“You had one job!”

19 Aug “You had one job!”

“You had ONE JOB!”  The line has become something of a cliché in movies & TV. It usually pops up when some hapless less-than-competent underling stuffs up a really important assignment because they forgot one simple small detail. The whole thing falls to ruin because they “had one job” and didn’t do it.

Oddly enough…Jesus often warns his followers of falling victim to just such a danger…of missing out on the abundance of life in him because they failed to do the ONE THING that was obviously in their ability & responsibility to do…For example…Matthew 25…In this part of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus & the disciples are in Jerusalem the week between Palm Sunday & the Resurrection. At every step along the way that week Jesus is confronted & challenged by the religious leaders, and he not only turns their challenges back against them, he then prophecies extensively against them. (Mt 23) Jesus shreds their fake-for-show-faith & then in painstaking detail warns the disciples to not repeat the mistakes of those whose idea of faith is only skin deep.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells three familiar parables: The 10 Bridesmaids (5 of whom forget to bring enough oil for their lamps). The three workers entrusted with varying amounts of the Master’s money while the Master is away. And finally, The Sheep & the goats. These parable are often separated & used in extolling the virtues of wise & prudent stewardship or diligent servanthood to those in need. But taken as a whole, they remind us that we have one job as followers of Jesus: Live every moment as if we’re in his presence, which in fact we are, doing whatever is there before us to do. The bridesmaids have one job: form a moving light procession greeting the bridegroom as he enters the wedding celebration. How do you not have enough oil on hand for his anticipated arrival? The workers have one job: create a return on investment for the Master. Why on earth do you bury the money in the ground where it accomplishes nothing? Given daily opportunities to serve, give to, & care for others (the needs in our world only seem to multiply before our eyes) what are the “goats” waiting for? They have one job…

The parables are a reminder: Even if we can’t see Jesus, he is always present & we are never “off the clock.”

Our job, to make his saving love & indwelling presence known & experienced by those we daily encounter, is a 24-hour-a-day 7-days-a-week responsibility entrusted to us until the day Jesus returns to bring his kingdom to its fullness. Even if we can’t see Jesus, he is always present & we are never “off the clock.”

How might we accomplish that in the days ahead…

1. Zoom Bible Study Catch-up
   Friday 22nd August 2025  @ 1:00 p.m.
   Join Zoom Meeting  —  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89674789066  —  Meeting ID: 896 7478 9066
2. Albury Men’s Convention is this Saturday…please pray for those of us who are attending & for the work the Spirit will do in us.
3. There are a number of events for women in the pipeline over the next few months…

• Hope in A Hopeless World @ Wagga Baptist Church – Saturday 20^th September $30…Talk to Leonie for details
• Wagga Women’s Prayer Retreat @ St Martin’s College CSU – Tuesday through Saturday 18^th – 22^nd November (details @ this link Wagga Retreat Brochure 2025.pdf )

4. Don’t forget! 26^th October @ 2:00 p.m. at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Athol Street we’re celebrating 100 years of Lutheran worship in the Riverina. We’ll have our own pages in the commemorative magazine being produced for the day & we’ll get a specific invitation for the special afternoon worship as we get closer to the day. Mark this one in your calendar; it’s sure to be a great event!
5. Our September Giving Beyond Ourselves is for the AFES Campus Ministry at CSU. We’ve seen God do great things out there over the years & I’m privileged to be a partner with the faithful servants in that ministry. Mark September 7^th on your calendar. That’s a Morning Tea day too!
6. There’s a new crisis pregnancy service in Wagga, Escencia Life. They’re hosting a Trivia Night on Saturday 6^th September in Holy Trinity (Ashmont) Parish Hall. We’ll have more details on Sunday…but this looks like a place I can get behind.
7. Please keep praying for the year 12 student doing the HSC Trial Exams throughout the remainder of this week. It’s one of those high-stress moments for our students & for many it proves a very high mountain to climb.

Looking forward to seeing some of you over the course of this week & all of you Sunday morning!

Peace

John