Police report: a resident of the 1000 block of Raritan Drive that a family in the area is taking over the minds of local dogs and turning them against their owners. Police were advised by the person that the only way to protect a dog is to install an anti-force field on its head before letting the animal go outside.
The Learning Center on Hanson Street reports a man across the way stands at his window for hours watching the center, making parents nervous. Police ID the subject as a cardboard cutout of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In Jamestown, a man came to the Sheriff’s Department to “find out how to legally kill” a person who was harassing him.
Early Monday morning… a Hayfork woman requests to talk with a deputy because her housekeeper is not putting her towels away properly.
There are many reasons why I could never be a police officer, and the comedian Ron White stated one of those reasons quite succinctly, “You can’t fix stupid.”
There are so many folks out there doing stupid stuff all the time, and our police officers are the ones who so often have to deal with them. I tip my zuchetta to them.
Even though I could never pull off the job, I’m surprised that not more people are signing up for it because we are all fascinated with what they do. Not only do we spend hours watching true crime and cop shows—they’re all trying to come up with a line as famous as “Book ‘em, Danno!”—but we also like to watch and see what they’re up to in daily life. For example, I was driving along I-35 toward the city when the traffic came to a dead stop. It finally started moving but crept along for five miles. What was the source of the congestion? In the northbound lane were two police cars and a wrecker working a minor accident. There was no reason to slow the southbound traffic but tell that to everyone who was morbidly interested in what the police were up to. Tell it to the rubberneckers.
Police see more than they need to of stupidity and tragedy because they have to clean up our messes. Still, the rubbernecker intentionally looks and is fascinated and held captive by the tragedy and mayhem.
What did you think of our first reading from Zephaniah?
The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter,
the warrior cries aloud there.
That day will be a day of wrath,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry.
If we are here on that great day of the Lord, and TV cameras are broadcasting it for all to see, do you think there will be any watchers? Any rubberneckers? Yes, there will be, and we won’t be able to get enough of it: Twenty-four-seven, all stations. However, in the meantime, we must be satisfied by the little everyday tragedies. Take, for example, our Gospel reading—the Parable of the Talents.
Last week, we noted that in telling the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus was answering the disciples’ question about the end of days. They said, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3) At the end of that parable, Jesus said to them, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Jesus told them The Parable to Talents immediately after, expanding on the necessity of watching and being prepared for His return.
The rich man was leaving on a journey and entrusted his property to three slaves. These were not slaves as we understand them, but these would have been household managers—individuals who knew what they were doing.
To one, the rich man entrusted over half his wealth; to the second, one-quarter; and the third, one-eighth. While he was away, the first two went out and doubled their master’s wealth, but the third—for several reasons—buried it in the ground. When the master returned, he called the slaves to account. The first two were praised for their good works, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” However, the third was severely reprimanded and punished. The master began by saying, “You wicked and lazy slave!” And it only got worse from there. In the end, the master said, “Throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Question: what part of the parable do you remember? What part did you focus on? What part have you heard preaching on (mine included)? Was it about the two who were praised? The ones who will, in the end, have an abundance? Or did you focus on or hear about the car crash? Did you focus on how that third slave, who lost everything, will experience what we read about in Zephaniah?
A day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom.
I’m going with the latter. Our focus falls on the tragedy and mayhem, but why? There are many theories out there, and I have my own.
Remember the Pharisee in the temple praying and telling God how great of a guy he was? At some point, he looks around and sees the tax collector also praying, and the Pharisee essentially says, “And thank God I’m not like that schmuck!”
I believe our focus falls on the slave that lost it all and was cast into destruction because we can look at ourselves and think, “I may not be all that great, but at least I’m not like that schmuck!” No longer do we have to pay attention to what we are doing. We can be rubberneckers of someone else’s tragedy and, in the process, make ourselves feel better about who we are. However, the two slaves rewarded and praised by the master were not focused on what the others were doing or not doing. They were focused on the task that had been set before them. These two should be our focus and inspiration, not the failure of the third. What can we learn from them?
The master said, “I am giving you these five talents, these two talents, and this one talent to watch over to work with. As a slave, a house manager, they are your responsibility. You will be judged, not on how the others perform, but on how you perform.”
Mrs. Five could have sat back and thought herself special. “Look at me. I’ve got more than everyone else. I’m the favored child. I can do whatever I like, and the master will love me.” But that was not Mrs. Five’s attitude. We can learn from her what it means to be a good steward. She took what she had been given and, without concerning herself with what others were doing, doubled her master’s money. When it comes to matters of faith and the gifts of God, we are to perform similarly. We are to take what God has blessed us with and use it for His greater glory, remaining focused on the work before us and not becoming distracted or complacent in our favored position.
Mr. Two could have whined that he didn’t receive as much as Mrs. Five and could have also looked down on Mr. One. Mr. Two could have spent so much time concerned with the others’ blessings that he missed the opportunity to serve his master properly. We can do the same, becoming so worried that someone or some other church might have more than us that we fail to focus on our own. — Understand that although it applies, I’m not talking about material things (money, possessions, etc), but things eternal (spiritual gifts, blessings, ministry, etc.) — When we look at the great Saints, we don’t complain that they have more. Instead, we look to them for inspiration and example. And, when we see someone with less, instead of gloating over it, we come alongside and help, wanting them to succeed in the eyes of the Lord.
Finally, when we see those who have failed, we don’t rubberneck over the tragedy. Instead, we pray for ourselves, “There, but for the grace of God…,” and we pray for the one who has fallen, that they might be redeemed.
We are not in spiritual competition, for we are the Body of Christ. We need one another, so don’t become distracted and focus not on the tragedies and mayhem. Instead, care for what the Master of us all has entrusted you with individually and us as the Church so that in the end, we may also hear those words of our Master, Jesus, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”
Let us pray: Almighty and ever-faithful Lord, gratefully acknowledging Your mercy and humbly admitting our need, we pledge our trust in You and each other. Filled with desire, we respond to Your call for discipleship by shaping our lives in imitation of Christ. We profess that the call requires us to be stewards of Your gifts. As stewards, we receive Your gifts gratefully, cherish and tend them in a responsible manner, share them in practice and love with others, and return them with increase to You. Amen.
Candle in a Cave 