Sunday 11/16/14 Freeville/Homer Ave
UMC’s
Sermon Title: “What do you do with what God has given you?”
Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 123
New Testament Scripture Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 25:14-30
Welcome
once again this morning my brothers and sisters. Today is the Twenty-Third
Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost, that holiday so long ago that
the apostles and the first followers of Jesus Christ were in that upper room,
and then suddenly the Holy Spirit moved in mighty way. This movement of the
Holy Spirit caused the apostles and the early followers of Christ to speak in tongues,
and emboldened them to go forth and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. To go
forth, and build God’s kingdom on earth, as we await God’s kingdom to come.
Today in our
gospel reading from Saint Matthew, Jesus will tell us the “Parable of the Talents.”
This parable or story is not about talents in the sense of the “American Idol”
show, or the “Dancing with the Stars” show, instead, these talents are large
sums of money. In the case of this parable or story then, a “talent” would be
the equivalency today of several thousands of dollars. The “talents” in today’s
gospel reading are described in the form of “valuable coins.” Coins that were
probably large and made of silver or gold.
I wonder though,
if any of us have ever been entrusted with a large sum of money? I know that
sometimes when babies are born that some families will get government savings
bonds for the baby, or that they will give the family money to set up a bank
account for when the baby grows up. Any of you ever set up or contribute to such
a bank account? Perhaps it was a college savings account, or another type of
account.
Have any of us ever been entrusted
with property, a house, and or etc.? Maybe we found out that we are the
executor to a family member’s last will and testament, maybe we found out that
when a family member passed on, that we inherited something tangible, or that
we inherited some money.
It would seem
that at some point we are all entrusted with something. For example, how many
of you have ever house sat while a friend or a family member was away? During
this time, it was your job to ensure that the person or family’s house and
property were maintained in good order.
Maybe some of
us at work have been entrusted with a massive project that was something so big
that not doing it very well could have caused extremely negative consequences
for the business or the organization that we worked or work for.
Maybe we have
been entrusted with something small, like getting a few things at the grocery
store. You know, mom or dad gave us some money to get milk, eggs, and bread,
and we come back with cap gun and a snicker’s bar. My advice is to not do that.
In a matter of
speaking then, we are entrusted with various things all the time aren’t we? Yet
if you sent me to the grocery store to get you milk, eggs, and bread, and I
came back with a cap gun and a snickers bar, I would guess that you would not
soon call me again to get you some milk, eggs, and bread and the grocery store.
Our
dependability, our care for what we have been entrusted with matters. In fact,
if we do what we are asked to do, and if we care for what we have been
entrusted with, it is much more likely that we will be asked to do something
similar again in the future.
It is often so
humbling for me to know that I have been entrusted with the spiritual care of
all of this that we call the church. That I have been called to order the life
of this church, to preach the gospel of the living Christ, administer the
sacraments, work with the people of this church to grow faith, make disciples
of Jesus Christ, and to further transform this community. It would seem then,
that God has entrusted me with quite a lot in pastoring this church, and
believe me when I say that I take what I have been entrusted with by God, very
seriously.
This morning then, Jesus Christ gives
us a parable or story about what we do with what we have been entrusted with.
Or to put it another way, “What do
you do with what God has given you?” What do we do with what God and others
entrust us with? Do we do what we say we will do? Further, do we honor God,
with the great bounty that he has given us?
I mean after all, if we work hard and earn a good
living, then everything we have is ours right? Yet do we honestly think that God’s
hand is not involved here? If someone has great talent, has great abilities,
what is the source of all of this? All of our gifts, all of our graces, all
that we are is because God has given all of these to us. God has given us all
that we are, and all that we are capable of being.
Our corresponding attitudes and actions then I
think, should be “an attitude of gratitude.” An attitude of joy and love for
the God of the universe that has blessed us immeasurably. We shouldn’t seek to
horde possessions, money, and property, rather we should attempt to have what
we need, and then seek to bless others. If we really were serious about what we
do with our excess, wouldn’t we be able to help even more provide for the needs
of the people of this community? If we have abundance, and others have nothing,
should we give them some of our excess?
I mean what good is it to have extreme excess, when
you have so much more than you need, if many around you are suffering? I am not
opposed to being successful, but what good is having so much, if you don’t need
it, and don’t use it?
The gospel reading for today then, the “Parable of
the Talents,” asks us what do we do with what the “Master,” with what God has
given us?
In our reading
this morning from Psalm 123, the psalmist encourages us to “raise” our eyes to
him, who rules heaven. The Psalmist discusses how servants serve their master’s,
and how we should serve with the same devotion and commitment. The Psalmist
says that we should focus on being humble and devoted to God, and that in doing
so God will bless us and have mercy on us.
In the Apostle
Paul’s first Epistle or letter to the church in Thessalonica or the
Thessalonians, Paul tells the church that the Lord will return soon. He tells
the church in Thessalonica, that the “Lord is going to come like a thief in the
night.” Due to this, Paul says that whatever “peace and security” that we might
feel here on earth, is all just smoke and mirrors. In this way, God is the only
constant, as everything else can change in an instant.
Natural
disasters occur, wars begin, houses catch on fire, cars break down, things
break at home, and other things happen suddenly. There are no guarantees in
this world other than God, and as such, the Apostle Paul calls us “children of
light,” and tells us to “stay awake and stay sober.” Paul is saying that God is
faithful and he will return one day. On that day, all that will matter is the
faith we had, and what we did with what God entrusted us with.
You see
Melissa and I don’t give freely to this church and the other church that I
serve just because. We don’t make sacrifices in various areas, to be able to
give to other causes, just because, but because God has entrusted us with a responsibility
to give freely and joyfully.
Looking at the
text of the gospel lesson from Saint Matthew from this morning, Jesus once
again says as he does several times in the gospel, “The kingdom of heaven is
like.” In this way, Jesus Christ says, that “The Kingdom of heaven is like a
man who was leaving on a trip.” When the man left on this trip, he decided to
turn his possessions over to his servants, and entrusted them with them. To one
of his servants he gave five valuable coins, another two, and another one.
Jesus said that the man gave each servant a sum of money “according to that servant’s
ability.” The man then “left on his journey.”
When the man
had left, the servant who was given the five valuable coins did business with
them, and “gained five more” valuable coins. The servant that was given two
valuable coins did the same, and “gained two more” valuable coins. Yet the
servant who was given one valuable coin or talent, buried it in the ground.
When the
Master returned, he was pleased that the servant that he had given five
valuable coins or talents to had double that amount. In fact the master said, “Excellent!
You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll
put in in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.”
The servant
that doubled the Master’s two valuable coins or talents into four valuable
coins or talents got a similar response from the master. Yet the last servant
told the Master that he “was afraid,” and as such, hid his “valuable coin in
the ground.” The master then said, “You evil and lazy servant, you have done
nothing with what I have entrusted you with.
So the master
took the servant’s one valuable coin or talent, and then gave it to the servant
who had a total now of ten valuable coins or talents. The master then said, “Those
who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as
for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away
from them.” The master then said, “Now take the worthless servant and throw him
outside into the darkness.” People there will be weeping and grinding there
teeth.”
So what does
this all mean then? As of one of my Bible commentaries put it, “God has richly
endowed his people with gifts. These gifts are not to be ignored or treated as
ornaments for display. Instead, we as individuals or congregations must see
these gifts as investments to be used to gain the glory for the master. We must
put faith into action by taking risks that will lead to fruitfulness.” Well
said, I think.
In all of these ways then, everything
that God has entrusted us with, time, talent, money, possessions, all come with
expectations of us. “What do we do with what God has given us?”
I would like to tell you a story on stewardship,
as this is our stewardship season. This story is called Alan Barnhart. This
story was taken from “www.generosity.com and Barnhart, “Profit with a Purpose” in The Generous Business. A Guide for Incorporating Giving at Work.”
Here
is how it goes: “Alan
Barnhart is an American businessman who owns and runs a business valued at $250
million.
When he was at University he poured
over the teachings of Jesus and was struck by Jesus’ call to generosity and his
warnings about wealth. He was determined that when he went into business he
would not allow any financial success he might enjoy to become a source of
spiritual failure.”
“When he and his brother took over
their small family business, Barnhart Crane and Rigging, they set incomes for
themselves that would enable them to support their families in a modest middle
class lifestyle and agreed that anything the company made beyond that would be
given to ministry, particularly ministries in the developing world.”
“In their first year they were able
to give away $50,000; in the second year $150,000; and by 2005 they were giving
away $1 million a month. They have also placed 99% ownership of the company
into a trust that will ensure that when they have departed, all proceeds from
the firm will continue to be invested in ministry.”
“Alan doesn’t regret the decision to
limit his income. He, his wife and his children have been able to visit the
projects they support and see the impact in people’s lives. Alan says that
giving is fun!”
“Inspired by the teachings of Jesus
on wealth, Alan Barnhart took a simple decision that revolutionized his life
and enabled him to practice generosity.”
Imagine
brothers and sisters, if we all gave like this. Imagine what the world would
look like if more people took what was entrusted to them so seriously, that they
toiled to ensure that the master would be pleased with what they have done with
what he has given them.
In
doing a little research, I went to the website of “Barnhart Crane and Rigging,”
I discovered they have thirty business locations nationwide, and one in East
Syracuse.
Here
is what their website said for what there “Purpose Statement” is: “The Purpose
of Barnhart Crane and Rigging Co. is to glorify God by providing an opportunity
for His people to use their skills and gifts in His service through
constructive work, personal witness and ministry funding.”
Brothers
and sisters, we are in the midst of our stewardship season. We are looking at
our church giving, and how we give in general. The question we all need to ask
ourselves, is “What do we do with what God has given us?”
So
here is what I am going to ask you to do this week, and I will agree to do the
same thing. Go home, look at your finances, pray, and see where God is leading
you to be more generous and more giving. Praise be to God, and Amen!
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