The parable of the talents
I'd like to speak about being
ambitious - about being ambitious for God.
This is the story of three people.
They were each given a share of the masters property. Two worked hard. They
used what they had been given in order to make more. One did nothing. He buried the gift. And when
the master returns he is condemned.
Margaret Thatcher famously used the
parable of the talents. She spoke of how it was a story
of taking what you have, working hard and making something for yourself from
it.
But the parable of the talents is not
a theological justification for unbridled capitalism. It is not about the person
who made good, who says ‘God I came from a council estate, I had limited
education, I never knew my dad, and mum was messed up and I had nothing – but
now I have £56 million. I’ve used the nothing that I had but now look at me’.
That is great - depending on how you
have made your £56m! It is good to take what we have, whether much or little,
and make more for yourself.
But this parable is not about
that.
And it is not simply about using our
talents, and developing them. It is about using them for him.
It is not about being ambitious for
yourself.
[The fact that there are three
parables together in Matthew 25 makes that clear.
They are part of the private speech
that Jesus has with his followers, which begins in Matthew 24.3. 'As he sat on
the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately ...' And chapter 24
and 25 are spoken to Jesus' followers, to those who profess that Jesus is Lord,
who profess to be Christians.
The first parable is the story of the
wise and foolish bridesmaids. Jesus is challenging us to keep our faith alive,
even when it seems that God is a long way away and taking his time to
intervene. And he warns us of the consequences of not keeping our faith
alive.
The third parable is the story of the
sheep and the goats. We are warned that when judgement comes, and remember he
is speaking to those who profess to be believers, it will be based on how much
we have loved: not those closest to us - but those who were in need. The
hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, stranger and prisoner. And in particular it is
about how we have loved our Christian brothers and sisters who were in
need.
So the parable of the talents, which
is the second of these, is not about taking what you have and doing better for
yourself.
It is about taking what God has given
you and using it to do much for Him.]
It is about being ambitious for God,
and for the things of God: the message of the gospel, reconciliation, justice,
mercy, right-ness and love.
Jesus is the master who is about to
go away. He is the master who entrusts his property to his servants.
Some seem to have abundantly; others
less so.
At times we have abundantly; at other
times less so.
But all that we have is gift. We have
done nothing to deserve it.
I was speaking to someone who farms
1700 acres on Wednesday. He was saying that this has been an exceptional
harvest for arable farmers: the sort of year that they will speak about for
many years to come. It is not so much a 5 talent harvest as a 50 talent
harvest.
What did we do to deserve that? What
did we do to have a mild winter, a rainy spring, a warm and dry summer? It is
all gift.
And the point of the passage is not
to ask 'what does a person have?' The point of the story is to ask, 'How does a
person use what they have?' We are accountable for what we have. Not for
what we do not have.
Some of you are 5 talent people. Some
of you are 2 talent people. Some of you are 1 talent people. It doesn't matter
because, if you notice, the faithful ones double what they have - and if you go
on doubling what you have, you soon end up with phenomenal amounts, and it
becomes irrelevant what you first began with.
What matters is what we do with that
which we have been given. And that includes our understanding of the gospel,
our physical strength, our material wealth and possession and our gifts,
opportunities, time and abilities.
And although Jesus is going away, and
the story makes clear that it will be for some time (‘now after a long time’
v19), he will one day come back. And when he returns he will settle accounts
with us.
So how are
we to be ambitious for God?
1. We are to use what he has
entrusted to us.
Most of us, living in the West, when
it comes to material prosperity and the opportunities we have, we are, in
comparison to so many others, 5 talent people.
So how are we using it?
Not for ourselves, but for God.
If you have capital, how are you
using it? Is it invested wisely in ways that give other people worthwhile jobs,
affordable homes or in ways that empower other people to serve? Is it
being used in ways that strip other people of human dignity – whether here or
far away – or is it being used to clothe people in garments of honour.
If you have a business, what is the
bottom line for you? Is it profit - or is it the welfare of your employees, of
your customers or clients? Who are you there to serve: yourself or
others? Part of the big problem of big business is that the bottom line is
profit, because they are answerable to an amorphous blob of shareholders.
There are big issues. I have a friend
who has set up a Christians in Business group in Ipswich and hopes for that to
be extended here to the Western part of the county. If you are interested in
thinking 'How can I use my business to be ambitious for God?', that might be
something you could get involved in. Have a word with me.
And of course there is our financial
giving. How much does it really cost us? There is the great story of the little
boy who wanted to give his Sunday dinner to the dog. Mum would not let him, but
told him that he could collect any left overs and give them to the dog at the
end of the meal. The little boy took the plate and put it down sadly in front
of the dog: 'Dog', he said, 'I wanted to give you an offering, but all I was
allowed to do was bring you a collection!' Is our giving a collection from our
left overs, or a genuine offering?
And how are we using our gifts? It is
not just a matter of developing them - going to evening classes or sports clubs
- although that is a great way of honouring God with them. But how are we using
them for our master?
How is our home being used for the
gospel? I'm not talking about anything big. It might simply be a matter of
inviting people round for a cup of tea, befriending them, supporting them in
trouble, and when it is the right time, and they are ready to receive, to share
the good news of the fact that Jesus has died for them and has risen, that sins
are forgiven, that by faith we know that he is with us now, and that we will
see him then.
How do we use the gift of our time? In
my previous parish there was Betty Walton. She visited the old people; she did
their shopping for them and gave them lifts and went to hospital with them. She
was 85. I’m really touched when people come to me and say, ‘I am willing to
visit people for the church’. I am conscious that I have not taken you up on
that. It is not that I am turning down your offer, but my mind just doesn’t
work like that. I guess we need a pastoral supremo like Hazel at St Peter’s.
But even if I haven’t taken you up on that, please just do it. You are using
your gifts for Him.
And what about your spiritual
gifts?
If you are one of our preachers, develop
your gift, work hard at it. We must never presume that we have made it. We need
to continue to read, to think and to study. It is very rare that a sermon
for me on a Sunday takes less than 6 hours to prepare.
Or maybe you are someone who finds it
easy to talk to others - use your gift for your master. There are many
opportunities. Being a steward here in church, Open the Book, services in
residential homes, family gatherings, small group events.
If you have the gift of hospitality
use it - invite Christians and non-Christians. Use your gift to build up
friendships. If you are a party person (and we need more party people in
our churches - I’m a party pooper. I’m quite happy sitting in the corner
reading a book), put on parties – good parties – but do it for Him.
If you have the gift of speaking in
tongues - don't neglect it; use it in your personal prayers. Jackie Pullinger
speaks of how her work for God was radically transformed when she began to pray
in tongues for 15 minutes every day by the clock.
Whatever your gift or ability.
Recognise that it is gift, that it comes from your master, and be ambitious for
him: use it for the glory of your master.
2. We are to take risks for God
Harvest thanksgiving is safe. I'm not talking about the people who put so much effort into making it work - the decorators, musicians etc. I'm speaking about those of us who come along each year. The giving, the decorations, the hymns are one massive comfort zone. Woe
betides the vicar or organist who does not choose ‘We plough the fields and scatter’.
And I guess that is OK, provided we go out of here prepared to take risks for God.
When we live safe, we are 5
talent people who behave like the 1 talent person.
The one talent person is like the
employee who has been asked to cash a cheque for her employer. But the office
is warm, it is raining outside, and they can't be bothered to walk to the bank.
So it gets buried under a pile of papers. And then the employer asks, 'What
happened to that cheque. Why didn't you cash it?' And they reply, 'Well I know
you strict, so I was scared I might make a mistake. But I’ve found the cheque
and here it is!’ It doesn't wash.
The real reason we do not use our
gifts for Him is that we can't be bothered with God. It is a bit of a pain.
I'll get on living my comfortable life, with my pleasant friends, doing what I
want when I want, adding a few feathers to the nest now and then, occasionally
doing something that makes me feel good like giving to some appeal, coming
along to church - so long as it suits me and it is the service I like – and I
will turn to God when life gets awkward.
God made you and me for so much more.
He really does want us to step out of
our comfort zone and become bigger people. But for that to happen we need to
get off our spiritual backsides and take risks with the gifts that God has
given us.
It might
be simple.
Crossing the street and knocking on
the door of that person who has just moved in, or who has been there for ages
but we have never got round to saying hello or even inviting them round for a
cup of tea or Christmas drinks.
It might be asking someone to come to
the Advent carol or Christmas carol service with you.
It might be joining a small group, joining the cleaning team, missing
Sunday lunch and staying behind for a shared lunch, so that you can spend time
with people in the church you don’t really know.
Or it
might be something big.
I stand in awe of those with medical
experience who have chosen to go out to, or to stay in Western Africa to help
with the fight against Ebola: many of whom have been inspired by their
Christian conviction.
I was speaking yesterday with a pastor from North West Nigeria. He was
saying that they are looking for Christians with skills – medical, teaching or
farming - to go out and spend a week or two teaching people there, passing on
knowledge and experience.
One thinks of Alan Henning or others
like him, inspired to go out and use what gifts they had. Perhaps you might say
he was foolish, he took unnecessary risks, and should have stayed safe at home.
But I don’t. I have deep respect for those foolish risk takers, who step out
because they are motivated by a desire to serve those in need.
Some of you will be aware that a
couple of weeks ago I went on a conference for clergy in their early 50's who
have been in the ordained ministry for a significant number of years. I called
it the conference for clergy facing mid life crises. Maybe this is a sermon of
a vicar facing a mid life crisis.
I am conscious of how safe I have
become in Bury
When I was in London we set up and
ran a centre for asylum seekers. They were people who were legally here but who
were not allowed to work or have any entitlement to benefits – until their cases
had been heard. They had nothing. One family lived for several months in our
church crypt. It was possibly illegal, probably broke all regulations and it was pretty grim for
them. But there was nothing else, and it was better than living on the street.
I wonder whether I would do that
again if the opportunity or need presented itself. It was incredibly stressful,
but it was also right and God was in it. And the older son and daughter,
both in their 20's became committed Christians.
But I need to challenge myself, and I
would ask you to challenge yourself, and ask if you are becoming like the one
talent person who, for the sake of a quiet, comfortable and safe life, buries
his or her talent.
The parable of the talents reminds us
that all that we have is gift from God. It tells us that we are to use those
gifts for him, to take risks with them for him, and to be ambitious for Him.
Father God, thank you for the gifts
you have given us. Please, in your mercy, take us out of our comfort zones.
Help us to use our gifts for you, to take risks for you and to be ambitious for
you. Amen.
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