2020 was a rotten great year. We are nearly through it. In church life, we are officially turning the page. How do we process the beginning of the church year starting with a text about the end? We Christians live with the paradox that the end is the beginning.

Many of us are undergoing end of the year evaluations. How do we measure up? How have we preformed? This parable of Jesus sounds so anti-grace, but it is filled with grace, even for the guy who buried his. What are you doing with what you have been given? How are you making it grow?

We are called to wait and to watch. We are much more comfortable at worrying. As the church year winds down, the scripture calls us to look up and look beyond for a hope that is enduring and eternal.

As the church celebrates all Saints Sunday, we wonder with the Apostle John, who are all these people around God’s altar. The answer is the same as in the time of Revelation, “They are the ones who have come out of the great ordeal.” Is that how we feel about this year and having nearly made it through?

One of the lessons of English grammar is that words can be implied even though they are not present. The syntax of verse 21 is clumsy. The verb “to give” should appear twice, but it is implied the second time. Why is giving to God always “implied?” What are the implications of our giving to God?

There are two times that Methodists are quiet, when they are eating or when you are talking about their money. We grow in those silent moments. We have gain insights at times when there are no easy answers. Jesus told two stories that come connected and they both cause us discomfort because they challenge our individualism and our excuses for not playing well with others. These stories make us quiet.