Hinde Street Methodist Church Sunday 19 th November 2017 10am Revd Val Reid Matthew 25: 14-30 14 For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 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. 21 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. 22 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. 23 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. 24 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; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. 26 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? 27 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. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 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. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Sermon On Wednesday this week a brochure dropped through my letter box. Dear Ms Reid, We would like to invite you to an exclusive open day at Audley Chalfont Dene, the luxury retirement village in Chalfont St Peter. At Audley, you own your own home, which means you retain your highly valued independence and your asset. We look after the exterior maintenance, leaving you to enjoy the Audley Club with amenities to rival any boutique hotel, including a restaurant, bar, pool and health club. Should you require extra help in the future, Audley Care can provide as little or as much support as you need. 1
Once I had got over the shock of receiving an invitation to retire, I did recognise a little part of me that is quite attracted to this idea. A nice new home. A gated community. No worries about maintenance. A pool. A bar! A nice class of fellow residents. As much support as I need for the rest of my life. A completely hermetically-sealed risk-free existence for ever and ever. But. But, there is a part of me that knows that I am more than this. Part of me longs for protection from the changes and chances of this fleeting world, it is true. But part of me knows that the steep and rugged pathway is where life is to be found. Where God is to be found. Jesus original parable of the talents was recorded in the Q manuscript, which is now lost. It appears in three versions here in Matthew, in Luke chapter 19, and in the Gospel of the Nazarenes, which never made it into our canon of scripture. In the gospel of the Nazarenes, the three servants behave differently. One multiplies his capital. One hides it. One squanders it with harlots and flute girls. The first is rewarded, the second rebuked, the third cast into prison. This version is more satisfying to our ethical sense. The rewards and punishments seem fairer. But scholars believe it is furthest from Jesus original parable. Jesus parables tend to create dilemmas for his hearers, not to resolve them. They tend to ask questions rather than answer them. So the nice neat moral in the Gospel of the Nazarenes doesn t bear the hallmark of Jesus. In Matthew s version, we are left with some difficult questions. Who are we meant to identify with? It feels unfair to us well it does to me that the servant who takes what he thought would be the safe, the risk-free option, is criticised. Indeed punished with Matthew s trademark weeping and gnashing of teeth. But I was struck by the reason he gave: I knew you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 2
so I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. I wonder if this was true? In the story, we have no evidence of whether the master was actually like this. In fact the story seems to imply differently. He trusts three slaves with a considerable amount of money. He leaves them free to do whatever they like with it. It is only towards the end of the story, as they report back, that we discover with surprise that he is making a gift of the money to the two successful servants. Does this sound like a harsh, greedy, unsympathetic master? In one sense it doesn t matter. What matters is the image the slaves have of their master. The slave who sees his master as grim and scary and intimidating is paralysed. He is afraid to do anything creative or risky with the talent he has been given. He is too scared of the consequences. We don t know what image the first two servants had of their master. But perhaps they saw him as generous, as willing to trust them. Perhaps they saw him as someone who approved of them, and validated their behaviour. And so they were willing to take risks, to step outside their comfort zone. Each year, ministers are required to take part in an MDR. A Ministerial Development Review. Along with their superintendent and a representative of the congregation, they are asked to identify an area of their ministry to explore. To invite feedback. To see what they can learn. With hadvice from Sue and Margaret, I decided to focus on the way I lead worship and preach at the 11am service. Ever since I came here to Hinde Street in 2011, I have assumed that the 11am service is sacrosanct. The Methodist Worship Book. The lectionary readings. A hymn sandwich with at least one Wesley hymn. A serious sermon that lasts a good twenty minutes. During this summer, I did it differently. I wrote my own liturgies for communion. I invited people to pray in unusual and interactive ways. I chose some new hymns. I didn t preach for twenty minutes. I got people talking. I invited them to explore the biblical narratives creatively. 3
In silence. In movement. I called out their imaginations. And each Sunday I gave everyone a feedback form, and asked them what they thought of this deviation from the norm. Margaret collected the forms, and collated the answers anonymously. I was astonished. Such a positive response! People loved it. Why isn t it always like this? I feel so much more engaged with worship. I m not looking forward to going back to the old style. When Margaret, Sue and I met to reflect on this exercise, I was asked what I had learned. And what I learned was this. Where did I get this idea that you couldn t mess with the 11am service? That nothing could change? That the way things were was untouchable? Don t get me wrong I love traditional Methodist Liturgy. I love the worship book. I love Wesley hymns. I can sing most of them without the hymn book. But I also love playing creatively with tradition. I am energised by doing things differently. Trying something new. Inviting people to explore the meaning of our faith in a different way. Why had I made a straitjacket for myself? Why had I tied my own hands? And then I started wondering a bit more widely. How often do I do this? How often do I project the part of me that is so risk-averse onto other people? Onto the congregation? Onto God? How often do I shape God in my own image? Matthew is expecting the Parousia. The end of the world as we know it. Jesus will come again in glory, to judge the quick and the dead. All our readings in the run-up to Advent are about the coming judgement. 4
But the question is not about what will happen then. It is about how we live now. While we wait. Have we, like the wise bridesmaids, got enough oil in our lamps to keep going in the gap? Can we keep taking risks, investing our talents, embracing the new thing that God is inviting us to do? Can we avoid the Audley Chalfont Dene church that we are all tempted to book ourselves into? The gated retirement village life? The God who sent Adam and Eve out of the garden, who called Abraham to begin a long journey when he thought he was settled, who brought the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and into forty years of wilderness wandering, the God who travelled with his people into exile in Babylon and back again That s the God who gave us our talents in the first place. And wants us to use them. Amen. 5