Lymeside Nov 23

CALL TO WORSHIP

We gather in the light and love of God who calls us his children. We gather in the glow of our Christian family here in this place. May God’s love burn within us. May hard hearts melt like wax, and God’s love shine in our faces, as we worship the God who is love.

1448: May the mind of Christ my Saviour.

A GATHERING PRAYER

Creator God, who has furnished us with all that we have, we give you praise and thanks. Remind us of our gifts when we lose sight of them. Show us where and how to share them. Give us the courage to offer them freely, as you give to us. What others may seek to destroy, help us to protect and care, and give us the conviction to stand fast when we are called to do so. This we ask of you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A PRAYER OF ADORATION

Let us enter the light of God’s glorious presence, bringing our all, big and small, in faithful worship.

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION

We come, O God, seeking your forgiveness. You gave us stewardship of your creation – yet what have we done with it? Our environments are changing; weather patterns swinging between extremes. Creatures are becoming endangered as their habitats are altered by climate change, with some at risk as a result of being hunted to satisfy man’s greed. Forgive us, O God, for not being good caretakers of your created world; help us to right our wrongs.

Forgive us for not always being good caretakers of what you’ve given us personally.

You have given each of us talents. Forgive us for not always using them wisely, for hiding away those we think too small to be of consequence. Or for when we brag about what we have and what we’ve achieved. Forgive our small mindedness, our selfishness, our greed, our desire for recognition. Forgive us and help us to grow, and to use well all you give us to benefit others and further your kingdom. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

God’s wrath can be frightening but, because of Jesus, God’s love and light shine upon us. Because of Jesus, we are children of light. Because of Jesus, we are loved and forgiven. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

For ever and ever Amen.

415: O God our help in ages past.

OFFERING DURING

READING

Zephaniah 1: 7, 12-18

Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.’ Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.

The Great Day of the Lord

The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Matthew 25: 14-30

The Parable of the Talents

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so, I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return, I would have received what was my own with interest. So, take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

234: Immortal, invisible, God only Wise.

SERMON

Matthew 25:14-30

Before we begin, we need to define our terms first.

So, What is a talent in relation to Mathew?

It’s estimated that one talent would have the equivalent value of 20 years pay.

But I think in terms of today’s reading we should look at the Greek word talent which came from the Greek word “talanton” it basically means “a balance” It is a term to measure something.

Now it can be very easy to be disheartened by the darkness of Zephaniah. He doesn’t offer much hope does he.

At this time of year, it is also getting dark. In ancient times people didn’t know if the daylight would ever come back again; they just had to hope that it would.

It might seem strange to us now, but in modern times we too must hope – hope that humanity will address the human-made difficulties that our planet faces (floods, droughts, fires and more).

Sometimes it is difficult to have much hope that they will. Yet Jesus shows us that by using what God has given us, there are many things in which we can invest our gifts, talents, and hope. And that includes money.

As Christians we sometimes have an uneasy relationship with money, feeling that it is somehow wrong to be anything other than poor.

Yet here are two passages – in Zephaniah and Matthew – that tell us clearly that it’s not the possession of money that is wrong, but what we do or don’t do with it.

The parable told in our gospel lesson this morning is one that Jesus uses to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. It is a story about a shrewd businessman who rewards the slaves that double his money and punishes the worker who faithfully returns what the master had entrusted to him.

This image of the kingdom of God may be quite different from what we would expect to read in the scriptures.

When Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God, we don't expect him to talk about a crafty investor.

We don't think of God as a harsh man who reaps where he doesn’t sow and gathers where he doesn’t scatter seed.

When we visualise our Father in heaven, we don't see one who gives more and more to those who already have a lot and takes away from those who have little.

When Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God, we expect him to describe a loving master who shows compassion and forgiveness. But that doesn't seem to be the case in this parable. When the slave who had one talent faithfully returned the talent, the master took it and gave it to the slave who had ten, saying, "To all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." And he threw the worthless slave into the outer darkness. This parable is disturbing. Nevertheless, this story is in the gospel of Matthew, comes from the mouth of Jesus.

Because this parable is told by Jesus, it's important for us to look beyond our first impressions.

We need to delve into its meaning, always remembering that it is Jesus saying this and he loves us, and he is the storyteller.

And if we look closely at the context of the story, if we study every character, putting ourselves in the place of each one; if we think about what is really happening, this story doesn't seem so out of place.

This parable doesn't go against the rest of scripture's understanding of the kingdom of God. This story, that sounds on the surface to be about a harsh master who takes from the poor and gives to the rich, it is not about shrewd financial investing. Instead, it is about discipleship.

Jesus talks about the kingdom of God in a way that his contemporaries would understand. He uses the images of master and slaves, money, and investments to make his point about what God expects of his disciples.

To help shed some light on the meaning of this parable, I will try and retell the story using images and illustrations that we, as twentieth century Christians, can understand:

Jesus was preparing his disciples for the time when he would have to leave this world.

He told them that his departure would not be permanent -- that he would return. Before he left, he wanted to entrust each of his followers with his special talents.

To one he entrusted the talent to teach. To another, the gift of compassion. To another, the ability to faithfully interpret the scriptures.

He entrusted his servants with the abilities to listen attentively to others, to make music, to be hospitable, to do acts of kindness, and to be understanding to those who are often misunderstood.

One follower received five talents, another received two and the third disciple received one talent. Jesus instructed them to use what he had given them.

He asked them to use their talents as often as they could. He promised that as they used them, others would come to know him and be saved. Then Jesus sent them out to use their talents.

When he returned, he called his disciples to him, and asked each person, one at a time, what he or she had done with the talent he had entrusted to them.

The first was excited about what had happened when she used the gifts Jesus had given her. She said, "I used my talents to teach as often as I could. I taught children, young adults, and the elderly all about you, Jesus and I was able to get through to them.

They seemed to understand. At first, I was a little afraid that I didn't know enough about you and about the Bible, but the more I taught, the more I learned. The more I used my gifts to help others come to know you, the better I got at it. I must have taught hundreds of people about God's love." Jesus responded, "Well done, my trustworthy follower! Because you have been so faithful with these talents, I will give you more abilities that will enable you to become an even better teacher. You will be able to reach still more people with my love on an even deeper level."

The second disciple was excited, too. His gifts of compassion and empathy had allowed him to touch the lives of people in a way he had never experienced before. He told Jesus, "When you entrusted me with the gifts of compassion and empathy, I was a little shocked. As I was growing up, people would always tell me that it wasn't manly to hug, or share feelings, or cry. But after you gave me the gift of compassion, I found myself wanting to reach out to my son, at times, with a hug rather than a handshake.

I began noticing what other people were feeling and sometimes I had to hold back tears when someone was crying in my presence. I resisted those instincts for quite a while.

Then I remembered. Before you left, you entrusted me with the gifts of compassion, and you told me to use them. It took a while, but it finally dawned on me that you said if I hugged and felt and cried with people, they would come to know you.

So, I began trying to do as my instincts guided. At first, I was kind of clumsy at it, and it made me feel nervous. But the more I expressed my compassion to others, the easier it got, and the better I became at being with people wherever they were." Jesus responded, "Well done, good and trustworthy disciple. The more you use your gifts of compassion, the more effective you will become at showing my love to others. Because you have been faithful with these talents, I will give you more."

Then the third disciple came to Jesus, head bowed low in reverence. He said, "All these years, I protected your talent to interpret the scriptures. I kept it to myself.

I didn't discuss my insights with anyone just in case I was wrong. I didn't want to upset you by leading people astray. I kept my mouth shut whenever there was a Bible study.

I know that you wouldn't want people disagreeing, so even if I thought someone's interpretation of scriptures made your gift of salvation into something they could earn, I didn't say a word. I know that it makes you angry when people misuse the gifts that you give them, so I was careful not to use mine at all." Jesus responded in anger, "I entrusted you with the talent of faithfully interpreting the scriptures so that you could help others learn more about me and my love.

Just think how many people never heard my message of love and forgiveness because you wouldn't use your talent. All the people who you encountered in your life who were questioning and wondering about me never experienced my presence because of you and your unwillingness to share your talent.

People have been lost because of you. You live your life as if I hadn't given you a thing. My work is too important to waste on such an unfaithful disciple. Because you have not been a good steward of the talent, I have given you, I will take it away and give it to the teacher. She will use the ability to interpret the scriptures faithfully. She will use that talent to reach people with my love."

You see sometimes we may hide our gifts or believe they are not worth sharing, the “what difference will it make approach.”

Sir Michael Costa, the celebrated conductor, was holding a rehearsal. As the mighty chorus rang out, accompanied by scores of instruments, the piccolo player a little pint-sized flute thinking perhaps that his contribution would not be missed amid so much music, stopped playing. Suddenly, the great leader stopped and cried out, "Where is the piccolo?"

The sound of that one small instrument was necessary to the harmony, and the Master Conductor missed it when it dropped out. The point? To the Conductor there are no insignificant instruments in an orchestra. Sometimes the smallest and seemingly least important one can make the greatest contribution and even if it doesn't seem to make that big a difference to the audience at large, THE CONDUCTOR KNOWS IT right away!

In the Church the players and the instruments are diverse—different sizes, different shapes, different notes, different roles to play. But like the piccolo player in Sir Michael's orchestra, we often in our own mind decide that our contribution is not significant. Our contribution couldn't possibly make a difference. And so, we quit playing. Stop doing that which we've been given to do. We drop out. But the Conductor immediately notices. From our perspective, our contribution may be small, but from His, it is crucial.

I may be talking to some piccolo players this morning, who have dropped out of the orchestra, for whatever reasons: pain, exhaustion, insecurity, criticism, laziness. Convinced that your contribution doesn't mean anything in the bigger scheme of things.

We have buried our talent in the ground.

For all piccolos who won't play, or at least aren't playing, Jesus has something to say.

Jesus says to all, of his disciples, "For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." The more you use the talents that Jesus entrusts to you, the stronger those abilities will become; the better you will become at what you do; the more effective you will be at proclaiming the Word of God. And when you show faithfulness in the use of the gifts Jesus gives you, he will entrust you with still more. So go, you good and trustworthy servants. Use your abilities. Don't hide your talents in the ground somewhere. Put them to work and be involved in proclaiming the love of Jesus! Amen.

HYMN

519: Take my life, and let it be.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION

We praise you, majestic God of light. We thank you for your light in our lives; for the love light in your created people, shining in the faces of those we know and love; for the light shining in the words and actions of all who know you, and use their time and talents to serve well; for the joy that pours in, lights up and empowers us when we let go and trust you with all we have. We praise and thank you, loving majestic God of light. Amen.

We pray to God, who is always ready – for those overtaken with demands. Give rest, O Lord. For those overburdened with anxieties. Give rest, O Lord. For those overcome with debt. Give relief, O Lord. For those oppressed by powers that despise them. Give salvation, O Lord. For those in situations they cannot see a way out of. Give freedom, O Lord. For those in need of hope. Give hope, O Lord. Amen.

42: Be, thou, my vision.

BLESSING

This earth, this good earth, The sunlight, the moonlight, The sky that reaches over us, The soil beneath our feet. We will hold all this in our hands with gentleness and love. Amen.