Broadway Christian Church · Columbia, Missouri
Morning Worship · November 16, 2008
Twenty-Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
Dear Lord, we know you have created all good things. We know you have given us gifts and talents to enjoy and to use as we serve others. Today, as we worship, strengthen our faith. Help us to overcome all our fears. We ask it through Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. Amen.
Scripture
Matthew 25:14-30
“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 then 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.’”
Message
Investing for God
Larry Gallamore
I shouldn’t be telling you this; I consider myself very lucky. In fact, I’m so lucky that I never buy a lottery ticket, because I don’t feel it would be fair to all the people who don’t have my amazing luck. Do you have this kind of luck? You can, if you like. An ancient scholar said, “As a man/woman thinketh in his/her heart, so is he/she.” If you are what you think, why not think yourself lucky?
There are three people in our story today who are amazingly, unbelievably, mind-bending lucky. Their master came to them and gave one, five talents; one, two talents; and another, one talent. He had big plans for each of them. He gave all three a tremendous opportunity. As Albert Einstein said on one occasion, “He asked them to try not to become men of success, but of value.” He had great plans for each of them.
In Genesis we read, “In the beginning….” That’s about as far back as we can go. God has a plan for the people God creates. God gave talents to them. That’s long, long ago and far, far away, but still today, every child that is born is born with certain talents. When we find our talents and use them, we are amazingly happy – so happy we consider ourselves lucky.
Life often kicks us around like a football. Nevertheless, when we find our talents and use them and start walking with God, we’re lucky enough to find salvation and the abundant life.
Our story for today from Matthew’s Gospel tells us of three gifted people; two of which discovered God’s plan for their lives, and one unfortunate fellow who, as young people say today, just didn’t get it. The Bible is clear about what happens to him. He received his talent, but he was afraid. His life was controlled by fear. Now, I don’t mean to kick the poor fellow while he’s down, but I’m sure he will not mind if we learn from his example.
Fear can be a real problem for anyone. In fact, I would venture a guess that fear is perhaps the number one enemy of people today.
Let’s try to get in this guy’s head. How did he get to be so afraid? Fear stopped him dead in his tracks. It caused him to do something really weird. Fear dominated his mind. It must have had a grip on him. Perhaps he failed in some early ventures again and again. Maybe his parents were never satisfied with anything he did. Some psychologists believe adult fear is caused by an over-abundance of criticism as a child. Their subconscious mind is dominated by fear.
Listen to how he responds to his master: “Master, I knew you to be a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering were you did not scatter seed.”
Fear had seeped into his mind robbing him of vitality, enthusiasm, and energy leaving him a mental wreck. The inner critic in him told him he wouldn’t be able to manage even one talent.
I wish someone had been there to help him get control of his fears. Why couldn’t he have been as lucky as you and me? Someone was there early in our lives to help us tackle our fears.
When I was a kid, my grandparents lived on a farm. They had a cellar. It had jars of fruit, all kinds of canned stuff, and some other homemade stuff in jars I wasn’t allowed to get into. There were stairs down into the cellar. A friend came by one day, and I wanted to take him down into the cellar. He refused to go. He said there was a bogeyman down there right under those steps. He was really convincing. My fear went up exponentially; my heartbeat increased to a gallop; the blood rushed to my cheeks; and my knees started knocking. It literally curdled the food in my stomach. Fear like that can kill you. My friend not only scared me; he frightened himself and ran home. I went straight for the kitchen to talk to my grandmother about all this. She said, “Son, there is no bogeyman. You have nothing to fear. There is nothing under those steps.” I was no longer afraid. She went on to say, “Anytime you are afraid just remember God is with you.”
As I grew older, I learned that the only life fear has is the life you give it. There was never any bogeyman under the cellar steps. God is always with you. I made God my partner, and God isn’t afraid of anything.
Our biblical story of the parable of the talents is about two men who were not afraid and one that was controlled by his fear. It’s about investing your talents. It’s about risking. It’s about believing in God and in you. It shows two who were willing to risk all for their master. The important principles of investment are covered here. High risk may bring high dividends, or they could bring failure. One has to risk to accomplish anything.
The point being made in this story is not about winning or losing. The question is, are you willing to risk what the Master has given you? The Master risked all for you. The unworthy slave wasn’t cast into outer darkness because he failed. He was cast into outer darkness because he was afraid to risk. He did nothing with the talent he had. He didn’t even try.
Now that we’ve evaluated his action sufficiently, let’s ask how can we overcome our own fears? Thousands of people are haunted by some imminent fear. In fact, some people are afraid of everything. We are afraid of the future. We are afraid to venture out in business. We’re afraid we won’t have enough money, and we’re afraid hard times are coming. In the 21st century, fear has become our number-one problem. We know what fear is. We tell ourselves over and over again, there is nothing to fear, but we are still afraid.
I have some “Good News.” The Bible tells us how to overcome our fears. Here is what you need to do. First, recognize that God is always present with you. Remember what the psalmist said, “I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” You walk with God and talk with God. Remember the old hymn, “And he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own…?”
God’s people have always known how to overcome fear. Let’s look in on one of the most interesting Old Testament characters, Moses. One day Moses was tending his flock. Something kept stirring in his mind. There was an empty space in his heart that nothing seemed to be able to fill. It was an ordinary day with all the ordinary fears. He took his flock up to the mountain of God. There was good grazing land at the base of that mountain. Some folks wouldn’t go up there because they were afraid, but Moses wasn’t afraid. No one had ever seen God. In fact, they didn’t even know God’s name. They called him El Shaddai, which means “God of the mountain.”
As Moses approached the mountain, little did he know that his entire life was about to change. He saw a burning bush somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula, which Muslims now call home. He was frozen in his tracks. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The bush kept burning, but it was not consumed. The warmth of the fire warmed his heart, and God started speaking through that burning bush. Moses’ eyes popped as the voice from the bush told Moses what he was to do. Today the message would be followed by, “I’m Almighty God, and I approve this message.”
Now I know what some of you are thinking: “Moses just imagined that burning bush.” Don’t you realize it’s the imagination that lights the slow fire of the possible? Others are thinking, “That’s scientifically impossible.” Don’t get me wrong, but you scientific types need to stick to things scientific. We’re thinking spiritually here. By the way, that is the second thing you need to do to overcome your fears. You have to start thinking spiritually. Look at what Moses did. He listened to God speaking through that burning bush. The voice said, “Moses, Moses…” thus tipping us off that someone is getting a call from God.
Some people will tell you God doesn’t speak to people like this anymore. Don’t believe what they say. God is God! We cannot mess with God’s communication system. You know what I mean. If we talk to God, we call it praying. If we hear God talking to us, we call it schizophrenia. It’s a good thing Moses didn’t know this. It’s also a good thing he wasn’t an atheist. He would have had to say, “I’m sorry. I don’t believe in you,” and God might have been really steamed. Let’s give God our attention. When we talk, God listens. When God talks, we need to listen just as Moses did. When we listen to God, when we hear that still, small voice, our fears will vanish. We’ll start thinking spiritually.
Our next step is to follow God’s instructions. When God calls us to do something, God gives us the talent we need to accomplish the task. God loves to give gifts. When God entrusts you with a gift, God wants you to use it. Here is where it gets a little difficult. Most of us are like Moses. God gives us gifts, but we are reluctant to use them.
God said to Moses, “Moses, I want you to lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage. I’m sending you to deliver my people.”
Moses stood there in shock and awe. Listen to Moses… Here it comes. “God, I’m no speaker. I couldn’t lead a silent prayer in a phone booth.” Have you noticed in some cities they are making prayer booths out of the old phone booths? Great idea!
(Back to our story.) Moses, like all of us, started making all kinds of excuses as to why he couldn’t do what God wanted him to do. Excuses are enemies you really need to avoid. Moses started a litany of excuses that sound all-too familiar. He said, “God, I can’t do this. I’m 80 years old. I’m a fugitive. I had to leave Pharaoh’s Egypt because they were after me. Besides that, I stutter.” (As if God didn’t already know this.)
God said, “Moses, wait a minute! Cut me some slack. I made you the way you are. I’ll tell you what to say. I’m going with you.”
That might not be exactly what God said, but you get the message. When God calls, there is no time for excuses; there is no need to be afraid. When God calls and asks you to invest your gifts in God’s kingdom, do not be afraid.
So be it. Amen.
Benediction
Generous God, you have gifted us with talents. Some have surfaced, and we pray that you help us put them to good use. Others are covered with layers of busyness, doubt, complacency, or are simply unrecognized. Reveal to us, O God, your gifts! Inspire us in awareness and gratitude to uncover and use them. In digging up and digging in, we will serve and multiply your goodness. Let us be more award of your love and possibilities. Thank you! Amen.
