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So…

What are you really good at doing?

My favorite is eating!

After that comes cooking, playing the trumpet, painting…

But really good at? 

That’s a good question because most of the time I don’t really think of myself as being good at any one particular thing. I’m not a master of any particular discipline. But I really like do a lot of stuff and seem to do it relatively well.

How about you?

How do you “make a difference” in this crazy world?

On Thursday, the Food Pantry handed out food to a whole bunch of families. I’m not sure of the number. September 7 it was 46 families, and on Thursday maybe another 20? 

It is an amazing thing to see and to be part of. 

Because our food pantry staff is wonderful. They are so cool. 

All kinds of folks coming to work hard to help some hungry families deal with food scarcity.
Our staff are from all walks of life. Some are long time church members, some are new members, some are community members, some are even food pantry recipients. 

But all of them are putting their time and energy, love and imagination to work to care for folks who just need a bit of kindness shown to them.

We have the cellar dwellers, a team that makes up the bag sets we hand out. And, we have a cellar dweller runner who brings up completed bag sets of food so our team can do their thing.

We have the lobby folks who make sure the frozen meats and dairy products and some produce are ready to go out the door.

And we have runners, who go from car windows to the lobby to fill up orders (not beef tongue – they don’t eat that) and outside staff and administrators who are taking orders, checking in new people, communicating with our clients to see what is happening in their situation.

And we have the kitchen staff who organize the stuff we have received that is not nutritious necessarily, but stuff we can still give to people who want it, like coffee, rolls of paper towels, even sometimes seltzer.

We have wonderful, gracious, spirit filled people who are “making a difference” in the life of the least of these our sisters and brothers.

So, as a follower of Jesus, are you doing what you are supposed to be doing to make a difference? 
Jesus’ parable about the end of time is a story about the servants of the master doing what they are supposed to be doing and being discovered by the master to be faithful.

I know I have told you this before, but years ago I had a hat that said on the front, “Jesus is coming, look busy”!

Servants doing what they were supposed to be doing, and Jesus making clear that this parable explains his teaching.

Yes, there is an end of time coming, and when it comes it will be jarring and transforming.

But most important for you and I and all of Jesus’ followers is this, to be ready you just need to be doing what the master has set before you to do!

And the reward is to be doing more of God’s work!

And while that might seem a crazy reward, unlike a vacation or a gold watch, it means that the servant is growing closer and closer to the master, becoming more and more like the master, more and more - in this teaching - like Jeus.

So, as a follower of Jesus are you doing what you are supposed to be doing? 

I had an advanced chemistry teacher in High School who used to stand at the classroom door on test days and say he was giving us an “evaluative opportunity” an opportunity to see what we had learned and what he had successful taught.
He believed that evaluations mattered because they were positively indicative, that is, they could give us information about what we needed to learn better, as well as giving him a hint that a particular concept was not getting across to his students.

Jesus says, at the end of time when the master comes home, he will be able to see firsthand whether the servants, you and I, are doing what we are supposed to be doing.

So, don’t be afraid, this end of time is way cool, because it will be the most important evaluative opportunity ever, a chance to show that you are indeed ready for God’s eternal kingdom.

I plan to be ready for the test. How about you?

Oh, and I really love eating Mexican food. Just saying!

Amen.