Matthew 25,14-30. 9th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ 

Matthew 25,14-30   3915

9. Sonntag nach Trinitatis  054

Stephan, Bishop of Rome, Martyr 257 

2. August 2015 

1. O Gracious God, Your creation is beautiful and we give thanks to You for Your mercy upon Your fallen mankind whom You have redeemed through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for 9. Sn. n. Trinitatis  § 1) 

2. „For the reign of heaven is like a man going on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions (resources) to them. He gave five talents to one slave, two to another, and one to another, each according to his own ability; then he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and invested them, and he made a profit of an additional five talents. Likewise, the one who had received the two talents made a profit of two additional talents. But the one who had received a single talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves returned and settled accounts with them. And the one having received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying: ‘Lord, you entrusted to me five talents; behold I gained five talents more.’ His lord said to him: ‘Well done, good and faithful slave, you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your lord.’ And the one who also had the two talents came forward, saying: ‘Lord, you entrusted to me two talents; behold I gained two talents more.’ His lord said to him: ‘Well done, good and faithful slave, you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying: ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered him: ‘You wicked and slothful slave! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you should have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will be rich; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away from him. And throw out the useless slave into the outermost darkness: where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“ 

3. One of the things Jesus teaches in this parable is that people have one of two approaches to God: 1. He is a kind and gracious God, or 2. He is an uncaring and harsh God. How one views God determines how one will respond to God. Those who view God as kind and gracious often receive His gifts with joy, but those who view God as uncaring and harsh often begrudge His gifts. As sinful people,  sometimes we begrudge God. Our fallen nature is prideful and vain. Perhaps God has an ulterior motive in giving us gifts. Perhaps we better hold onto what we have, securing its worth, and end with what we began with. There is stability in that approach, but it is also void of any risk. 

4. God does not want us stuck in a rut, living the status quo and never taking risks. God created us in His Image and Likeness. He gave us a brain, ingenuity and creativity. He wants us to use them, and He wants us to use His gifts to bring glory to His Name. God loves to pour out His gifts without calculation, equalization or quantification (Nagel 252 ¶ 5). God is not content with what He originally gave us. He wants to bless us with even more talents and blessings. Faith is receiving His gifts (Nagel 253 ¶ 6). God is so gracious that no yardstick we use can adequately measure the depth of His giving. No yardstick can cope with 5, 2 and 1 (Nagel 253 ¶ 6). Five, two and one are not to be measured in terms of amount:  he has more gifts than me, but I have more gifts than her. God’s giving of 5, 2 and 1 is a measurement in difference (Nagel 253 ¶ 8). Five is different from two, and two is different from five and one. God’s gifts are less about quantity and more about diversity. The Apostle Paul used the image of a body. The body is comprised of different organs and members all of which work for the well-being of body.  

5. The differences matter to God (Nagel 254 ¶ 9). That’s why He created man to be male and female. He created all sorts of different animals, plants and stars. God thinks big, really big; just look at the complexity of this planet and then consider this is just one planet in an immense universe with billions of stars. God can love each one in a different way with a different delight (Nagel 254 ¶ 9). Each one of us with our unique talents tailored to our individuality is completely different from all the other 7 billion people living on this world. No one of us is the same as any other to our God (Nagel 254 ¶ 9). 

6. In the giving of His gifts, God shows His love, graciousness and diversity. We see all this in the giving of His own Son. Jesus was sent to the world to redeem the world from sin, death and hades. During His public ministry Jesus taught and performed miracles to show the gift of love that He brings. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection secured our salvation and show us the depth of His giving and His love.  

7. Jesus does not stop giving. When He returns He will give His Christians even more gifts than they have now. By grace we are faithful in all that God gives us, for in Christ Jesus we have the one great Gift that is beyond all others: Jesus Himself. He has redeemed us, blessed us and given to us an abundance of talent to be used to glorify His Name. Jesus will help us fulfill that task, for He Himself sends us the Holy Spirit to guide us in our lives.  Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Joy and Gladness of all who seek You, send forth the Holy Spirit to  bring all who hear the gospel to faith in their salvation.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm 

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.