15-20 years. ONE TALENT took 15-20 years to earn--that's a huge amount of money--about a half million dollars or more in today's terms. And it's interesting that our contemporary word talent as a gift or ability comes from this parable. As I looked at this story over, I kept wondering what was the difference in the master's reaction to the first two servants and the third servant. In order for the two servants to double their money, they must have done something where that money was used and thus its value doubled. This gain could not have come without risk. The servants likely doubled their money with wise investments, not foolish wagering.

Steve and I were watching TV the other evening when the silly game show "Cash Cab" came on the Discovery Channel. The contestants answered trivia questions while riding in a cab through New York City, and at the end of their trip they had a video bonus question where they risked their whole winnings in order to have a chance to answer the final question. IF they got it right, their money doubled. If they got it wrong, they lost everything. I'm not sure how Jesus would feel about comparing the parable to a TV game show, but the contestants did remind me of the servants. Two of the groups risked everything and ended up doubling their money. One group decided that what they had won was enough and did not risk what they had been given. Double or nothing is high stakes, but the winners felt that risky business was worth it. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you think game show investing is really a good risk or not.

This Parable of the Talents is sometimes referred to as a "kingdom parable" because it is dealing with the way we are to live in this world in order to help bring about God's kingdom here on earth. Christians, I believe, are called to be kingdom-workers in our world. We are to be agents of change to make our world a better place for everyone--"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." Jesus empowers his disciples in the church to do his work here, and His work often involves risk. I might even venture to say it always involves risk. How many of you thought it was risky to show up here this morning? Who thinks it is risky to be a Christian or walk through the doors of the church? In some parts of the world, showing up for church and being Christian is more risky, literally, than it is here today because of persecutions of Christians, burning of church buildings, or having to worship underground to survive.

But there is risk here too. We are called to be in relationship with one another. Relationships are tough sometimes--friendships are tough sometimes--families sometimes DO NOT make life easier. When we open ourselves up to be vulnerable with one another in community, there is always the risk of being hurt or rejected. We are called to care, share, and love... befriend the friend-less, lift-up the hope-less, and love the unlovable. None of these activities is easy, and none comes without risk: risking ourselves, our talents, our gifts, and our money to make the world more like a little piece of heaven here on earth.

Even from our earliest days, we must risk to survive. We watch children striving to walk, knowing that they will learn some day, and watch them risk one step then the next, finally letting go of our hands and seeing their risk pay off. Risks are part of life, and are certainly part of life in the church. Ralph Winter, a researcher, said, "Risks are not to be evaluated by the probability of success, but by the value of the goal." ["Risk" in McHenry's Quips, Quotes, & Other Notes, compiled by Raymond McHenry (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishing, 1998) 215.] Our goal, as I see it, is to create a culture of stewardship where everyone is willing to risk whatever it takes to accomplish the mission and ministry that God has called Raleigh Moravian to do.

It may be very hard to hear about risks right now for most of us. Having just come through a fierce election season with much fear-based advertising, many of us are probably still weary. Turning on the news is almost sure to cause some anxiety. With the state of the economy where it is right now and knowing that so many have lost so much in the stock market, or wherever else, risk might be the farthest thing on your mind. You would rather play it safe, because risk seems too risky. We know from the parable that the fear of failure or loss was the thing that caused the third servant to bury his money in the ground. He was paralyzed with fear. The risk was too great, he thought, and wasn't worth it. Sometimes the risk isn't worth it. I believe many of us would agree that there are good risks and not-so-good risks and our lists might differ. It is important in any situation like we are in today to evaluate what is worth the risk while looking at the greater picture of God's kingdom.

What is worth taking a risk? What is the goal? Why do we put ourselves out on a limb? Is it because Jesus promises that the reward is great--to hear "Well done, Good and trustworthy servant." To know that there will be reward thought we might not see it in this life--to risk is tough, but it is the only thing we can do. The call of Jesus to risk it all was followed by his example of his own life. He suffered death on the cross for the risks he took, and he knew that going in. His reward was eternal, and our reward is the same.

As a child on Thursday evenings I was allowed to watch The Cosby Show. Cliff Huxtable, aka Bill Cosby, was notorious for sneaking frosting, slices of cake, potato chips, or whatever he could while the family wasn't watching. I almost felt like Cliff this past week with all the sugar cakes sitting on the counters. In a very small way, Cliff Huxtable risked when he took a piece of cake from whatever goodie was on the counter. The Cosby show was good and won numerous awards over the 8 seasons it ran from 1984-1992. Looking back on the successful show today, I doubt any of us would understand the risk that was involved in NBC deciding to air the show back in 1984. The network ABC rejected The Cosby Show before NBC finally decided to air it. In a bigger way, NBC took a risk and reaped much benefit from airing the show that had been previously rejected. They went out on a limb, so to speak, and were glad they did. How can we go out on a limb for God?

It is my hope that we can all support one another to be risk-takers. It is not always the easy road. There can be difficulties along the way. But I believe we can start small and take the baby steps together to learn to walk without holding on to the furniture.
So what are you willing to do?
Which type of servant are you?
Are we willing to be risk-takers together?
What might that look like here at Raleigh Moravian?

The risks differ for everyone, just as our comfort zones differ. They can involve our time, talents, and treasures.

For some people, risk might mean joining the band or choir or singing a solo of Morning Star for Christmas Eve lovefeast.

Risk might be joining the youth at the homeless shelter one Sunday morning to hand out clothing and sing with them.

Or risk might mean going on a mission trip for the first time this spring or summer. For those who have gone to Mississippi or Laurel Ridge, risk might mean taking another trip this year to serve in a different capacity.

For others risk might mean inviting a visitor to lunch after church or a church member you barely know over to dinner one evening.

Risk might include inviting a friend from school to come to MYF one week or asking that neighbor you see across the fence to the Candle Tea on December 6th or congregational lovefeast on December 21st as an introduction to Raleigh Moravian.

Still others might see a risk as increasing their pledge to the church this year despite the looming economy, or pledging for the first time to help out the ministry and mission of the church in the world.

And still others might think about risk in terms of participating in a small bible study or prayer group as we look to forming those in the near future.

As one of my favorite authors, Shane Claiborne, writes in The Irresistible Revolution, quoting his college professor, "'Being a Christian is about choosing Jesus and deciding to do something incredibly daring with your life.' [Shane says,] I decided to take him up on that challenge." (The Irresistible Revolution, page 18) Are you up to the challenge? After all, it's Risky Business. Let's go do something daring together! Amen.

Please pray with me:
Lord, help us to daily choose You and risk wisely to help bring about your kingdom here on earth. Amen. So be it.