On Being “Talented”

First, let me say this. I started writing this sermon on Tuesday, Election Day, having no idea of the election’s outcome and its aftermath. 

My hope and prayer is that any circumstances that may have arisen since then have neither been so dire nor so catastrophic that they have rendered this message meaningless or irrelevant. So, here goes!

I learned something new this week! For years I’d always thought it sort of a neat coincidence that our modern notion of “talent” went so well with the understanding of “talent” in Jesus’ Parable of the Talents! 

Especially on Stewardship Sunday, it was really neat that a parable where Jesus urged us to wisely and assertively use our “talents”—by his understanding of the word—could be heard by us as a message to wisely and assertively use our “talents”—with our understanding of the word—to bring blessing and benefit to others!

(By the way, this is not something that works as well in the version of this parable in the Gospel of Luke. As recorded by Luke, the word Jesus uses is “pounds” instead of “talents.” 

And, while I’ve generously been given more and more “pounds” over the years, what I understand by “pounds” is not at all what Jesus means!)

Where were we? Oh, yeah! I was saying that I’ve always thought it’s neat that what Jesus means by “talent” and what we mean are nearly identical. Or so I thought!

But I was wrong! It isn’t that the two are nearly identical. 

What I learned this week is that they are identical! In fact, our modern understanding of a talent as a special gift or natural ability to do something well (“she’s got a talent for making people feel at home;” “he’s got a talent for speaking in public;” “they’ve got a talent for entrepreneurship”) comes directly from this parable!

In other words, our modern understanding of talent as a natural gift or ability comes from Jesus’ use of “talent” in this parable! That’s where we get it from! So it isn’t a coincidence! It’s the same thing! 

But there’s more! As Jesus tells the story in this parable, the master of an enterprise is going away for a long period of time. 

So, before leaving, he or she entrusts three servants or employees with a certain number of “talents” to use until the owner returns.

What’s a “talent”? As originally understood by Jesus and his audience, a “talent” is a huge amount of money! How huge? A single talent is estimated to have been the equivalent of fifteen years of a laborer’s annual salary!

So even the worker given a single talent is being entrusted with fabulous wealth! One is given fifteen years of salary. Another is entrusted with thirty years of income. And a third is entrusted with the almost unimaginable sum of seventy-five years of wealth!

The point here is that even the worker entrusted with a single talent is being showered with wealth and value!

And what happens? As we probably already know, those entrusted with two and five talents put their gifts to good use and their talents increase beyond compare! The one given one talent, however, buried that treasure. And it neither grew nor diminished.

Joachim Jeremias spent a lifetime studying Jesus’ parables. And, as the world’s foremost authority, he says that burying wealth was a well-known and highly respected way to protect your assets. It was like putting them in the bank.

So, to most of Jesus’ audience, what the man with the single talent did by burying his talent—safeguarding the fabulous wealth entrusted to him—made perfect sense! So, whether we understand “talent” as a natural gift or ability to do something well or as the equivalent of fifteen years of labor, protecting and safeguarding what you’ve been given seems reasonable.

That, however is not what brings joy and delight to our maker and giver!

This isn’t the first time Jesus talks about God showering us with gifts—and giftedness—in order to bless and protect our world! In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.”

Salt, in other words, is meant to be used! In fact, especially in the ancient world, salt was the equivalent of a refrigerator! It made it possible to keep and preserve vital foods. 

So, if you’ve been made to be the world’s salt—the seasoning that makes everything better and its’ preservative—be salt!

Jesus goes on. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 

“In the same way,” Jesus adds, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

so, do you see how Jesus’ words about salt and light are similar to his message about talents? When Jesus looks at us he see value in each and every one of us. He sees extraordinary gifts and God-given talent! He see a world that each of us can make better, more holy and blessed.

St. Paul shares that vision! His way of putting it is like this. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.”

“In each person for the good of all!” Paul continues. “The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge. One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal.”

On and on Paul will go, helping each of us see that we play a vital part in the Body of Christ, which is both the Church and the way that the Risen Jesus is alive and present in our today!

I began this message today saying that I started writing it on Election Day and that I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be or when we would know it. This much, however, was both striking and obvious. More people participated in this election by voting than had been true for a long, long time!

That’s what I like to suggest to you that today is for our congregation! By whatever name—pledges or estimates of giving—submitting one is like voting for the future of this congregation for the next year.

And that matters more than the amount you pledge! (Although that matters, too!) Especially, as we all know, that with my retirement there will be change and even uncertainty or anxiety in the congregation, submitting a pledge or estimate for next year matters more than ever!

We are salt. We are light. God has showered each and every one of us with vast amounts of worth and value. Let’s use it to further the gospel and make this world a better place!

In Jesus’ name. Amen!