The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Last week, we discussed the idea that God desires a relationship with us. By relationship,
we mean that God doesn’t just want calls when the big holidays and special life events roll
around, but God desires a daily conversation about our regular life ups and downs, our
struggles and our celebrations.
Because God loves us so much, God grants us immeasurable gifts. From the abundance of
God’s love, God gives us what we really need to determine our worth in this world and
eternal life. These gifts are so precious, they cannot be calculated with any sense of value
that we measure things in this world.
It’s not immediately evident in today’s parable, but the “master” (that’s supposed to be
Jesus) gives the slaves (this is a poor term meant to model a Roman household, but think of his followers) so much money that it’s unfathomable. A talent was more money than they could ever imagine. It was like winning the lottery. We’d be better off saying a gazillion or a bajillion.
And remember, God’s economy doesn’t operate with money. God’s “currency” is grace,
compassion, love, or mercy. The parable is symbolic, not literal. As we wrestled with this in the Bible Study class on Wednesday, we explored different translations to better understand this difficult parable. We wondered what it might sound like if we pretended it was more literal. In this case, it might sound like this:
After his death and return, Jesus had to go on a long journey, so he summoned his followers and entrusted his greatest treasure to them. He gifted the first with grace, mercy, and compassion a gazillionfold. He gifted the second a bazillion of the same. The third, was also gifted with immeasurable love, grace, and compassion. He did this for all his followers
because he wanted them to know that they were all loved and that they were God’s greatest gifts because each of us is a child of God.
After a long, long time, Jesus returned, and he checked in with each person he gifted. The
first said, “I received your grace and love and returned it to the world.” All those he
encountered experience God’s grace through his works.
Jesus responded, “Well done, good and faithful one, you have been faithful in my absence,
receive the joys of the kin-dom of God.”
The second also lived his life as if he were a child of God, reflecting God’s love and mercy to all those he encountered and giving abundantly from the gifts he had received.
Jesus responded, “Well done, good and faithful one, you have been faithful in my absence,
receive the joys of the kin-dom of God.”
The third one though, struggled. “I was afraid and felt unworthy. I hid your love and
compassion away and focused on proving myself in the world by gaining wealth, power,
and prestige. Here is your gift back, I don’t deserve it anyway.”
Jesus responded, “Dear child, you torture yourself by chasing false idols. You reject my gifts
and condemn yourself to a place of loneliness and darkness. But I will never abandon you,
and I hope that you will someday receive my gifts.”
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If we consider the parable this way, we might take away a few lessons.
First, yes, we are beloved children of God, but it’s up to us to receive the gift of God’s grace,
compassion, and love. Like the old adage tells us, you can lead a horse to water, but you
can’t make them drink.
Next, given that all were granted gifts, the difference between the followers was in their
choice to act in the world. Our belief tells us that when we receive God’s grace, we are
sanctified, blessed by the Holy Spirit, and made sacred for the work of God. We are given
gifts to bless the world around us, not to be hoarded and kept secret. When we receive
God’s gift of grace and live according to the knowledge of our salvation and belovedness,
then the Holy Spirit directs our actions toward the work of God.
For some, this is living into a vocation, where their life’s work is also God’s work. That
doesn’t mean we must follow a path to ordination or work for the church. Instead, it means
that we do the work God has given us to do in the world, and our actions reflect God’s grace and compassion in whatever work we are called or gifted to do. In this way, God’s grace is multiplied in the world, just as the parable tells us.
For others, it means being called to serve in ministry in addition to our work or to enrich
our retirement. Or it means that we are gifted with extra resources to donate to churches,
nonprofits, or other organizations to continue God’s work. We find other ways to multiply
God’s grace in the world through our gifts.
Others are called to work towards God’s justice in the world. Whether through social
justice causes seeking to provide for the basic needs of all individuals or through the
stewardship of God’s creation, God’s grace and love are reflected in their works to serve
and protect all God’s beloveds.
Notice that this parable does not suggest that we should be set apart and hide our gifts. God gives us a great treasure with the expectation that we will discern our role in the world for multiplying these riches so that God’s abundance is clear to those around us. It’s up to us to prayerfully determine our particular vocation for acting on God’s grace.
It also does not suggest that we don’t participate in the realities of the world.
Work, money, products, and services are all necessary for survival, and God does not expect us to suffer needlessly. However, we are called to act on our faith, taking risks and getting outside our comfort zone as we are moved by the Holy Spirit to work in the world.
When we receive God’s gifts, then we are called to act in the world as a child of God. We are each given immeasurable gifts from God, and we are asked to invest them in the world
around us, enriching those around us by reflecting God’s love and grace in the world.
How might you multiply God’s treasures in the world by living as a beloved child of God?
The Rev. Mercedes Clements
