afraid,” he says (25:25). Afraid of lots of things. No doubt diff erent things than we’re afraid of today, but certainly related. T e master says, “T row him into
the outer darkness” (25:30). Here’s something you can count on: Fear always gives birth to darkness. T is fearful man who hid his
talent lived in a dark world of suspicion and mistrust the whole time the master was away. Upon his return, the master is rather irate. I think he would have accepted any- thing except caution and fear. T e man who dug the hole is
assigned to the outer darkness. It sounds rather ominous, but he had already lived in darkness and fear for a long time. Who’s to say he’s not quite comfortable there already? “But the one who had received
the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his mas- ter’s money” (25:18). Like you, I suspect, I’ve had to
stand over my share of holes in the ground. Our church cemetery is fi lled with hundreds of holes. I’ve lowered pets and friends and loved ones into far too many of them. T ere’s a lot out there that can make us cautious and fearful. Turn on the news tonight if you don’t believe me. But we live from the perspective of another bit of contrasting news. T ey strung Christ up on a
Friday. T e most powerful people in the world tried to squelch his mes- sage and silence his trust in a greater power that sends fear packing. T ey lowered him into a dark hole, so to speak, certain that a cross could
Author bio: Honeycutt is pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Walhalla, S.C., and the author of seven books.
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counter his confi dence. We know this story, but some-
times I live in a way that betrays it and calls into question its veracity. If it’s not true, by all means live life just like the man with the shovel. If it’s not true, yes, dig lots of holes and place your entire life in the hands of those who promise safety and security.
If the old story is not true,
if Christ stayed in the hole that seemed to be his end, then please choose another story. Hide it all. Hide everything you’ve got. Be cau- tious. Be afraid. Be very afraid. But if it is true .… T en there is nothing to
fear. Enter into the joy of your Master.
Invest in what matters
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praxismutualfunds.com for a prospectus or summary prospectus, which you should read carefully before you invest. Praxis Mutual Funds are advised by Everence Capital Management and distributed through FINRA member BHIL Distributors Inc. Investment products offered are not FDIC insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee.
Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Manage- ment Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representa- tives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc. For additional important information, visit
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May 2015 31
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