Grace and Mercy for You

Was that really YOU Lord?

Was that really you ?  Have you ever been embarrassed in front of someone you know after realizing you treated them (and a bit rudely at that) like a stranger?  Jesus told a story about a king who travelled to a far country. (Matthew 25:14) The king gave 5 talents to one man, 2 to another, and 1 to a third so that each man should invest wisely until their master’s return.  None of them thought the money was their own. None of them thought the profits would be their own to keep. But two were faithful and delivered the principal sum and the profit to their master. They were surprised with the result: Enter into the joy of your Lord!  The third came before his master and said bitterly: Take what is yours. I didn’t think it would be worth investing because I couldn’t see any personal gain to be had in the work. 

It’s interesting that Jesus follows this story up very quickly (Matthew 25:31) By saying that investments we make in the lives of others (notably those that have no chance of paying us back) are something Jesus himself takes very personally. Likewise, when we look at a loser and consider him to be a bad risk: Why should we invest in that person’s life? (sub-consciously, or maybe consciously) we think: God will never pay us back. Nothing will come my way.  My precious time and resources will be lost.  God is harsh to expect this of me  – In fact, I WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN !  And so we turn away from Jesus.  Will we have any right to be surprised when Jesus faces us one day and says: Depart from me – you wouldn’t even give me a cup of cold water when I asked through the voice of a little kid. Or more terribly – You thought it wouldn’t be a good use of your time to teach some dirty faced little kid how to pray.  Well that dirty little kid the captain picked up each week and brought to Sunday school was me. Now get out of here!

That is the pith of my message on Sunday.  The audio didn’t really turn out. Hope you’re not too disappointed !

Daniel and Annie on the street in Dawson City:

   Annie and Daniel on the dock in Dawson City.  The speed boat is what Annie pilots on the Yukon river, giving guided tours. 

Daniel taking a breather.  The wind was contrary and we took a break on the flight from Whitehorse to Dawson City by landing on a little strip near Pelly Crossing.