Sermon preached at The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia on Sunday November

16 2014
The Reverend Alan Neale. So I was afraid.

Matthew 25:25 So I was afraid.

The preacher was determined to teach and warn the people of the horrors of alcohol.
From the pulpit shelf he drew a glass and a bottle. He poured the whisky into the
glass, held it high and then (again from the pulpit shelf) produced a worm! He placed
the worm into the glass and within a few second the worm died. So, the preacher
asked forcefully, what do we learn from this demonstration. A pause and then a
man stood up and shouted back, We learn that if you dont want worms, drink
whisky.
The poor preacher he thought the message was obvious but someone (maybe with
self-interest, maybe with thirst in mind) discovered a different message altogether.
As we approach the parables of Jesus (yet again this Sunday) we have to be
circumspect, reflective, thoughtful and discover the central message and let
everything else be subject to, arising from, in the light of that central message.
So, I present to you this morning what I believe is the center, the heart, the pivotal
point of this striking story Matthew 25:25 So I was afraid.
The preceding verses of the parable are undoubtedly important.
1. We should neither be surprised nor daunted by the variety of gifts bestowed
upon each woman, man and child. Whether these gifts come by nature (genetic
inheritance), nurture (the loving encouragement of others) or grace (divine
intervention) they will vary. It is often said in 12 Step Meetings Do not judge
peoples insides by their outsides; sometimes the person most obviously
blessed with talents is at constant war within themselves and who, in their
right mind, wants that?!
2. Whatever our talents, we are all bond-servants to the Lord; stewards. It is
significant that some modern translations prefer the word servants, the
proper translation is slave. How do you, I, see ourselves?
3. We are called to be productive and responsible; trusted so much that at times it
seems the Lord is absent, on a journey. I remember from my experience, short
experience, as a school teacher that it was the student who was struggling,
distracted, miscreant that got my attention
But all this, important though it truly is, all this is precursor, setting the scene, trailers
before the main attraction. Matthew 25:25 So I was afraid.
Now before ever we posture, preen pompously pronounce judgment on this
wretched and poignant man please lets praise him for his caution and his humility.
Caution. The burying, the hiding of the money is not is not as wasteful and strange in
his day as it surely is in ours. In antiquity money was often hidden for safekeeping
(consider even Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a

field, which a man discovers and covers up). Ancient coins seen in museums often
find their provenance in such hidden hoards.
Humility. The man, surely to his praise, lives in the awareness that he is not his own
that what he possesses has been entrusted to him. Master have what is yours.
But (here it must come), but as he plays it safe, as he adheres to the traditions of
old, he loses himself. How often have you heard (maybe even said), Oh she buries
herself in her work. Now that is good but implicit, I believe, is the subtext But in so
doing she is losing her very self.
One commentator writes, A man must venture for Christ at risk. He must not be
content with things as they are. He must break new soil. We miss the point of the
story if we fail to see that Christ requires of his followers the hazard of the untried
road.
We all know that a dollar buried fifty years ago is worth less now, its buying power is
reduced now, than when it was buried. And the same applies on a larger scale.
A friendship begun with vigor and enthusiasm will be worth less today if it is given no
care, paid no attention.
A church that has as its mantra as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be
or we dont do that here will be less effective today than when its doors were first
flung wide.
The believer who once experienced such a vital and passionate relationship with the
divine will today find that relationship dull, boring, irrelevant if no effort has been
made to keep it fresh, alive, renewed.
Oh what awful, wretched, poignant words I was afraid and so I hid what I had been
given; such experience surely leads close to an experience full of darkness, tears
and teeth-grinding frustration (Matthew 25:30).
In Alcoholics Anonymous Bill Wilson writes, Fear, this short word somehow touches
about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our
existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which
brought us misfortune we felt we did not deserve.
For all his shortcomings, shortsightedness and shortfall of return the man shows
some significant personal insight. He says not I was afraid but rather So I was
afraid. And why was he afraid? well, look at the Gospel (Matthew 25:24) I knew
you to be a harsh man, impatient with failure, with high standards and
expectations so I was afraid.
I hope your heart, like mine, goes out to such a man, such a woman, such a child.
Living constantly under a cloud, weighed down by burdens of expected
disappointment, disturbed in soul by impending gloom.
In a 12 Step Meeting I once heard this acronym for fear False Evidence Appearing
Real, f..e..a..r.. FEAR!

Who is God to you? Distant at best, adversely critical at all time? Or lovingly
present, generously gracious? Fearsome in judgment or awesome in mercy?
Expecting relapse or promising recovery?
You see, our picture, image, theology of God will lead us to fearful and craven
paralysis or bold and daring action.
And if you need some help, look at Jesus for there is God.
be to God. Amen

Thanks