In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What is the job of a servant? To serve. The job of a servant is to do what his master commands him to do, without complaint and without thought of reward. Today's gospel lesson speaks about the proper attitude of a servant, and what one may expect of his master.
The Fourth Commandment tells us what attitude we are to have toward our masters. “Honor your father and mother” commands our Lord. Luther expands this in his explanation, saying, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.” We are to render unto our masters the same love and obedience due our parents, because they, like our parents, have been placed in authority over us. We do well to obey them, that it go well with us.
But how often do we fail to do this! We chafe under the watchful eye of the manager. We wish the boss would go on vacation so we could slack off. We get the chores done “good enough”, rather than properly. We hit the snooze button one too many times, and walk into work a few minutes late, hoping no one will notice. We complain about what we are instructed to do, and look for a pat on the back for doing something we should be doing anyway. We are just plain lazy and wasteful with someone else's time and money. And yet, we want to be thought of well. We want to be thought of as good, honest, hard workers.
Repent!
Likewise, how much have we failed to serve our heavenly Master faithfully! We have despised His commands. We have not feared, loved, or trusted in God above all else. We have sat by and watched the creation entrusted to us go to ruin. We have misused, abused, and disused our Master's possessions. We have turned His gifts into unrecognizable nonsense, fashioned after our own devising. We have oiled the water, clouded the air, and stripped the earth. We have made children a product instead of a gift. We have made procreation a mere side-effect of sex, to be prevented until we think ourselves ready, or dispensed with altogether if it suits us. We have made marriage a quasi-long-term joining of two people who each think the other is neat. We have made youth a far-too-early goal. We have made old age synonymous with frailty and senility, and an excuse for the young to disregard and disrespect the aged. And yet, we expect to hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Repent!
Your Master ought not commend you for your treatment of His gifts, but rather condemn you to hell along with the rich man and his unbelieving brethren. Your Master ought to wipe you from the face of the earth. Your master ought to turn His back and leave you to face the end your ways would bring.
But what has our Master done? He, the blameless one, has taken up the form of a servant. Our Lord Jesus Christ, “though He was int eh form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” In likeness as a servant, the Very Son of God bore our sins and iniquities upon the cross. In likeness as a servant, the Son of Man perfectly fulfilled the Father's will, doing what we could and would not do.
To Him all the riches of heaven belong, but upon Him all the curses of humanity hung and died. Through Him all things live and move and have their being, and in Him we find our life and light and hope. To Him it was said, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Through Him we become that son, beloved of the Father. No longer are we unworthy servants, waiting for our master's good pleasure. Now we are sons and daughters of the King of Kings, reclining at table in the House of the Lord. No more are we the prodigal son, eating the slop of pigs. Now we are the rich man, bedecked in royal wedding garments, feasting sumptuously upon our Lord Himself.
So, go out and serve your Master faithfully. Eat and drink deeply and often from His Table, then go and expend your labor to further His Kingdom. Do good works for your neighbor. Wear the mask of God and show Christ to the nations, beginning with your own household. Let the Light of Christ flow through you as your works are evident to all. Your work is not in vain. Though you may not see it, your work has value and purpose for God.
And while you work, know this – the grace of God has been poured into your hearts and hands. So whether you sew or knit, whether you cook or clean, whether you read or write, whether you plant or harvest, you are serving your Lord according to His bidding. And it is pleasing in His sight. Unworthy servants though we may be, we have received Christ as our reward, and we shall receive our full commendation when the angels come to bear us safely home at our last hour.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
