Lord God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by your
Holy Spirit that, always keeping in mind the end of all things and the day of
judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of life here and may live with your
forever in the world to come, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Or
Almighty and ever-living God, before the earth was formed and
even after it ceases to be, you are God. Break into our short span of life and
let us see the signs of your final will and purpose, through your Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
{1} Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is
at hand; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests....
{12} At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the
people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts,
"The LORD will not do good, nor will he do harm." {13} Their wealth
shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they
shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine
from them. {14} The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the
sound of the day of the LORD is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. {15} That
day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and
devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
{16} a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and
against the lofty battlements. {17} I will bring such distress upon people that
they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the LORD, their
blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. {18} Neither
their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's
wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full,
a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Zephaniah wrote during the reign of Josiah (639-609), and
reflects his prophetic anger with the syncretism of the reigns of Manasseh and
Amon which still continued in Josiah’s reign.
7: The verse provides the setting of verses 12-18 in
connection with the "day of the Lord." The verse is ironic, for the
sacrifice is Judah, and the guests are the Babylonians.
12."The Lord will not do good, nor will he do
harm.": On the day of the Lord those who are complacent and do not
believe that God will reward or punish will know the wrath of God. Nothing will
be able to save them. The prophet speaks in Yahweh’s voice.
13. Thought they build houses...though they plant vineyards:
As they entered the Promised Land the Israelites would occupy houses they had
not built, and eat produce they had not planted (Joshua 24:13; Deuteronomy
6:10-11; Nehemiah 9:25); The curses in Deuteronomy 28:30, 39 fall on those who
do not keep Yahweh’s law. Amos (9:14) said that Yahweh will restore the
fortunes of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and that they will rebuild the ruined
cities and live in them and plant vineyards and drink their wine. Jeremiah
(29:4f, 28) said that the exiles in Babylon should build houses there and plant
gardens and eat their produce; they should make their homes in Babylon. Isaiah
(65:21) promised "...They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall
plant vineyards and eat their fruit."
14-17. the great day of The LORD: This was the day when
it was assumed Yahweh would execute judgment on Israel’s enemies and punish
them. It would be a day of rejoicing. But here it is seen as judgment on Israel
because of their sin against Yahweh. It will be a day of wrath.
Isa 65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they
shall not plant and another eat;
15. a day of wrath: The hymn traditionally ascribed to
Thomas of Celano (died 1255), Dies irae dies ille, is based on these
words. [1]
18. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save
them: "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath..." (Proverbs
11:4). See Ezekiel 7:19 which quotes these words from Zephaniah. [2]
a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of
the earth: A summary of the cataclysm described in verses 2-6.
Psalm 90:1-8 [9-11] 12
{1} Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all
generations. {2} Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed
the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. {3} You
turn us back to dust, and say, "Turn back, you mortals." {4} For a
thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch
in the night. {5} You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is
renewed in the morning; {6} in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the
evening it fades and withers. {7} For we are consumed by your anger; by your
wrath we are overwhelmed. {8} You have set our iniquities before you, our secret
sins in the light of your countenance. [{9} For all our days pass away
under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh. {10} The days of our
life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their
span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. {11}]
Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that
is due you. {12} So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
This is the only psalm attributed to Moses. It is a prayer of
the community.
1. Lord: Hebrew, Adon; here and at the end of the
Psalm (verse17) it identifies Yahweh as the ruler of the whole world.
2. from everlasting to everlasting you are God: Unlike
the creation which however long it may last will at last crumble, Yahweh is
everlasting.
4. a thousand years in your sight is like yesterday when it
is past: "...with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a
thousand years are like one day" (2 Peter 3:8). While we should not be
literalistic in understanding this metaphor, it makes clear the radical
difference between Yahweh and his people. For Yahweh even unimaginable periods
of time are as mere hours.
9. all our days...our years come to an end like a sigh:
Romans 6:23: "the wages of sin is death."
10. The days of our life are seventy years: By comparison
with Yahweh’s eternity human life is brief.
12. that we may gain a wise heart: "Folly does not
know the seriousness of repentance. Wisdom alone penetrates to the abysses of
the human condition of being lost and forfeit to death. But wisdom is not an
ability of the human being; it is gained by prayer from God.... He himself must
teach those who pray." [3]
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
{1} Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and
sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. {2} For you yourselves
know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. {3}
When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction
will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will
be no escape! {4} But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to
surprise you like a thief; {5} for you are all children of light and children of
the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. {6} So then let us not fall
asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; {7} for those who sleep
sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. {8} But since we
belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and
love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. {9} For God has destined us not
for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, {10} who
died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. {11}
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are
doing.
2. the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night:
The day of the Lord is the day of judgment, and reaches back to the first lesson
with its promise of darkness and gloom. Peter uses the same words in 2 Peter
3:10.
5. children of light: Luke 16:8; John 12:36; Ephesians
5:8. Light is a metaphor for the spiritual enlightenment. A child of light is
one who is spiritually enlightened.
children of the day: Romans 13:13: "let us live
honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and
licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy."
Also verse 8, we belong to the day. In both of these
places it is possible to read "the day" as a reference to the day of
the Lord when all will be judged.
10 awake or asleep: Alive or dead.
Matthew 25:14-30
{14} "For it is as if a man, going on a journey,
summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; {15} to one he gave five
talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then
he went away. {16} The one who had received the five talents went off at once
and traded with them, and made five more talents. {17} In the same way, the one
who had the two talents made two more talents. {18} But the one who had received
the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
{19} After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with
them. {20} Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing
five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I
have made five more talents.' {21} His master said to him, 'Well done, good and
trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in
charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' {22} And the one with
the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two
talents; see, I have made two more talents.' {23} His master said to him, 'Well
done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I
will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' {24}
Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master,
I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering
where you did not scatter seed; {25} so I was afraid, and I went and hid your
talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' {26} But his master replied,
'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow,
and gather where I did not scatter? {27} Then you ought to have invested my
money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own
with interest. {28} So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the
ten talents. {29} For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will
have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be
taken away. {30} As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14. it is as if a man, going on a journey: "It is
necessary to supply something like the beginning of the previous parable—‘The
kingdom of heaven may be compared, in its establishment, to the story of a man
going abroad.’" Perhaps instead we should supply something like this:
"Should the kingdom of heaven be compared to the story of a rich man who
summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them." This would fit
with Crossan’s proposal below.
15. five talents: A "talent" is "a measure
of money worth 6000 denarii (one denarius was a day’s wage..." [5]
24. I knew that you were a harsh man: The servant
describes the master accurately considering what his response is. The
description is of a person who violates all of the expectations of a proper
Israelite. He is a profiteer who seeks to benefit at the expense of others James
2:6 provides an early Christian attitude toward the rich: "Is it not the
rich who oppress you?" . He does not seem to be an appropriate model for
how the kingdom works.
25. I went and hid your talent in the ground: "Later
customary law provided that since burying a pledge or deposit was the safest way
to care for someone else’s money, if a loss occurred the one burying the money
had no responsibility." [6]
27. you ought to have invested my money with the bankers:
To invest money at interest is clearly in violation of Torah, if the one to whom
the money is loaned is an Israelite (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36 f.;
Deuteronomy 23:19 f.). Since Jesus would have been talking within an Israelite
context, the master’s complaint is not that of a proper Israelite.
29. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they
will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have
will be taken away: This proverb is found in other contexts in the Gospels.
See Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26. "It is a common maxim, like
our saying, ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’—a more or less
cynical comment on the injustices of life." [7]
The parable, as it is presented, reflects the interests of
the elite landowners, while Jesus’ audience was made up primarily of poor
peasants. Malina and Rohrbaugh point out that in the world of the first-century
Mediterranean seeking to make a profit was morally wrong and brought dishonor to
those who sought to gain riches. In that world it was the third slave, the one
who buried his master’s money, who did the honorable thing. They further point
out that Eusebius, the first historian of the Church, cites a version of the
parable found in the Gospel of the Nazoreans.
"…since the Gospel (written) in Hebrew characters
which has come into our hands enters the threat not against the man who had hid
(the talent), but against him who had lived dissolutely—
For he (the master) had three servants:
A one who squandered his master’s substance with harlots
and flute girls,
B one who multiplied the gain,
C one who hid the talent;
and accordingly,
C´ one was accepted (with joy),
B´ another merely rebuked,
A´ and another cast into prison
I wonder whether in Matthew the threat which is uttered after
the word against the man who did nothing may refer not to him, but by
epanalepsis [8] to the first who had feasted and drunk with the drunken. (Eusebius, Theophania
on Matt. 25:14f., cited from Hennecke-Schneemelcher-Wilson, New Testament
Apocrypha 1:149)." [9]
John Dominic Crossan carries the discussion a step further.
"Rohrbaugh concluded that ‘Jesus’ peasant hearers would almost
certainly have assumed [the parable] was a warning to the rich about their
exploitation of the weak. Is it possible that there were right?’ But Rohrbaugh
reasoned that Jesus’ audience included not just peasants but others as well.
That is surely correct. Even if Jesus’ audience were composed primarily of
peasants, it would not have been exclusively so. And even among peasants, there
would be diversity of outlook.... If an audience contained others as well as
peasants and if ‘the elitist reading is bad news for peasants’ while ‘the
peasant reading is bad news for masters’..., would not audience debate have
been inevitable—and also intentional on Jesus’ part...? ...the function of
Jesus’ parables about the kingdom of God was to create debate about justice,
to raise consciousness about oppression, to ask how God would run this world if
God sat on Caesar’s throne, and to do all that through internal transformation
rather than external domination. Parables were the ethical mode of education
upward rather than indoctrination downward. They lured the audience into
self-education. And education is, first, foremost, and always, about knowing
your options. Parables were the special pedagogy of Jesus’ kingdom of
God." [10]
"In the context of Matthew, this parable clearly is not
about profit, abilities, sharing wealth, or the like. It is about how to behave
in the period before the soon and sudden coming of the Messiah. Minimally, the
story, using the scenario of the rapacious, greedy rich and their world, tells
the audience not to be lazy or useless persons." [11] If heaven is like the
parable’s description, it is a merciless, graceless environment, hardly the
abode of the one who loved the world enough to give his only Son.
Reflection
All of the lessons deal with the expectation of the day of
the Lord and the last judgment. The first lesson points out that God’s people
should not take comfort in the expectation of the day of Yahweh. Her enemies may
well be punished, but God’s people will also face devastation and ruin because
of their indifference to the covenant law. Only the meek who seek righteousness
may escape Yahweh’s wrath (Zephaniah 2:3).
The Psalm is a response to the first lesson. "...we are
consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed..... our years come to
an end like a sigh" (verses 7-9). The psalmist recalls that Yahweh had been
the dwelling place of his people, and prays that Yahweh will teach "us to
count our days that we may gain a wise heart."
The second lesson declares that the children of light are
destined not for wrath but salvation when the Lord comes. So, we should to keep
awake and be sober, encouraging and building each other up as we wait for the
day of the Lord.
The Gospel calls on us to live our lives, not for our own
pleasure or profit, but to carry out the will of God as we wait for the kingdom
of heaven.
With One Voice (e.g. 762v), Hymnal Supplement 1991
(e.g. 725s) and LBW (e.g. 32).
E=Entrance; D=Hymn of the Day; I=First Lesson, P=Psalm;
II=Second Lesson; G=Gospel
321 E--The Day Is
505 D--Forth in Thy
399 II--We Are the
443 II--Rise, My Soul
P or A: We lift up our eyes, as a servant to our master and
pray for our needs and those of all people saying, "Hear us, O God,"
and responding, "We depend on your mercy."
A: We do not know on what day or at what hour Christ will
return. Let your church be continually occupied with encouraging one another and
building one another up. You have not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining
salvation through Jesus our brother and Lord. Hear us, O God. We depend on your
mercy.
A: Your people have had more than enough of contempt, too
much of the scorn of the indolent rich, the derision of the proud. Raise up
women and men who will lead nations and people, bring mutual respect, peace and
security for all. Equip us as citizens of Canada and the world to offer our
gifts and services when they are needed. Do not allow us to hide our talents
Hear us, O God. We depend on your mercy.
A: For those in need of wholeness and healing we pray to you.
Take us to them as messengers of your love and allow us to touch them with your
care. We pray for the terminally ill, people with cancer or AIDS, who ask only
for moments free from pain. We remember those we know who need you _______. Hear
us, O God. We depend on your mercy.
A: We thank you that we are children of the light and of the
day. Make us love the light rather than the darkness. Keep us mindful of all
that we say and do that it may be glory and honor for you. Hear us, O God. We
depend on your mercy.
P: You have entrusted so much to us as your children. Guide
us in our use of all that you give. Care for those for whom we pray and see to
our needs as may be best for us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Presider or deacon
As we wait in pregnant expectation for the day of the Lord,
let us offer prayers to God for all in every danger and need.
Deacon or other leader
For this holy gathering, and for the people of God in every
place.
For all peoples and their leaders, and for justice and
righteousness in the world.
For good weather, abundant fruits of the earth, and for
peaceful times.
For the sick and the suffering, travelers and refugees,
prisoners and their families, and the dying and dead.
For our city and those who live in it, and for our families,
companions, and all those we love.
Lifting our voices with all creation, with the blessed Virgin
Mary and all the saints, let us offer ourselves and one another to the living
God through Christ. To you, O Lord.
Presider
Almighty God, who gave us salvation through Jesus Christ and
made us children of light, hear the prayers we offer this day and bring us to
the time and season of your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Notes [1] F.L. Cross, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church,
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974, p. 402. [2] Walther Zimmerli, Ezekiel 1:
A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapters 1-24.
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979, p. 199, note to verse 19. [3] Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalms
60-150: A Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1989, p. 217. [4] Francis Wright Beare, The
Gospel according to Matthew: Translation, Introduction and Commentary. San
Francisco: Harper
& Row, Publishers, 1981, p.
488. [5] Fritz Reinecker, A
Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament (translated. Edited by Cleon L.
Rogers, Jr.) Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980. p. 74. [6] Bruce Malina and Richard L.
Rohrbaugh, Social Science Commentary on
the Synoptic Gospels. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992, p. 149. [7] Wright, ibid., p. 491. [8] “a figure by which the same
word or clause is repeated after intervening matter.” OED in loc. [9] Malina, ibid., 150. [10] John Dominic Crossan, “The
Parables of Jesus,” Interpretation, July 2002, pp. 252-253.
Rohrbaugh’s study is, “A Peasant Reading of the Parable of the
Talents/Pounds: A Text of Terror?” Biblical Theology Bulletin 23(1993)
32-39. [11] Malina, Loc. cit. [12]http://www.worship.ca/text/wpch0102.txt [13]http://www.worship.ca/text/int_a2.txt [14]http://members.cox.net/oplater/prayer.htm