11-13-11 Listen Watch Video
Order of Worship  Announcements

Dear Friends,
 
We live in a culture that is obsessed with the bottom line – what we produce, what we have to show for our work, how much we have earned, or how much we have lost.  We are encouraged to make important life decisions according to probable outcomes, investing our time, money, and energy on those things in life that offer the greatest potential for reward with a minimum exposure to risk.  Particularly in uncertain times, “play it safe” becomes the prevailing mantra of the wise, while “let ‘er ride” are the famous last words of the foolish.
 
Playing it safe may be a sound investment strategy for our 401K plans, but it is no way to lead a life.  When our first question is always, “What do I stand to lose,” chances are we’re missing incredible opportunities to fulfill our purpose and increase our contribution to the world.  If, as many have said, the opposite of faith is not doubt but fear, then to live a life of faith is to be guided not by the bottom line but by a higher calling, accepting – even embracing – risk while leaving plenty of room for the grace and providence of God.
 
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about what we’re supposed to do with the time and treasures of our lives – what we have, how we live, how we manage our resources.  It’s a parable about two servants who, by taking some risks with the resources the master had entrusted to them, achieved maximum returns on the investment; and it’s about one servant who, by risking nothing and burying the master’s treasure and playing it safe, ended up losing it all. 
 
According to the parable, life is always a risk and bottom-line living is a zero-sum game. God expects much of us, but those expectations are far above the bottom line.  We cannot control how our lives will ultimately be summed up, or even if there will be anything to show for our labors.  But that is not our task as Christians.  Our task is simply to live faithfully above the bottom line, free of the fear of failure and loss, determined to know and do the will of God and, when we fall short, to leave the rest to God.
 
See you in Church,
 
Rev. Mark