Read Matthew
25:14-30
It’s
October. That means it is time for the
World Series. That means that I can use
my baseball glove analogy and it will still be in season.
Do you
know what the toughest thing for me was when I went to Africa to teach pastors
and church leaders? People didn’t know
baseball. There was maybe some interest
in basketball, but soccer was the sport and I didn’t know diddly about soccer.
Half
of my analogies come from the Marine Corps and the other half from football and
baseball. What do you do when people can’t relate to any of those.
I know
that I promised you some analogies from my stroke and my car accidents, but
they are not forthcoming.
Hey, I
slept through my stroke. That’s not going to add much to the message.
Until
a few years ago, I never had a real car accident. Then they came in threes. On the last one, I ran into a building. Can you believe it—they said that the
building had the right of way.
Did
the building not know to watch out for the other guy. That’s what they taught in Drivers Ed back in
the day.
Why am
I telling you this? For however much
time I have left here, you are probably stuck with Marine Corps and sports
analogies as I try to explain the word of God with things that we might already
know.
As
this is October in America, I will use my baseball analogies.
Imagine
that you buy your son or daughter a brand-new baseball glove. It was just
the one that he wanted or she wanted. He oiled it just right, wrapped
around an old baseball to where its curves and flexibility were perfect.
Then he put it on the shelf.
There
that glove sits on the shelf. Oh, it has a prominent spot, but still, it
sits unused. Over the course of time, the son might take it down once or
twice a year and put it on, perhaps even pop it with a baseball or his fist,
but sure to return it to its place.
Dad’s heart
breaks. He longed to see it used and even worn out from playing catch,
digging ground balls out of the dirt, or diving for fly balls nearly out of
reach, often leaving grass stains on it. Dad would even have a little joy
if the glove was only used to slap the dugout bench or bang on the chain link
fence to start a late-inning rally.
Dad
might even be happy if it came down off of the shelf, not even to go to a game,
but to just have a catch in the backyard.
But
the glove sits on the shelf unused. It was the perfect gift. Dad
knew it when he gave it to his son. The child was excited when he
received it, but save the occasional ceremonial wearing, it remains
unused. It sits on the shelf.
Not
too many days ago, sanctuaries were filled with people singing, “He lives, He
lives, Christ Jesus lives today!” Many of those people won’t be seen in a
church building for another year. Some will drop in for Mother’s Day and
a handful might come for an hour at Christmas. Some won’t even think about
their salvation and how they should respond to it.
Some
come every Sunday truly seeking the Lord. Some come every Sunday logging
in their pew time. And then there are those who come every Sunday and
can hardly wait for service to begin.
There
are those few who wake up celebrating every day as the day the Lord has made,
rejoicing and living it to the full.
Those
few know what it is to live life to the full. Their baseball gloves are
worn and scratched and the laces have been replaced more than once. They
know the life smells of horsehide, a freshly watered infield, and can smell a
new-mown field from a mile away.
For
some people, this is struggling through tough times but keeping faith in
God. For some, it is helping a stranger. For others, it is giving
beyond the tithe and knowing the joy of sacrifice. For many, it is
battling pain while keeping joy in their hearts.
For
many, their baseball gloves are spiritual gifts and God-given talents.
These individual blessings long to be put to use to produce good fruit.
They cannot sit dormant and produce fruit. They cannot sit on the
shelf. They beg to be put to use.
Some
have truly put their gift of salvation on the shelf, breaking it out only once
or twice a year. They grace God with their presence at a service once a
year and wonder why he is not more thankful. Some have taken their gift
of salvation and tossed it in with the other clutter of their lives. They
have forgotten that it is even there, save perhaps when they gasp at how quickly
their own children are growing and they ask what it is to be saved and live for
God.
And
some have drifted into the apathy and ambivalence of the world forgetting the
most wonderful gift the world has ever known. Christ died to take away
your sins. When you professed your faith in him, your slate was wiped
clean. It is a done deal. It is finished!
You
are forgiven! By his gift alone, you have been made right with God!
The
question that we are called to answer each and every day of our lives is, “How
will I respond to this incredible gift?”
Will
we put it on the shelf, throw it in with the rest of the clutter, or just
forget about it altogether?
Or…
Will
we put it to use by taking this gift of life and gift of salvation and live to
the fullest extent possible, seeking to bring glory to God every step of the
way?
I
still have feelings that I can’t explain at the smell of horsehide and freshly
watered infields. I am too old to dig balls out of the dirt or dive for
them in the outfield. Those days are gone, but I have found other
ways—many other ways—to live this life and live out my salvation for God.
I can
no more put that gift on the shelf than I could a new ball glove. I have
to put it to use.
Having
considered the gift of salvation that we received by grace, I must ask again,
what are we doing with it.
Having
considered the parable of the talents, now consider the question never asked
but answered by all three servants, what did you do with what I gave
you?
Now
let’s put it into terms that we have talked about so much lately—our salvation
which is 100% the gift of God.
What are you doing with
your salvation?
Are
you diving for line drives and scooping hard-hit ground balls out of the dirt
or does your glove sit on the shelf?
Is
your salvation sitting on the shelf?
There’s
your food for thought and action this week.
Amen
