Queen Anne 

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Audio: The Master and the Talents Podcast

Sermon:

This morning we are looking at the parable of the talents.  A parable is a story that makes a point, and the point of this parable is making the most of the gifts that God gives you.

In the story a wealthy man goes on a long journey, and he leaves three of his servants with money to manage for him while he is gone.

Upon his return, the wealthy man calls together his three servants and has them give an accounting. The first two servants have done what the master expected. They have doubled the investment, earning praise, honor, and higher responsibility. But the third servant takes a different tact. He has taken a risk-free path, burying his talent in the ground.  He doesn’t lose it, but he doesn’t do anything with it either.  As a result, the third servant is stripped of everything and is banished to the “outer darkness.”

Although the word 'talent' in this parable actually means a sum of money, we can take it to mean talent in the sense of an ability or skill.

The distribution of the talents is actually very telling. It is much like life.  While we know that we are all equal in the eyes of God, when it comes to our abilities, we are quite different.  God didn’t make us all the same. We have a variety of talents, artistic, intellectual, musical, mechanical, spiritual, athletic and more.  Some have yet to discover their talents. 

 
The important thing to remember is that each servant is given something. No one was left idle. You may not know your talent, but rest assured, you have a God-given talent.  We all do. And I think believe that there are a lot more one and two talent people in this world than there are five talent people. So, if you do not yet know your talent, do not fear, your brothers and sisters in Christ are here to help and encourage you in your discernment.  It is really important that you be convinced of this.

Like the character in this parable, many people are afraid they lack any talent.  Like the third servant they fail to see their own potential. They lack faith in God and in themselves.  Faith in God means taking risk, demonstrating courage and taking advantage of opportunities that God places before us.  Sometimes, it is in stepping out in faith that our talent emerges.

The third servant feared failure, and because he feared failure, he took no risks, showed no courage and ignored opportunity.

Being faithful with God's resources involves risk, courage and action.  To keep things as they are out of fear is not a faithful option. We've got to keep our eyes on what God wants to do next and get involved.

We receive incredible things from God; love, grace, forgiveness, material blessings; a sound mind, health, friends, family. There are so many things that we can thank God for.  We can't receive all of this from God and sit back and do nothing with it. Free forgiveness and free grace doesn't mean freedom from responsibility. That's what this parable teaches us. We have talent, and we have responsibility to uncover, discover and to use it. 

If you want some help uncovering your talent, stick around.  In the next several weeks we will be talking about spiritual gifts, mission and ministry, a vision of service, and what it means to be called, so stay tuned. 

Let us be joyful in who we actually are, not afraid, but confident in the talent God has given us.  Even if we are given only a little talent to work with, if we make the most of what we have, we will be rewarded as faithful servants. May it be so. 

Now for the second sermon; I need you to refocus.

The parable of the Talents is about the gross injustice that possesses this world.

If we read this story through the lens of the poor, we hear something different.  The poor of the time were not out to make huge profits – they just wanted to survive. The huge amount of money represented by even one talent was beyond their perception. Their subsistence way of life was conceptually out of sync with the profiteering of the wealthy manager and his two servants. 

In the story, the rich man, a harsh man, reaped where he did not sow and gathered where he did not scatter seed.  The rich man punishes the servant who dares to challenge him, and rewards the servants who collaborate with his exploitative ways.

The rich man confirms his own corruption when he rewards the servants who invest the talents so that the money gains interest. The practice of lending for interest is totally forbidden to the Jews of this time.  It was not only illegal for Jews, but also immoral.

I share this perspective about the rich man because I don’t want you to think at all that the rich man in this story represents God.  God does not condemn us because of our fears? God presents a path to us that makes us fearless.

So, we ask, where is God in this story?  God is on the side of the servant who stands up to corruption by not co-operating and by speaking honestly about the character of the rich man; telling him that he is a man who has ruled by fear and not justice.

We need to understand that God is on the side of the oppressed and weak, not on the side of the strong and oppressive.

We should be wary of understanding the Bible in such a way that it favors the rich. The parable of the Talents is a prime example of scripture that has been twisted to favor the wealthy. It has been used to recommend hard work to the poor even in situations where the distribution of wealth is patently unfair. When the servants in the parable are given different amounts of money to work with we need to see this as a picture of the unequal distribution of wealth, access and opportunity in society.

A question arises from The parable of the Talents; who will defend the poor?'  The answer must be that the church, to be clear, that’s us, not the building, but the people.  We will defend the poor.  We will continue the fight that Jesus began.   This is our call to justice.  May it be so. 

Conclusion

I have given you two sermons on the same passage, yet the two sermons seem to make contradictory points.

Is the parable of the Talents about individual responsibility or is it about social action?

Or is there a deeper level of meaning in this parable, one that connects wealth and morality at a spiritual level, a meaning more fundamental than lessons about making the most of your talents or defending the poor?

If you ask me, the parable of the Talents is about recognizing the spiritual consequences of our material actions.

All things come from God, and we should strive to return to God in gratitude what God has given to us in grace.  God is not our wealthy landlord, God is our loving father and Mother. God offers us the world and invites us to respond with loving gratitude 

Rejoicing in the talents that God gives us, and challenging the powerful and corrupt, both these actions resonate in heaven.

Burying a coin, whether that coin is a God given talent or a burning sense of injustice, burying it is an act of spiritual corruption.

If God has given us good things, we can't bury them. We've got to step out in faith. We've got to lay some things on the line and take some risks.  God calls us to be good and faithful servants.  Let us heed God’s call.

May it be so.  Amen.

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