The Fellowship of Joy

The master gave the servant one job: feed the other servants. Take care of them. Treat them with justice and fairness. Jesus gives us two hypothetical human examples of servant behavior. One is just, conscientious, and kind. That servant is rewarded. The other is flippant, unjust, and cruel. That servant is condemned. He lets the story dangle and allows us to apply it to our lives. The first servant was living with a sense of responsibility and expectation; the other was living with no regard to the fact that the master might show up any time. The job of the servant is to serve the master and one's fellow servants. The dangling question is: What kind of servant will you be? Matthew 24:45-51 (NRSV) - "Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?" "Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives." "Truly I tell you, he w...

  Malachi 3:16-4:6 Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them. Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, s...