Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Proper 33

Talents! Talents! Talents!

Readings: Judges 4:1-7; Psalm 123; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

Once again I am not preaching. I wish I were. The readings are very timely for St. Francis where we are in the midst of our annual stewardship campaign. This Sunday one of our lay people is presenting the narrative budget.

The Gospel is the Parable of the man going on a journey and leaving his servants with the responsibility of investing some considerable sums of money, in this case 'talents', on his behalf. Two of the servants do well in investing. The third person plays it safe. He literally hides his talents.

It may not seem fair, but it is reality. Some are more gifted than others. We are not in competition with each other. We need only celebrate and develop our own gifts. We need to consider ourselves as the talent. "What have I made of myself?" is the real question.

God's purpose is to bring order into disorder, peace into destruction, purpose into purposelessness, fullness into emptiness, healing into sickness, to restore aching, hungry hearts. Is it possible that we, by our neglect to lovingly invest our talents and gifts in the needs of people, are contributing to the end of Christendom? Certainly worth some contemplation.

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