1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30

“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.”

Jesus continues his conversation with his closest disciples in the waning days of his earthly ministry.  There is an urgency to prepare these followers to become the carriers of the mission as Jesus is well aware that his time on earth is drawing to a close.  These disciples have received much in terms of personal experiences as learners at Jesus’ knee.  In each one, we find human weaknesses alongside significant qualities that would be needed to assure that the mission of Jesus Christ would not end with his earthly death.  Thus, much has been given these disciples; soon, much will be expected, even to their deaths; nearly all of the original disciples would lose their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to his ministry.  Yet, the investment of their talents would mean the mission of Jesus Christ would spread to the ends of the earth and endure until the end of time.

The theme of God’s judgment permeates these latter-day discussions that are the focus of our Gospel lessons for these closing weeks of our Church year.  As confirmed in today’s Gospel lesson, we will be called to account for our stewardship of God’s bountiful blessings upon us in our earthly lives.  How will we invest our talents?  To us, much has been given; from us, much is expected.

The Parable of the Talents depicts a master who knew well the particular talents and virtues of each of his slaves. To those most trustworthy and ambitious, he wisely entrusts much of his wealth; to the one most antagonistic and distrusting, he delegates the least, well aware that that small amount would be hidden and non-productive.  Each slave seems to have lived up to the master’s expectation.

God knows our talents; God seeks, quite mysteriously, to direct us to invest our ambitious energies to carry out his will on earth.  Think of Jacob who blackmailed his older brother Esau and deceived his father Isaac in order to acquire the birthright and the blessing that made him the heir and patriarch rather than Esau, the rightful heir.  God knew Jacob’s savvy street smarts and converted them into the leadership qualities needed by Jacob to become Father Israel, the father of the twelve sons, the leader of God’s people – the people of Israel who preserved and handed down for all time the word of God and have endured in spite of brutal odds even until today.

Think of Moses, centuries later, who grew so angry with the brutal treatment of his enslaved fellow Hebrews that he murdered their Egyptian overseer.  God selected Moses and capitalized on this courage and passion that would be necessary to lead the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt.

Think of the Saul of Tarsus who was the most zealous persecutor of the followers of Jesus Christ.  With all his energy, Saul plotted to stamp out the Christian movement known as “The Way.”  This Saul, God chose, specifically, for his relentless zeal and commitment to mission; God converted Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul, and converted these essential qualities to produce the most well-known and prolific Christian missionary of all time.

Similarly, as we have said, the master of Jesus’ parable knew the capabilities of his slaves; he trusted those most capable with great quantities of his wealth, and the master was rewarded according to his expectations.  In turn, the master has the harshest accusations and the most frightful threats toward the one slave who dismisses the blessing granted him, crippled by his unfounded fears of his master’s character.

Thus, Jesus is seeking to warn his followers, and Jesus is seeking to warn us that those who discount their blessings and wrongfully depict God as a god of wrath and punishment will find themselves in the outer darkness.  God’s judgment ­is real, and God’s harshest judgment is toward those who exploit their power and talents granted them as representatives of God.   Outer darkness is the destination for those who are looked upon for guidance toward God, yet who, for self-serving reasons, misinterpret and portray God as an unjust god who is to be obeyed only out of a sense of guilt or fear of his wrath and punishment.  We, the Church, have been guilty of this mis-investment of our talents.

God’s judgment is real; “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 we look on in horror at the fate of the people of Honduras who are suffering the fate of Hurricane Eta, it is too easy to blame God and question if these words apply to them.  Hondurans in remote mountain areas have so little in the way of human comforts.  As we would say of Europeans in the Middle Ages, life is hard and then you die.  Living in dwellings less secure than a cardboard box, typically along riverbanks that provide easy access to water, rivers overflowing at such magnanimous rates strip away everything except the clothes on their backs.  For those who survive, human suffering is beyond our imagination – cold, wet, homeless, starving, lost.  Even so, there is their faith in God, their awareness of their total dependence, not on earthly comfort, but on God alone.  This faith, the Honduran people have in abundance, even in the face of death.  This faith will be rewarded in abundance regardless of the ravages of earthly tragedy.

“For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance.”  These are significant words for our call to stewardship.  We can each bury our talents; we can hold back on our financial and physical pledge to the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ through the Church of the Advent.  We can stand by as our ministries are neglected and our churches stand empty.  Or, we can invest that talent; we can feed and clothe disadvantaged families through our food pantry and clothes closet; we can assure a safe and comfortable environment for those so dependent upon the support of Alcoholics Anonymous and the young people receiving the nurturance of the Boy Scouts of America; we can contribute to the ongoing study of God’s word and the worship and praise of God that is expected of God’s people as we come together as the Body of Christ in support of one another.  And, we can take seriously our mission, bringing the peace and irresistible warmth of Jesus Christ to those who have been hurt or displaced by the Church.  This is our call.

“For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance.”  

All things come of God, and it is from this abundance that we give back to God, investing our God-given talents toward the furtherance of his Kingdom; and, in turn multiplying the abundance of these blessings again and again.  This is our call as people of God in Jesus Christ.