This is what I remember about having a baby: nine months of waiting, the final agonizingly long month of impatience, then, at the moment that I knew this was it, thinking, "Wait! I'm not ready yet!" Both times. Neither time prepared after all, both times willing to put it off just a little bit longer. But too late: something had already happened. I had to cope with it.

Which is what the apostle Paul tells his readers in Thessalonika. All that stuff about awake or asleep and "children of light" or "children of darkness," and what he really means is, "the second coming is not yet, but something has already happened-so cope with it." That "something" is salvation. "Enough with the moping around waiting for the Second Coming," Paul says. "God has already done what needs doing, so live like you are people already saved." God's intention all along has been to save, not to punish. Ok then, how come the sermon title is, "Two Hard Things About God"? What are the "two hard things"? First, I want to be really clear, in case you didn't hear this before I read the scripture. Jesus is not saying the characteristics of the slave owner in the parable are like God's. The third slave characterizes the owner (who does not dispute this) as harsh and unscrupulous. That is not like God. The two hard things about God are this: God is a risk taker and, while there is an urgency to God's call, there is going to be a delay.

How do we know God is a risk taker? How's this for a risk? Jesus left us in charge. It was risky enough that God became human in Jesus-a baby who needed diapers, a grown up who faced legal consequences for telling parables like this one and ended by dying in the process. That's gutsy-truly risky. But as if that weren't a big enough risk, Jesus turned over his ministry to people like us. This is where the urgency comes in. Grammatically, imperative statements are commands. "Hang up your coat." "Do your homework." "Eat your beans." Even though the "you" is not pronounced, you know the statement is directed to you and what you are expected to do. Jesus used imperative statements when he turned over his ministry to us. "Go into the world." "Baptize." "Teach." "Remember me." Those are imperative statements. They are urgent. They are stripped down. But when Jesus says "remember," he tells us what to remember: "remember that I am with you always, to the end of the age." Only, there has been a delay in the arrival of the end of the age. That's what has the church in Thessalonika so upset, which is why Paul needs to tell them to stop moping. Just because the end of the age is delayed doesn't negate the inevitable. It will end. Like the last month of a pregnancy, it just hadn't ended yet.

Something has happened. Since we've got to wait, we may as well cope. How? Doing what? Jesus gives us examples of coping. The first two slaves may have been fearful of their owner, but it didn't keep them from coping--risking and increasing what had been entrusted to them. The third slave's fear paralyzed him so that he couldn't cope. As we Christians wait for the end of the age, our coping will be ineffective if fear is our only motivator.

I used to envision God as a terrifying figure in the sky, pointing a long finger down at me saying, "NO!" That is precisely the image of God that can paralyze our ability to cope effectively. I can't teach Sunday School, I don't know the Bible well enough. I can't be a worship leader, I don't pray in public. I can't go on a mission trip, I'm not religious. I can't help at the Resource Center, poor people scare me. Whether afraid of God or complacent about God-neither is an effective way to cope. I don't have to serve on a committee, I already served my time on session. I don't come to Sunday School, because I hear enough during the sermon. No thanks, I don't need a different Bible study, I always use this one. I pray to know God's will, but I just never hear anything.

Do you think risk is only about religious, churchy things? Love demands risk (think marriage, parenting, friendship). Dear Abby's column is filled with letters from people whose partners can't move past "going steady," because that would mean a long-term commitment-which might lead to a failed marriage. It's safer not to marry, not to commit, rather than risk failure or divorce. But risk isn't just about relationships. Both the Dilbert cartoon and real employers tell about the employee who keeps bringing up yet another alternative ways of solving problems, not out of creativity, but out of "analysis paralysis." It's a fear of deciding on a course of action because to do so might result in failure. Is it more creative to wait to wait to act until you come up with the "perfect" risk-free solution to a problem, or to decide to cope with the problems which may or may not arise out of a "good enough" course of action? In construction, we used to say that the truly skilled craftsperson was not the one who never made mistakes, but the one who could correct mistakes.

What does this have to do with the sermon title, "Two Hard Things About God"? Often, the gospel is in the "hard things" about God that we need to know. That's true in today's scripture lessons. What were the "hard things" again? First, God is a risk taker. Second, there is an urgency to God's call-even if there is a delay.

The most obvious consequence of God as a risk taker is that Jesus put us in charge. We are the continuation of Jesus' ministry. Even if we don't believe the harsh master in the parable describes God, we hope for the reward given the first two slaves. Their reward is to hear, "You have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many." This means more responsibility, greater risk, more challenges. This is a reward? Yes, because the increased responsibility, risk and challenge also come with this commendation: "Enter into your master's joy." More risk, yes, but communion, presence, relationship. The third slave doesn't fare so well. His "reward" is punishment -loss of the responsibility of stewardship as well as the loss of his master's presence. His fearfulness has led to more fear-with the resulting loss of joy and freedom to respond. Refuse to help out in Sunday School? You miss some God sightings. Afraid to work at the Resource Center? Jesus says the hungry are his brothers and sisters. Saying "no" to serving on a committee or session? Since God grows us into our ordination vows, you miss a growth opportunity.

There is good news in the urgency and Jesus' delay. Obviously, more time means a chance to get more done. But more than what we accomplish, Paul says, "God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him." Whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Enter your master's joy. Can you remember falling in love or making a new friend or getting a new puppy or holding your newborn child? All you wanted to do was be with that one. Just being together was joy. This is what we are invited to. This is God's heart's desire: to be with us. Us! At the end of time, God will not ask us, "What did you get done? How much did you accomplish?" God will ask, "How much did you love?" That is the investment with which we are entrusted. That is the risk that God places in our hands. Love. What you do may not look any different to other people, but the reason you did whatever it is, has changed. You have done it to increase your owner's investment: love. Whenever you love others in the name of Jesus, you are increasing the investment God has placed in your stewarding hands. May God grant that you hear these words, "Well done, faithful servant. Enter into your Master's joy."