The Big Give
For months, the Stewardship Committee and I have been planning today's sermon, and we have two goals:
- That you will have fun!
- That you will understand the parable in today's sermon in a new way and put it into practice in your life!
First, we will start with the parable as it is told in the Gospel of Matthew 25:14-27...
"For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another, one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. At once the one who had received the five talents went off and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hit his master's money.
After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents: see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things: I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents." His master said to him, ' Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Then the one who had receied one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.'
Any ideas about how much a talentn was worth? It was equal to the wages of a day laborer for 15-20 years! The talents in this story refer to actual money. It wasn't until the Middle Ages when the word "talent" came into the English language that it was understood as a term for God-given abilities, such as gifts and graces.
In Jesus' parable, a man entrusts his servants with large amounts of money. The first two servants worked with the capital and doubled it. But our attention focuses on the third servant, who acted with caution (not a bad thing in an uncertain world) and chose not to lose what was entrusted to him. He can return it whole to the man. I don't know about you, but when I read this parable, I feel sympathy for the third man. I don't think he is out of line for carefully hiding his money--he kept it safe! When the man is harsh and chastises the third servant of not investing the money to at least get interest, it is easy to consider him harsh and unjust, especially when he gives the first servant who already has 10 talents the extra talent.
This parable is repeated in the Gospel of Luke with a similar outcome, only the master awards the faithful stewards whole cities instead of the money they double!
Today, is Pentecost Sunday. You know about Pentecost, right? It is the day we celebrate the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is also called the Birthday of the Church. Pentecosts is a big party when we give thanks that God offers each of us talents--gifts--the Holy Spirit--to enrich our lives! Last year on Pentecost, I handed out a spiritual gift inventory to help those who were here an opportunity to discover what gifts you have. (I know we have new members who haven't taken that inventory, but you may still know what gifts God has given to you.)...so what are some of the gifts you believe God has given to you?
- wisdom
- healing
- faith
- knowledge
- kindness
- service to others
- encouragement
- joy
- love
- peace
- patience
Now, do any of you remember when Oprah had a show and she surprised people with gifts? One show, she not only surprised one or two people with a gift...she surprised EVERYONE with a gift--the gift of a new car! She said, "You get a car! And you get a car! And you get a car!" Do you remember? Toay is that kind of day! Everyone here gifts spiritual gifts--and the Stewardship Committee is so excited about your gifts that we want to put your gifts to use!
So, you get a gift...and you get a gift...and you get a gift!
Starting today and going through July 13, we are embarking on a spiritual exercise of sharing our talents! Each individual--or family unit--can use their envelop of money to invest in a project! You choose how you want to invest it. Between now and July 13, you can return your envelope with "The Big Give" marked on it with the original money and whatever return you made on the investment. If you are a guest today, of course you are not expected to participate. If you are a member and you don't want to participate, you can return your envelope as is in the offering plate.
Be creative in sharing your talents. Combine your envelopes with a family member or a friend in the church or do your own thing. Return your envelope if you do not want to participate, but take some time to reflect on this before giving up. This is supposed to be fun, and it is supposed to be a spiritual experience! This FUN-Raiser is also part of our 2025 budget that was approved by our congregation in January.
Are you excited? It's a celebration of the gifts each one of us has been given and how we will invest them for the good of our church! This is the BIG GIVE. I cannot wait to hear the stories of how you have put your spiritual gifts to use.