Worship Resources, Prayer and Christian Teaching
Ordinary 33
Introduction
In our reading today Jesus does not praise the dependable safe course of action. To hear the message of the kingdom is a privilege and a responsibility. Its not about using our gifts it is about spreading the message of the kingdom with which we have been entrusted. It is a call to commitment and faithfulness, we are not called to be passive Christians. We have been given gifts and abilities to be used God’s service it is no good just finishing up where you started. It was interesting to listen to the victory speech by President Elect Joe Biden in Delaware on Saturday 7 November 2020. He said, ' I remember as my grandpa said when I walked out of his home when I was a kid up in Scranton, he said: “Joey, keep the faith.” And our grandmother, when she was alive, she yelled: “No, Joey, spread it.” Spread the faith.
The message today is that if we bury deep within us the good news, try to keep it to ourselves and not share what God has given us, then we will shrivel, dry up and die. The good news, though, is that when we do respond and seek to act, we have resources beyond just ourselves, because God and God’s people join with us to make a difference in our world. If we share what God has given us there will be no loss, failure only comes if we waste the opportunities given to us. We have been entrusted with great opportunity, riches beyond belief. Jesus is saying that God does not condemn us for trying, he condemns us for wanting to play it safe.
Opening Verses of Scripture 1 Thessalonians 5:10
God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
Collect Prayer for the Day — Before we read we pray
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. CW
Heavenly Lord, you long for the world’s salvation: stir us from apathy, restrain us from excess and revive in us new hope that all creation will one day be healed in Jesus Christ our Lord. CW
First Bible 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 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. NRSV
Second Bible Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. NRSV
Gospel Reading Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The kingdom of heaven 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.”’ NRSV
Post Communion Prayer
Gracious Lord, in this holy sacrament you give substance to our hope: bring us at the last to that fullness of life for which we long; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Commentary
The Gospel reading today, which also occurs in Luke (Lk 19 v 12 – 27), is known as the Parable of the Talents. Through the Gospels we read of a Jesus who has come to seek and to save the lost, come to save the sinners. He has warned those in religious authority such as the scribes and the Pharisees that it is these people, the prostitutes and the tax collectors, those considered outsiders and outcasts, who will enter into the Kingdom of heaven ahead of them. A little while earlier in the Gospel Jesus has denounced the Scribes and Pharisees in no uncertain terms. Are these the wicked slaves/servants who have not used the riches which were entrusted to them? (The word that’s used differs between translations, slave is probably more accurate and the term refers to a person who is bound to service – a bondsman or bondswoman.) It is said that a talent was the amount that a labourer could earn in about 15 years, so even one talent is of significant value, let alone the five talents offered to one slave which reflected incalculable wealth and resources. The scribes and Pharisees had been give the law and also the Temple, which was the sign and symbol of God’s presence with them. Yet some would say they had buried their treasure and not used the riches they had to invite others into a living relationship with God, but at best offered a cold, rule bound way of life with strictures and constraints rather than untold freedom and love. Is the Gospel implying the promises they had been given, and the blessings of God which had been offered, not just to them but through them to the whole world, had been buried in the ground and not had the return which was expected?
The master is now returning and will judge them. Two slaves seemingly respond to the investment and trust that the master has given them. They develop something which had been offered into something more than could ever be expected. The parable, which comes at the end of the Gospel, then speaks of the ‘good for nothing’ slave who has not used the riches and the investment he was given being thrown into the darkness. This passage comes just before we see Jesus using all that He has been given, His very life, as a ransom for many. He will be thrown into the darkness and experience dark abandonment by God. The parable may be an admonishment against the religious rulers, but there is also an element of prophetic revelation about the fate which Jesus is to experience and undergo.
However if the parable was purely a judgement on the religious authorities of the time then it is strange that there are three slaves, and not two, for example, one who makes good with his investment and one who does not. Therefore a more likely interpretation is an understanding which sees the parable in the context of a master who went away and seemingly came back later than expected (…after a long time) and has an emphasis on the responsibility of those who are bound to him while he is absent. This is clearly the theme which is introduced in the first verses of the parable. It is a parable more about the future than one looking at the past. In this passage Matthew seems to be continuing a theme he has begun to develop and is referring back to his assertion that the exact timing of the return of the Son of Man is uncertain and remains unknown. He specifically highlights the importance the actions and life of those who are bound to him while He is ‘away’. Interestingly the phrase that is used for the return of the master is very clear, the master returns, there is to be no doubt about that fact, there is no chance that he will not come back. While he is away, not everyone was entrusted with the same amount (talents), but all are called to be faithful with what they have been given.
The praise given to the person with two talents is exactly the same as the person who was given five. We have to assume that this same praise would also have been given to the person with one talent had it been used in the same way and yielded a return. It would seem that those who have been faithful will be increasingly blessed. As Jesus turns His face towards the cross, goes on His own personal journey which will lead to the salvation of the world, He is making clear that He will come back. Until He does, the people who are bound to Him, those who call themselves disciples, are charged to be faithful in their service to Him, diligent and wise in the use of the talents they have been given. They are to use them in the service of their Lord and master, the one they have chosen to serve. Sam Cappleman.
Meditation: Standing before God
As we come to the end of the church year, which coincides with the weeks in November after All Saints Day and before the next church year starts with the season of Advent, we have an opportunity to look back on the year which has just gone by. The four Sundays before Advent are sometimes informally known as the Sundays of the Kingdom. Through the year we’ve heard and read of the works of Jesus as His love breaks through into our world. We started back in Advent as we looked forward to His birth at Christmas and the worship of the kings at Epiphany. Through the year we look at His life and teachings until we get to His arrest, trial and resurrection as we pass through Lent, Holy Week and Easter, moving on with hope and joy to Ascension and Pentecost.
The Sundays of the Kingdom give us the opportunity to understand what this teaching means in our lives and in the lives of others who themselves are living out the Kingdom, those who have gone before through the ages and those who are with us still in the present time. The final Sunday of this short ‘season’ ends with a celebration of Christ the King. We see God's work is completed and we wait for His New Kingdom to be revealed in all its fullness. Our Collects and Post Communion prayers during these weeks all reflect this reality, speaking as they do of an eternal and glorious Kingdom, where all will worship at His feet as they come to share in the joy of heaven and the feast that is prepared for us. Our Collect today speaks of all creation being healed as it becomes part of that new Kingdom, and our Post Communion Prayer beats to the rhythm of the Kingdom as we look to the fullness of the life for which we long through the hope we have in Jesus. The Kingdom Season is a time of celebration and a time of reflection on the reign of Christ on earth and in heaven, and in our lives. Sam Cappleman
Hymns
- Hills of the North
- Soon and very soon
- Alleluia sing to Jesus (Tune: Hyfrodol)
- For the fruits (Tune: Ar Hyd Y Nos)
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to be the light of the world. Free us from all that darkens and ensnares us, and brings us to eternal light and joy; through the power of him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Additional Material
I think I have told some of you about my journey to France and the visit to the Louvre to the Egyptians exhibitions and the magnificent ‘Book of the Dead.’
In the picture opposite we see a scroll from the British Museum From Thebes, Egypt 19th Dynasty, around 1275 BC. This is the Book of the Dead of a man called Any and it is full of spells and rules to help Any travel safely on his journey through the Afterlife.
This is what the British Museum says about it
'Here he is shown facing his last and most important test – the weighing of the heart. On the left Any and his wife enter the area where he is to be judged. The Egyptians thought that a person’s heart showed all their good and bad deeds. Any’s heart is placed on scales and weighed by the god Anubis (with the black jackal head) against the feather of truth. If it is lighter than the feather he will survive and continue into the next world. If it is heavier then he will be eaten by the Devourer, the monster on the right who is part-lion, part-hippopotamus and part-crocodile. Next to the Devourer stands Thoth, the god of truth (with an ibis head). He is checking that the weighing is fair. If you look carefully at the scales you can work out if Any make it through to the next world !'
Weighing is part of judgement and reckoning and in the Parable of the Talents today it is all about this same process of weighing up what we have done and giving an account of ourselves. We probably all know the parable of the talents off by heart but the name is a bit of a problem. When we think of talents we tend to think of things like the ability to play the flute or to draw of sing. When Jesus told the story it was not about those things, a talent was literally weight, of 60 - 90 pounds. It meant a lot of money, so today whilst this parable might have come into our language with the meaning of being good with our hands or something else, there is much more going on.
Jesus tells the story of a master who goes away. In those days there were no phones, no email, no faxes, so he had to leave things in the hands of somebody else. In the Roman Empire slaves were often left in control of estates, they could earn bonuses by managing affairs well. The master gives them talents, a talent was the equivalent of 6,000 denarii and a denarii was a days wages. We can think a talent as being equivalent to 6,000 days labour, 15 - 20 years work! So Jesus is making the point that even the slave with the least amount of money was given a lot, equivalent to perhaps about half a million pounds.
When the master returns from his journey there is a reckoning, just like Any in the story there is a weighing up and an accounting process which takes place, to judge the way that the slaves had used the talents that had been given to them. Jesus tells that the two slaves who had been given much had made much more and they were rewarded with even more. However the third slave had failed. Unlike the others he had been gripped by fear of failure and had buried his money in the ground. Burying things was common in those days and was considered to be a safe way of preserving what you had.
However the master was not into preserving what he had he wanted the talent to be used to produce more. The slave was considered idle. We often think of the things that we do wrong, but the great sin here is not having a go ! In the ancient book of Proverbs the one who is criticised the most is the sluggard, the one who is lazy or slothful. Wisdom literature praises the industrious, those who toil. When the Master left the money with the servants he did so because he wanted and expected a return. People who heard the story would have understood this. Interest rates are now 1 or 2 per cent but then they were high. Most people did not have any spare cash and so those who had spare capital could double an investment. Of course interest on a loan was against Jewish law. (Ex 22:25, Lev 25:36-37, Deut 23:19-20, Neh 5:7), but Jewish people could of course charge gentiles (Deut 23:20) and the law was often broken (Jer 15:10, Ez 18:8,13, 17, 22:12). Business loans may have been treated differently and we know that many Jews followed Greek customs anyway.
Burying the money is a wonderful picture of what is wrong with the servant because of course the most important thing that you have to do when you bury treasure that you have to make sure you don’t tell anybody about it ! The one thing which they follower of Jesus most not do it to keep the good news to themselves, the Gospel is for sharing. Preserving what we have is not considered a satisfactory way of living. Therefore doing nothing and playing safe ends up with the servant being punished.
Jesus uses frightening language about judgement for the slave, ‘gnashing of teeth’. In the Egyptian story it was the Devourer who was waiting to eat the victim. The Jewish people were also steeped in a tradition of prophetic language about judgement and punishment, sometimes by invading armies but sometimes by God. Read Isaiah 13:9, 11, 15-16 ‘their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. ‘ In Ezekiel 6:5 ‘I will lay the corpses of Israel in front of their idols.’ God’s coming involves salvation and judgement and the language which Jesus uses would have been helped make sure that people took the message seriously.
This is the troubling part of the teaching of Jesus which makes it different from just the normal judgement and afterlife stories. For the Egyptian Any, he would have had to account for his behaviour in his life and whether he had been guilty of crimes such as stealing. However Jesus is saying that God’s judgement is not just about keeping out of trouble, God treats lack of action as a terrible thing. The Christian disciple has been entrusted with the wonderful truth of the Gospel and because of this much is expected of them. They are in a privileged position and the idea of just preserving what you have got and keeping quiet about it is not an option. Burying it in the ground and not telling anybody about it will get you into trouble ! The servant might well have been afraid of failure like the lion in the Wizard of Oz, to frightened to achieve anything. But Jesus is saying clearly to those who would follow him that they must not waste the opportunity to make a difference. Charles Royden
Conclusion
Jesus does not praise the dependable safe course of action. To hear the message of the kingdom is a privilege and a responsibility. Its not about using our gifts it is about the message of the kingdom with which we have been entrusted. It is a call to commitment and faithfulness, we are not called to be passive Christians. We have been given gifts and abilities to be used God’s service it is no good just finishing up where you started.
Our wealth, our influence, our voice, our creativity these are to be used in God’s service. Our presence as part of God’s Church is important, because when Christians are together they are a force for change in the world. The message of the Gospel becomes present right now in the world we find ourselves in. We dare not hide our contribution and just wait for the end of the age or of our lives. We have work to do, and we’ve been given the resources to do it.
This might mean using our wealth to support those who have too little to meet their needs. It may mean offering our time to befriend or serve those who are lonely or isolated or ill. It may mean using our influence to fight on behalf of those who feel that they have no voice or resources. It may mean using our creativity, our attention or our insight to help someone else heal their lives or relationships.
It is impossible not to find ways to be a disciple because we need only open our eyes, or read our church newsletter to and we will discover all around us.
Whatever it may be, it is as we dare to be disciples that we become those who help to bring the reality of God’s reign into being with those around us in our neighbourhoods and our church.
If we refuse to contribute and we keep our resources for ourselves. If we bury deep within us the good news, try to keep it to ourselves and not share what God has given us, then we will shrivel, dry up and die. The good news, though, is that when we do respond and seek to act, we have resources beyond just ourselves, because God and God’s people join with us to make a difference in our world. If we share what God has given us there will be no loss, failure only comes if we waste the opportunities given to us. We have been entrusted with great opportunity, riches beyond belief. Jesus is saying that God does not condemn us for trying, he condemns us for wanting to play it safe.
