Back in April or May, I shared this parable with the Vestry with the sentiment that I never want to be that servant, the one who was so afraid of failing or disappointing someone that I don’t try. Together, we reflected on Trinity’s talents and generated a list of ways to multiply them. The overall theme that emerged was Stewardship of Neighborhood: something we do by strengthening relationships, by spending time together doing things socially, and by being generous with our gifts of time and food and welcome for our neighbors. The ideas for how to live into our abundance included:
Hosting Night Out on August 1
Creating t-shirts to let our light shine when we go out into the neighborhood
Making 8th Ave safer, especially crossing Cherry Street
Meeting and interacting with our neighbors 1:1
Gathering for fun as well as trainings to increase our feelings of safety at church
Moved beyond fear of disappointing our selves or God, Vestry leaders summoned courage and hope, committed resources, took a deep breath and started some things to see what God might do with us.
Today’s collect reminds us that how we encounter scripture is active: we hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest it. Scripture is not static; the Holy Spirit continues speaking to us through God’s Word.
This parable of the talents is as familiar as any we hear. As with all familiar stories, it’s good to slow down and read for some new revelation. This time I noticed three new things.
The first new-to-me revelation: The fear theme - fear of failure, disappointment, judgment, unworthiness - is wrapped in the context. Matthew 25 has Jesus telling 3 final parables about the kingdom of heaven.
Passion narrative, the story of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and execution, begins in chapter 26, so these are Jesus’ final teaching to his followers.
Matthew is setting the stage for Jesus’ impending arrest, trial, and execution - and for our need for salvation accomplished in Jesus’ resurrection.
In the church year, we are approaching Advent, when we anticipate the saving grace of God who comes to us in the birth of Jesus.
The second new-to-me revelation: Talent implies huge responsibility. This is not a new learning, but a re-membering and further understanding.
A talent was an exorbitant sum of money, roughly 20 years of wages. All the money a worker would earn in their lifetime. In 2023 Seattle average wages, one talent is roughly $2M. That’s a lot to someone who works for minimum wage their whole life.
It is a huge responsibility to be entrusted with so much of someone else’s wealth. Of course the servants want to show themselves responsible and trustworthy.
When the property owner leaves there is no indication that there would be negative repercussions if the stewards did not multiply the bounty entrusted to them.
The parable doesn’t say how they multiplied the talents, what they risked and lost, whether they made big investments or small ones, or how long it took.
The third new-to-me revelation: Matthew uses the Greek word doule which is translated here as ‘slave.’ The feminine version of this word is doula.
Today a doula is someone who prepares women for childbirth. They coach a mother through the birthing process and provide support in the early days of living into a new reality of life and family.
It is interesting to notice that a doula is not the parent, but the coach. A mentor who guides the parent and child to build a relationship that is nurturing as it grows and changes. Coaching, cheer-leading, guiding and re-directing in partnership with the effort and growth already happening. Holding a focus on thriving and health for child and family.
Like the servants in the parable, we are entrusted with talents: riches of smart and skilled people; time and energy and passion; money to support the process. Our context of time and place and socio-economics focuses how we develop our talents. As good stewards we want to be true to the desires of the person who entrusts this wealth to our care. We want to coach the precious potential into something that thrives and grows.
We started by reflecting some of the Vestry’s ideas for being good stewards of our neighborhood, doulas for God’s kingdom.
Here are some things we desire:
To bring about the kingdom that was and is and is to come.
Working faithfully with the Holy Spirit.
Staying awake.
Wondering about the myriad possibilities.
Realizing that God’s greatest disappointment will be if we do not risk generosity and compassion.
Daring to invest ourselves, to take some wise risks, and multiply the good God is already doing in and through us - for the love of the world.
That conversation back in the spring has had a multiplier effect: the ideas have grown, imagination sparked, we have seen what we have done already growing and bearing fruit, some expected and some new. Increasing energy = invitation of Spirit to continue asking what God’s kingdom looks like. Laboring God’s kingdom into this world requires the courage, wisdom, and works of our whole community, united in love and action. Everyone take a deep breath. And let’s begin.
Glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
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