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Zion—Gainesville Stewardship I 11/6/2011 Matthew 25:14-30 “You are a Gifted Servant” I. Blessed with a generous master II. Joyful in using his gifts Hymns: 469:1-5, 481, 309 & 491, 469:6 Rev. Roger Rockhoff Sermon # 1081 1 The poet John Greenleaf Whittier once wrote, “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ‘What might have been.’ We may not know what the exact circumstances were that led him to write these words. Something made him lament the fact that an opportunity had been missed. Sometimes those times are unavoidable, but other times opportunities are missed because of a lack of effort or wasted resources. In the text that we have today, Jesus spoke to his disciples 3 days before he died. He told them how he would soon be leaving them. He wanted them to be ready for that time, so he spoke to them about the opportunities that they would have. He encouraged them to be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that they would have. Over the past 3 years he had prepared them to serve him and was eager to see how they would respond. To illustrate his point to them, Jesus told the parable that we often call “The Parable of the Talents.” The point of Jesus’ message was that, because of their training and the blessing of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were gifted servants of the Lord. When we consider that through his Word and sacraments, we have also been blessed by the Holy Spirit, then we realize that we are also gifted servants. Let’s consider that thought today as we hear Jesus tell each of us “You are a Gifted Servant” I. Blessed with a generous master II. Joyful in using his gifts In the parable that Jesus told, there was a wealthy man who was planning to go on an extended trip. While he was gone, he was going to give his servants an opportunity. Jesus said that he “entrusted his property to them.” He knew that these men had the abilities to use his property wisely and allotted to them different amounts to use while he was gone. The amount that he entrusted to them was actually quite large. Some estimate that in today’s terms it would have been 5, 10, and 25 thousand dollars. His generous gifts, given in increments that he believed they could manage, set them up for success. When he returned, he was equally generous with the praises that he gave to those servants who used his property wisely. “Well done, good and faithful servant!” he said to one of them. “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Came and share your master’s happiness!” If we were to compare the master in the parable to our master in heaven, we would see the direct parallel. God has been extremely generous in the blessings that he has shared with us. He has entrusted us with many things, according to our ability to manage them. And he has set us up to succeed. When we think about the gifts we’ve received from God, we might first think of the material blessings that we have. But there are spiritual blessings that we have been given by our generous Lord that are more valuable than anything physical that we possess. Our Lord chose to give to each of us a gift that is priceless, unable to be purchased at any price. He gave us a ticket to heaven, the ticket that we call “faith.” Through his Holy Spirit he has called us into his family, making us heirs of his heavenly kingdom. Our generous Lord has entrusted us with a gift that entitles us to a life of eternal joy and happiness. Until we take full possession of the eternal life that God has given us through his Son, we have blessings that he gave us to use here on earth. In the parable, the master gave his servants the talents to use until he returned from his journey. We have also been given blessings from 2 God to use until he returns again. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (I Cor. 12:7) Peter would then add, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (I Pt. 4:10) The point of Jesus’ parable was never about how much each servant returned to the master. It was about how faithfully they used the gifts that they had been given. That is what our Lord was going to look for from his disciples. He knew that they each had different talents and abilities. He wasn’t going to look for each of them to do exactly the same thing. He was going to watch to see if they used the gifts that he had given to them. And that is was we want to do for our Lord too. We want to use the blessings, talents, and abilities that he has generously given to us to serve him. We want him to be happy about what he sees when he observes how we are using what he has given to us. We want him to respond the way that the master in the parable responded to the 2 servants who had been faithful. What a joy it will be to hear our Lord say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” As we look forward to the day when he returns, we will continue to be… II. Joyful in using his gifts. In the parable, there were two very different responses to the master. 2 of the servants took their talents and used them faithfully. Jesus said, “The man who received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.” Neither of these men delayed ion going to work for his master. They both began “at once.” Combining the talents that the master had given them with the abilities that they had to use them produced a benefit for both the master and the servants themselves. The third servant in the story didn’t respond this way, though, and received both different results and a different review. He “went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” If you think about it, it wasn’t a lack of ability that kept him from using his talents faithfully. Digging the hole in the back yard took more effort than putting the money in a bank would have. It wasn’t a lack of ability that did him in. It was a lack of faithfulness--not using the abilities that he had. When God chose Moses to lead his people out of Israel, he hesitated. He wondered if he had the ability, if the people would listen to him. He had committed a murder and had lived away from the people for 40 years. He claimed that he didn’t speak well and just wasn’t “leader material.” He objected, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex. 3:11) With a similar lack of confidence in their abilities, Saul tried to hide when he was elected as Israel’s first king, and Jonah tried to run away when God told him to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. If God had accepted their objections, nothing would have been accomplished! But God assured each of them that he would give them what they needed to do their jobs, and he did. When they applied their abilities faithfully, each became a valuable tool in the hands of the Lord. No doubt we all have some questions about our abilities to do what God has called us to do. When the disciples met with Jesus shortly before he left the earth to return to heaven, they may have felt a bit inadequate when he told them what he wanted them to do. But he gave them a promise that lifted their spirits, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt. 28:20) 3 That is the promise that God has given to us as well. With his unlimited power, knowledge, and love he has taken away the fear that might paralyze us and prevent us from serving him. Knowing that he will be with us to lead and guide us in serving him, we can be joyful in using eh gifts that he has given to us. We can go out “at once” to do our part in serving our Lord. It isn’t important whether we are the 5 talent guy or the 2 talent guy or just the 1 talent guy. Each of us has a role, like the parts of the human body, that God has given us to fill as we serve him and one another. Instead of focusing on what we can’t do, God wants us to be faithful in what we can do. And that is where we will find joy in serving the Lord. That is what will bring his “Well done, good and faithful servant.” When we use our time, our talents, and our treasures faithfully, we will know the joy of serving the Lord. Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians to be faithful, saying, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” (I Cor. 12:1) Let’s remember one thing. Our Lord doesn’t need our service. He could do a better job if he did things himself. But he allows us to serve and chose to spread his kingdom using our abilities and the gifts he has given to us. We do need each other. Your church needs you, and so do others. Jesus told his disciples that the “fields” were “ripe,” and then he sent them out to bring in the harvest. Today he is sending us. May the love of God bring from us the response of the prophet Isaiah, who, hearing the call of the Lord answered, “Her am I. Send me.” (Is. 6:8) And when we have joyfully used our talents given generously to us by our loving God, we will hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Amen. The peace of God…