The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost                                                               Rev. Carl M. Saxton

Proper 28A                                                                                   1 Thess. 5.1-11; Matthew 25.14-30

The Gospel we just heard is known as the Parable of the Talents.  That word, talent, can be confusing to the American ear.  Its original meaning in the New Testament Greek referred to a measure of weight – and one Bible translation says “bags of gold” rather than talents.  That’s a pretty telling translation, since a talent was equal to what the average laborer could earn in about 15 years.  So, in giving each of these servants one or more talents, the master is entrusting each of them with a small fortune.

The real thrust of this parable, however, is not found in the enormous amounts of cash entrusted to each of the servants, but the common theme of this parable, and both of the preceding parables.  These parables are a large part of what scholars call the Judgment Discourse, where Christ talks about what will happen at the end of time. 

At the end of chapter 24 of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells the tale of the Faithful and Unfaithful Slaves.  The faithful slave, when put in charge of his master’s household, is found at work when the master returns; Jesus says, Blessed is that slave.  The unfaithful slave, discovering that the master is delayed, begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards.  This slave is cut in pieces, and put with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The next parable is that of the Wise and Unwise Bridesmaids.  The unwise bridesmaids go out without oil for their lamps and, forced to go to the dealer and buy more, miss the coming of the bridegroom and are locked out of the feast. 

Then, in today’s parable, the master entrusts his slaves with large sums of money, then, after a long time the master returns to settle accounts.  Each of these parables has the same central idea of delay – both of the masters, that of the faithful and unfaithful slaves; and of the slaves given the talents; and the bridegroom are delayed for a long period of time.

Remember that Matthew was written perhaps more than a generation after the letters of Paul.  Paul wrote in the firm belief that Jesus was returning at any moment, which is why he discouraged marriage and constantly exhorted his readers to keep awake and be sober, because the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, like labor pains come upon a pregnant woman.

Matthew’s community was probably reading these letters of Paul and wondering why Jesus was taking so long, where was this Messiah who was to come in the lifetime of the Apostles but had failed, so far, to show back up 50 to 60 years after His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven?  And so, Matthew tells these parables about proper behavior for Christians during this long delay.

When I was a teenager, I was – as we called it in the 80s – a latchkey kid.  Both of my parents worked, so I would let myself into my house with a key kept on a chain worn around my neck.  Most days my mother would leave a list of tasks to be done when I had finished my homework.  Many of you may relate to this through your own experience as either a teen or the parent of a teen.  More times than I care to admit, that list of chores – and my homework – would be undone when my parents walked through the door after work.  I would distract myself with television or videogames, and what seemed like plenty of time to get it all done would evaporate.  I failed to use the time given to me wisely.

wants to make sure that his community, and by extension our Christian communities, are aware that we are expected to work for the Kingdom of God during this time of waiting for Christ’s return – that they use their time wisely.  The faithful servant in the first parable is faithful in overseeing his master’s household, we are told, because he give[s] the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time.  He cares for his fellows in the extended absence of his master.  Notice that the slave doesn’t have to figure out a way to buy the food for his fellow slaves – it’s been provided by the master.

Today’s parable takes the expectation a step further.  By his reaction to the slave that simply buried the talent given to him, the master clearly expected more than just the protection of what he had given – he expected that what he gave them would grow.  Matthew doesn’t tell us how the first two slaves managed to invest their master’s money so successfully, because the “how” isn’t the point of the story.  The real driving force of the parable is the contrast between the risk the first two slaves were willing to take and the third slave’s fear.

We all know that there’s nothing worth having that we don’t have to take a risk to get.  I think of the countless YouTube videos that can be found of a guy proposing on the JumboTron of some athletic event.  I can’t help but think to myself, man than is one brave guy!  If she says ‘Yes,’ it’ll be one of the most romantic gestures of their lives in live video 10 times real-life size…if she says ‘No’….nationwide humiliation at the same 10 times real-life size.  But that guy knows that having the chance to spend the rest of his life with the one he loves…it’s worth the risk.

You see, in the building up of the Kingdom of God and in growing in the spiritual life, there is no responsible use of the gifts of God that does not involve risk.  I’ll say it again, there is no responsible use of the gifts of God that does not involve risk.  We know that human growth is impossible unless the boundaries we set ourselves are crossed and we are made vulnerable to rejection, failure, and loss.  I will never learn to speak French until I am willing to be laughed at by people who speak French fluently.  You will never learn to ride a bike without the training wheels unless you're willing to accept the very real possibility that you will fall and get hurt.  Friendship is impossible to build without taking the chance of being snubbed by someone whose goodwill and esteem are desperately longed for.  Lifelong love will remain a dream if you’re not willing to take the chance that he or she might say no.

Very soon we will enter the season of Advent – the Church’s season of waiting and watching.  We wait and watch both for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas and the glorious coming of Christ at the end of time.  So how appropriate is it for us to hear these parables of delay and waiting as we enter this season?

I want to challenge each and every one of you to take time, starting today and all through the coming season of Advent, to look around you at all of the graces that God has given you.  Look at your material blessings and your spiritual blessings.  Give thanks to God for all of those blessings, then ask yourselves: Am I using all that God has given me to help build up the Kingdom of God?  If the answer is no, spend time in prayer asking God what more you can do.  Perhaps God wants you to give more, or to risk reducing your income to spend time serving in a way you have always dreamed, or maybe risk not getting your "to do" list done so that you can spend more time in prayer.  Are you willing to take risks in building up that Kingdom?

Theologian Paul Tillich put it this way:  

He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.

What risks will you take for God?