Wednesday, April 22, 2026

“Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.” (Luke 15: 8 – 10, The Message Bible)

              Yesterday, I had one fleeting moment of panic and distress.  I thought I had lost the last piece of my 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. I had all the other 999, but the last piece was missing. The picture would be forever incomplete if I couldn’t find that one, missing piece. I had spent hours and hours in putting together this very difficult and challenging puzzle. But it would feel almost meaningless if I couldn’t find that last piece. I was willing to scour every corner in the apartment to find it, looking in every nook and cranny. But fortunately, I looked behind my chair and there it was on the floor. The lost had been found. Now, I didn’t have a party and invite everyone in our building, but it was cause to have a small, personal celebration. At the very least, it saved Susan from listening to my complaints and unhappiness. The angels may have been amused… or not.

                The woman in Jesus’ parable lost one of her ten coins.  We can speculate why that one coin was so precious, even though it is not really germane to the story. It may imply that woman was poor and needed every dime she had to eke out a living for herself and maybe a family. Every penny counts when it comes to buying groceries, paying the rent, paying bills, keeping  the children clothed, etc.  Or perhaps, ten coins were the exact price she needed to pay for something essential. What if she needed a doctor or medicine or a new loom for her  rug weaving business?  Nine coins wasn’t going to be enough. It simply had to be ten. Nothing less would do.

                The woman’s reasons could be anything, but the real point of the parable is in the woman’s determination, perseverance and thoroughness in looking for that lost coin. Nothing was going to deter her from finding it. She turned her house inside-out and upside-down in her quest to find that one coin. When she finally found it, underneath the stove or tucked under a carpet or hiding under the sleeping dog, she was overjoyed. I am not sure what she may have spent on the subsequent party, but presumably it didn’t take much of those ten coins. Maybe, she didn’t really need all ten coins at all but she was so unhappy with her loss that she was fiercely determined to find the coin in order to have a full purse.

                God is like that woman!

                Yes, God has all he needs in and through his Creation. We could argue that God lacks for nothing. So what if members of humankind get lost? Is God supposed to account for every man, woman and child in the world? Life happens. People make mistakes, sin, fall by the wayside, act irresponsibly, give up, are broken, make bad decisions, live lies, are selfish, have abandoned God, spent all their time, talents and treasures on self-centred choices.  There are lost and lots of good people in the world; maybe far more than the bad ones. So what are  a few losses here and there for God?

                Yet, God is like that woman!

                God wants his world to be complete, to be whole, to be thriving, to be rich in love and abundant living. So, God will not be satisfied until he reconciles the lost portion of humankind back with the rest of his Creation. “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, New Revised Standard Version) God perseveres in finding us, no matter where we are hiding or where we have wandered off to or whenever we're feeling lost and forsaken. God practices the kind of Love which Paul wrote about: “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Corinthians 13: 7, New Living Translation)

God never gives up on any of us, no matter what! He will look through whatever scrap heap, mess and chaos to find any and all of his beloved sons of Adam and daughters of Eve.  Maybe that’s you or was you or is someone you know and love.  Just believe this, the angels are baking a cake topped with sparklers, have set out the party platters of food, turned up the music, cleared the floor for dancing and invited all of heaven to celebrate when God’s finally finds one of us nd brings us back into his care. Now isn’t that a wang-dang-doodle!

 Prayer:

Our Loving God, thank you for never giving up on us, especially if and when we give up on ourselves. Forgive us when we make it so difficult for you to find us. Keep looking because we really need to be found so as to be made whole. May we rejoice with the angels when your Love finds us, heals our wounds, makes us included and welcome and set your banquet table out for us. In praise and thanksgiving, Amen.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

“By this we know that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk in the same way as he walked.” (1 John 2: 4 -6, New Revised Standard Version)

            I am up for the challenge.

My daughter, Katie, has offered to take me to a Toronto Blue Jays’ game in late May. But - isn’t there always a “but”? -  she has challenged me that I have to be ambulatory enough to do all the necessary walking that it will take to get to the ballpark, roam around the stadium to see the memorabilia of 50 years in the big leagues, and get back. That is a lot of walking under the best of circumstances. But I have not been too limber or agile lately, mostly due to my arthritis, but I also just don’t get much physical exercise, period. So, I am now “in training.” I am walking down our block with cane in hand to the near-by park, each and every day, weather permitting. Coincidentally, Katie’s house is on the far side of the same park. My goal is to increase the number of steps I take, each and every day. By game time, who knows – maybe I will come close to walking around the whole park which is of considerable size. Don’t bet on it, though! But here’s hoping.

It boggles the mind to think how much Jesus walked in his three years of ministry. There were no taxis, buses, cars, planes or trains.  Unless there were Uber camels or Lyft donkeys, he had to walk everywhere he wanted to go and he wanted to go to a lot of places throughout Judea, Samaria, Galilee, etc. He and his disciples walked mile after mile, kilometer after kilometer, in order to spread the Gospel and meet the people, to heal, to preach, to interact with the world around him, to make himself available to one and all. Although it is believed Capernaum was his home base, he was never home much. Thus, he said of himself “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man[a] has no place even to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) His sandals must have ben worn thin.

It seems appropriate then that early Christianity was known as “The Way.” (Acts 9:22) Disciples and others were called to come and follow Jesus. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) The way of faith was not an easy road to take: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) The apostle Paul wrote about “following the truth of the gospel message” (Galatians 2:14) or “following the whole will of God.” (Colossians 4:12). Peter picked up the theme, too “He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21) It leads us to understand that practicing our faith is an exercise in walking in trust, in belief, in doing good works, in move forward into the world with Christ’s love, compassion, forgiveness, and his likeness. Christianity is not a passive belief system; it is a movement. We can’t just sit back and become idle. Our faith demands practice, effort, intention, as we seek to follow Jesus Christ.

                Not only  just “follow”, but that invitation often was accompanied by the challenge “to go.” Jesus was sending his followers into the world to be light or salt. “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20, The Message Bible) That’s right - we are all called to be missionaries of a sort; maybe not to the far corners of the world but he sends us into the near-by-corners of our neighbourhoods and communities. “Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” (John 17:18)

                So put on your most comfortable walking shoes or best running shoes, spiritually speaking. There is a lot of ground to cover.  The life of faith is not generally a short race; it is a marathon. So limber up. Don’t just be a spectator. “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

                Are you up for the challenge?

Prayer:

                Our Creator God, grant us a renewed strength and vitality to sustain our walk with Jesus. Help us when we falter or stumble. May we always be in step with Jesus, following in his footsteps so that we are meeting the challenges of doing his good works in the world about us. Help us to walk aright, so that others will see the Way though each of us and be led to follow, too.  In Christ’s name, Amen.

 

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
    you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
    you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day. (Psalm 139: 13 -16, The Message Bible)

               I just know that you are all dying to know how my jigsaw puzzle is going – the one I mentioned a few weeks ago. You may recall that it is a 1000-thousand-piece puzzle featuring 350 or so of just the faces of Lego characters, all with different expressions and facial features, all in various colours of yellow, brown and black. It’s been a challenge but that is what I like when I am doing jigsaws.  

                I am getting close to being done. But I am down to a very hard, difficult stage. The majority of the faces are basically done. Now I am down to trying to find very little pieces of the faces to complete the puzzle. It is a little piece of an eye-brow here, a part of an eye there, maybe a tiny little corner of a mouth, a little stubble of a beard, a freckle or two. This is going to take some patience and perseverance to finish. But I won’t give up or stop until I am done.

                I wonder if God sometimes finds us, who are created in his own image, like a puzzle. It was originally a good and beautiful world.  “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:31) But does God look at the world made for humankind and see it like a jigsaw puzzle just coming out of the box – a jumble of pieces, some upside down, unconnected, a hodge podge that has no form or coherency, that needs sorting and organizing, that needs patience and endurance to put back together?  Does God look at our broken world right now and wonder, in frustration, whether he can put the pieces all back together again, to make it like he pictured it at the beginning, i.e. like on the lid of a puzzle box, so to speak.? When and how did the world fall to pieces?

                Our Psalm outlines the meticulous care which God gives to his world, especially the lives of humankind.  The Psalm affirms God’s intimate knowledge of each and every one of us. Like my faces in my puzzle, God knows even the little details of who we are and why we are and who we need to be. He knows us inside and out.  God knows where we belong. God knows when a piece is missing from our stories and he looks to find it for us. He understands our brokenness and fragmentation. He understands when we are trying to fit in, feeling upside down, trying to find our right places, to connect with others around us. No part of our lives is tool small, too insignificant, too unimportant, that God does not give us a helping hand to help us put it together. Like the hymn celebrates, “He walks with me, he talks with me, and He tells me that I am his own.”

                Back in the day, it was popular, for a while, to say “God doesn’t make junk.”  There is truth in that although I dare say that I wonder if there are times when God is exasperated, frustrated and might wish to put the “puzzle” that we are back in the box and back on a shelf somewhere. But that is not how God so loves the world. God has committed his own son to enable us to get our lives all together and just maybe then, we can help God put the world back to right, “thy will be done in earth as it is heaven.” God made man and woman to be pieces of his Creation, to be stewards of the world he created. He made us to work in partnership and collaboration to nurture love, peace, joy and justice between us, despite our differences and diversity. He has placed each one of us in his Creative masterpiece as a piece of the puzzle.

               “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)

 Prayer:

Our loving Creator, we confess we sometimes fail to understand just how good and kind you are towards us.  We complain about our lives or how broken the world is. Help us to remember that you are still very close to us and have our ultimate welfare in your hands. Grant us the courage and the wisdom to be a part of your good will, that we, too, may become participants in helping you to build your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 – Holy Week

“Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22, New Living Translation)

                 At Jesus’ religious trial, the High Priest, Caiaphas, accused Jesus of the ultimate blasphemy, of declaring himself to be the Messiah. “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” (Matthew 25: 65-66) And so the Council decreed, “’Guilty!’ they shouted. ‘He deserves to die!’”

                Guilty - that is a terrible judgment to lay on anyone shoulders, least of all Jesus. Our faith asserts that Jesus was innocent, without sin, yet the world in which he lived in judged him, condemned him and punished him severely for his “guilt”.  It could be said that all Jesus was guilty about was telling the truth, showing compassion to one and all and revealing the pomposity of these same religious hypocrites who were now judging him. Who was really guilty here?

                  Guilt is not a particularly fashionable word in our modern culture, sort of like the word ‘sin’. Outside of our country’s courtrooms and its legal verdicts, words like sin and guilt make us feel very uncomfortable and unpleasant.  They are words that bite and take chunks out of our souls, so best left alone. Nobody is perfect, we get that.  But most prefer to avoid feeling guilty. Back in the day, it was popular to note that the Greek word for sin literally meant “to miss the mark.” That is a much softer landing spot for acknowledging our mistakes and blunders of behaviour, words and deeds. So we goofed, we’ll do better next time. Sorry about that.  Forget about it. Bad things happen. Let’s move on, shall we? To err is human; to forgive is divine.  Nobody, myself included, wants to feel guilty. It’s like a death verdict on our psyches.

                Psychologist, Chris Moore, argues that “guilt is not simply an unpleasant emotional burden – it can be a powerful force that helps repair our relationships.” (Gayle MacDonald, Globe and Mail) He points out that guilt is comprised of three things. “There’s fear or anxiety about the damage that might have been done to a relationship. There’s compassion for the person who has been hurt. And there’s self- directed anger about what you did.” This sounds to me all too neat and tidy, very clinical. Even he still back-pedals on the power of guilt, “If you feel guilt, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. It usually means you care about other people.” Not sure what world he lives in, because the world that I live in largely feels no guilt about much of anything, even the most egregious behaviour, and feels no spirit of remorse or any desire for reconciliation.  But I do resonate with his theory that “The most powerful antidote to guilt is forgiveness.” But that is not an easy road to travel.

                I am the last person on earth who should be counselling about guilt. If I, reluctantly, stop to think about my own life, I have plenty to be guilty about. Relationships have been broken. People have left my churches because of my leadership. I have failed at times in parenting. The list goes on. You can stop me any time. In the midst of a lot of good and many blessings, I feel badly and guilty about my failures. “My guilt overwhelms me— it is a burden too heavy to bear.” (Psalm 38:4)

                The one thing that the good psychologist does not bring up is that we never bear our guilt alone. If we are willing to confess and open up to our failures, then, at least,  God is on our side. “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalm 32:5) It is rightly said that confession is good for the soul.  Confession is about total honesty and truth about ourselves; no pussy-footing around, no excuses, no alibis, no avoidance of the ugly truth. We begin by confessing to God, then mustering up the courage to fess up to the people we have hurt, ignored or harmed. I am still working on that last part. “Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” (Psalm 32:2)

                Our text from Hebrews reminds us that we can bring our guilty consciences into the presence of God. It affirms that Jesus’ Crucifixion was the remedy for our guilt and sin, “but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.” (Romans 5:16) This ultimate act of forgiveness by the way of the Cross is once and for all.  Our guilt has been removed. Our shame has been erased.  We are given a New Life.  Let’s make the best and the most of it, to forgive as we have been forgiven, to love as we have been loved, to be reconcilers as we have been reconciled.

                “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.” (`1 John 18 -20)      

 Prayer:

                Our loving and forgiving God,  it is hard to confess all the mistakes and blunders that have tripped us up in our lives. But we very grateful that you pick us up with forgiveness in Jesus Christ. He paid such a horrific price to lead us back into your Presence and Love.  In his death, we have had our sins and guilt washed away and we have been made clean.  May we abide in your generous Love and show that Love to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 Wednesday, March 25, 2026 – Lent Six

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15: 16 -17, New Living Translation)

                 Last night was our annual, fantasy baseball draft. If you are not familiar with what that is, let me try to explain as briefly as possible. A group of family and friends sit at our computers for an hour and a half and we take turns choosing MLB baseball players to be on our respective teams, a total of 18 players per team. Then, as the baseball season rolls along, each week, two teams go head-to-head. Scoring is based on several statistics that each player accrues during that week. If my players, The Whiskeyjacks, have better results than the other team’s players, I win the week. Nerdy stuff for us baseball fanatics.

                The draft has many, many rounds. At the beginning, players are flying off the board. If you snooze, you lose. Everyone is trying to choose the best players who are available. The all-star calibre players are always the first to be chosen. We are a large league and it doesn’t take all that long for the cream of the crop to be chosen. Sometimes, I had a player whom I really hoped to choose but he was gone by my turn.  After the mid-stages, we’re scrounging around for the next best who are still available. Even so, everyone ends up with a really good team. We can make trades or add and delete players as the season goes on.  For a baseball nut like me, it is a lot of fun.

                In the Gospels, we can read about how Jesus chose his twelve disciples. They came from different backgrounds, occupations and upbringings.  There were fishermen (Peter and John), a tax collector (Matthew), among them. As we follow their development, they ae very different in their personalities and character traits. Peter was brash. Thomas was cautious and careful. Judas became a political opportunist. They argued amongst themselves about who was the greatest. They could be curious, loyal, confused, disobedient, and yet protective of Jesus. They didn’t have theological degrees from a seminary. They were very ordinary. Certainly not all-stars.  But Jesus chose them to be his disciples, to teach them, to guide then, to empower them – it was a labour of love. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14)

                Perhaps, that is the point – Jesus chooses regular people to follow him. We don’t all have to be super-stars. We all don’t have to be gifted and spectacular Christians although as Paul pointed out we’re all gifted in some way. “Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.”  1 Corinthians 12: 29 -31) Paul then gives us his beautiful description of Love as “the better way” (1 Corinthians 13) which is in line with our words from John’s Jesus. “This is my command: Love each other.”

                It can be both awesome and a little challenging that Jesus has chosen you and me to be one of his followers. We may not feel adequate, prepared, equipped, mature enough, wise enough, good enough. Or too old, too busy, too wordily, too sinful, too broken, too lost. Some may claim that they don’t know how to pray; they don’t read their Bible much; they don’t go to church much. Others may say that thy have no time for God or that God feels distant. Some feel unloved, alienated, angry, confused, hopeless and helpless.

                Good New, people. Jesus has called you and named you as one of his Own. Jesus’ invitation breaks through our inadequacies, doubts, fears and reluctance and affirms that he believes that you are just the one he wants to be his friend, his companion and his disciple to further his work and presence in the world. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise that you are not worthy of Jesus’ Love and Invitation. He has chosen you and me. Crazy as that may sound, it is true. We are part of his undertaking to bring God’s Love into the whole world.

                “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Prayer;

Our Creator God, we thank you that, no matter who we are, or what we are going through or what we have done or failed to do, you still reach out to us and choose us to be a part of your Great Vision. We confess that there are times when we would rather hide from that calling. But we are thankful that Jesus’ Love is so encompassing that it embraces us all. May we take op our cr9os and follow him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 – Lent Five

“And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked. Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.” “My brother, I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for yourself.” But Jacob insisted, “No, if I have found favor with you, please accept this gift from me. And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God!” (Genesis 33: 8 -10, New Living Translation)

                I’m late starting my annual Winter’s hobby project.  I guess it’s a Spring project now. Not Lego, although it’s related somewhat.  This week, I opened a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Here’s the thing. The picture is that of 340 tiny faces of Lego characters, row after row of them. Every face is different. Smiling, frowning, laughing, squinting, angry, surprised, some with glasses or goggles, some with clown faces, bearded faces, male and female faces, and so on and so on.  Every face is different. All the pieces are shades of yellow and orange. This may take a while…

                Faces tell a story, don’t they? Our faces reflect our moods and demeanor. I can think of several times when someone told me to smile, that I was looking too grim or serious. It was not how I was feeling at all, but my face is “set” that way, so that I guess that I don’t always look friendly or happy. Even so, faces can be a natural indication of the person inside. When we greet someone, our faces are the first impression that another person has of us.  A warm, friendly smile says more than any number of words.

                There was a recent article in the Globe and Mail by Nolan Bryant which celebrates a genuine smile as an important quality of life to have. “In a world of unceasing bad news, there is something quite revolutionary about an authentic smile.” He claims that “the smile has become countercultural.” It got me to thinking that a smile is a bridge towards someone else. A smile needs to be shared.  Receiving a smile makes us feel better, welcome, safe, connected. Our smiles do the same for others. Think of the efforts we go through to make a baby smile, all sorts of silly sounds and noises, and what utter pleasure and gift it is when the child responds accordingly.

                One of my favourite songs is Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” either the Nat King Cole version or the Gregory Porter one. “Smile though your heart is aching, Smile even though it's breaking When there are clouds in the sky You'll get by.” I am not advocating that we hide our problems behind a false bravado.  Faking happiness is no road to true happiness. When life has wiped the smiles off our faces, it is time to seek help and counsel.  But I also think there is a benefit to dig deep and find the significant joys and blessings that put a smile on our faces. Not forced, not phoney, not coerced, not smarmy, not sneering, but a smile that comes from the heart and perhaps, from the heart of God. “Let your face smile on us, Lord.” (Psalm 4:6)

                The brothers, Jacob and Esau, had a very broken relationship. In fact, Esau was ready to kill his brother for stealing his birthright. Jacob had fled as far away as possible. But now, after many years, and building up his personal wealth, Jacob decided to return home and see if he can make amends with his brother. He hopes that his wealth can buy Esau’s favour as he offers his brother all sorts of gifts. Like the prodigal son, Jacob laments his unworthiness: “I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant.” (Genesis 32:10) When the two men met, each accompanied by a large force of people with them, it looked ominous.  But instead, “Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.” (Genesis 33:4)

                Like the father of the prodigal son, Esau embraced his long, lost brother. Jacob realized his exorbitant gifts had no use in the act of reconciliation. His finds his redemption solely in the smile of his brother. “It is like seeing the face of God!” A true, sincere, authentic smile reunites the brothers.  Helping to erase the bitterness, the animosity and the resentment. A smile reaches across the abyss of their brokenness and brings new beginnings.

                That's the time you must keep on trying
                Smile, what's the use of crying?
                You'll find that life is still worthwhile
                If you'll just smile            

Prayer:

                Our loving God, there is indeed much sorrow and hardship in right now. We confess we find it is hard to find good reason to smile. Yet, help us to understand that we are also surrounded by your creative grace and wondrous blessing that invite us to find true joy in our living. May we then share our smiles with each other readily and sincerely so that we build bridges of compassion and forgiveness between brothers and sisters in family and in our communities.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 -Lent Four

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.” (Matthew 13:44, New Living Translation)

             Go, get your shovel! There’s gold in them, thar hills!

There was a recent news story about a French home owner, who discovered $800,000 worth of gold while digging up his back yard to put in a swimming pool. He found five gold bars and several gold coins. After examination by the authorities, it was determined that the man would be allowed to keep the gold.  I have had fantasies about something like this – finding a Mickey Mantle rookie card in a junk pile or a first issue Superman comic in a discard pile. They are extremely valuable. I would buy the piles of junk so that I could own those treasures.  I might not even sell them, but keep them for their specialness.

                My first thought is about who might have buried this treasure to begin with. The article never said. This leads me to think about the man in Jesus’ parable of the talents and the servant who buried what the owner had given him rather than invest it. “‘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.’” (Matthew 24:24 -25) The servant was afraid to take any risks whatsoever and was proud that he could return the master’s money untouched, “every cent.”

But as Paul once wrote, we have been given these treasures of life and are sent out into the world to put them to good and profitable use, to invest God’s Grace and Love with interest. “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”  (2 Corinthians 4:7) Light needs to shine, not be hidden. Thus, we are also reminded by another of Jesus’ teachings: “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5: 15 -16) God has generously given all of us gifts, talents and treasures to liberally (“liberal” really isn’t a swear word as some may argue) spread the Good News near and close, far and wide. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”  (Matthew 24: 21)

So it is that the man who discovered a treasure in the field goes out of his way to purchase the whole field. Not to overthink this short parable, yet some might think that this was a brash and even foolish action to take. There may not likely be any more treasure to be found if indeed that was what he was hoping. More likely though, he believed that plot of land now had intrinsic value and a purpose. He obviously was not the original owner, but wished to authenticate his find by buying the whole plot of land. The analogy is that when we discover the Good News of God’s Love in Jesus Christ, we take complete “ownership” of its valuable contents. We buy in totally to the wealth of Grace, Hope, Joy, Peace, Love and Salvation which we discover in its rich offerings.

These two parables are two sides of the same coin, both about the responsibility of being good stewards of all that God gives us. Perhaps, “responsibility” sounds like a tedious, laborious, duty-filled word, lacking much joy or pleasure.  But in Gospel terms, it has its rich rewards, its satisfactions, its gratifications, its joy-making. “Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” (Luke 6:38, The Message Bible)

Now get out there, people, and start digging.

 Prayer:

                Our generous God, we ask, first, that you lead us to look in the right places for your life-giving Kingdom. Then, help us to stop at nothing to take ownership of the prize of this upward calling. Show us all the ways that we, too, can be generous, faithful, sharing, compassionate and full of forgiveness and love. In this Lenten season, the true treasure is Jesus Christ who died for us. May we strive to be worthy of such a cost he paid for us to live in your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.