Five talents, two talents, one talent however much we have been given, it is enough. – Because when we get off our duffs, when we overcome our fear and trust in God’s grace, when we let God work through us, then God can double investment in us. God’s This is really what those talents signify not gifts or skills, like a or – musician’s ear a basketball not simple piles of gold or principal balances in investment player’s skill, funds, but the good news of the gospel. Talents are the treasures of the Christian faith: love, trust, hope, joy, and generosity. Those talents, those treasures, can only grow when we, like Jesus, are willing to take risks, be vulnerable, and give them away for the sake of the world. Love, trust, hope, joy, generosity these treasures are more like – muscles than money. The more we use them, the more we give them away, the more we have. Friends, the parable of the talents is ultimately a parable of invitation. The problem with the third servant is that he cannot hear or accept the invitation. not “He only has buried the talent; he has buried a self-created himself…in darkness.” Jesus invites us to follow instead the path of the first two servants, the path of gratitude, trust, and love. That is the only path which leads to the of our “joy master.” With the gifts and blessings we have been given, let us not bury them. Instead, let us put them to work.
Five talents, two talents, one talent – however much we have been given, it is enough. Because when we get off our duffs, when we overcome our fear and trust in God’s grace, when we let God work through us, then God can double God’s investment in us. This is really what those talents signify – not gifts or skills, like a musician’s ear or a basketball player’s skill, not simple piles of gold or principal balances in investment funds, but the good news of the gospel. Talents are the treasures of the Christian faith: love, trust, hope, joy, and generosity. Those talents, those treasures, can only grow when we, like Jesus, are willing to take risks, be vulnerable, and give them away for the sake of the world. Love, trust, hope, joy, generosity – these treasures are more like muscles than money. The more we use them, the more we give them away, the more we have. Friends, the parable of the talents is ultimately a parable of invitation. The problem with the third servant is that he cannot hear or accept the invitation. “He not only has buried the talent; he has buried himself…in a self-created darkness.” Jesus invites us to follow instead the path of the first two servants, the path of gratitude, trust, and love. That is the only path which leads to the “joy of our master.” With the gifts and blessings we have been given, let us not bury them. Instead, let us put them to work.