Community Thanksgiving
(Matthew 25:14-30)
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. At once the one who had received the five talents went off and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 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.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant, you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master. 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.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 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, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter? 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. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 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 for this worthless servant, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Well, that’s a pretty harsh word for this evening, but bear with me. We will find our way through it. Guaranteed. …The Thanksgiving season is a good time to acknowledge the gifts that each of us has been given and to reconsider how we use them for God’s glory. That is bottom line what this story is about. It suggests to us that God expects that we not simply hide our gifts away and forget about them, but, rather, that we share and do our very best with what we have to work with, and, then, to give thanks.
You’ve heard the Gospel lesson. Now I want to share another ancient story with you, one that may be a little easier to hear.
In China there lived a father with 3 daughters. He called them together one day and said, “Daughters, I must go away for a while. I wish to leave something with each of you while I’m gone. He gave each daughter a grain of rice. A little confused but glad for the attention, they thanked him for the rice, and he departed on his journey.
Daughter number one took her grain of rice, placed it in a lovely box, thinking that her father would appreciate how it was wrapped and the way she kept it safe, as a reminder of him.
Daughter number two looked at it, thought, “Ho-hum. A grain of rice. I’ll make a wish on it. I hope father comes home soon.” And she threw it over her shoulder.
Daughter number 3 set it aside to think about what she would do with it, knowing that she would be praying for her father and imagining that she would get an idea for her grain of rice.
After several years the father returned to his house and immediately sought out his daughters. They ran to him, having missed him so much. Soon he asked, “Tell me the stories of your grains of rice.”
Daughter number one ran to her room and returned with the beautiful box, “Oh Father, I looked at my box every day and remembered you.” The father complimented her about how she had carefully placed the rice in the beautiful box and thanked her for her thoughts and prayers.
Daughter number two ran to the kitchen and grabbed another grain of rice from the supply there. “Father, I have kept this close to me all the while you were gone.” The father acknowledged her good thoughts.
Daughter number 3 took her father’s hand and led him to the window. “Father, after several weeks of missing you and wondering what to do with my rice, I decided I would put it in the soil and see if I could grow a rice plant. It grew very quickly, so I divided it, and soon there were many rice plants. This field out here has supplied our household with rice, and the rice in the field beside it has been given to the poor people in town to supply their needs. I will be able to expand to another field during the next growing season, and there will be even more rice for the townspeople.
Her father looked in amazement at how she had multiplied the gift he had given her and thanked her for the good use of her gift and for her generosity.
…How are you using the resources God has given you? Your money, your property, your belongings? How are you using the talents God has given you? Are you using your singing voice, your dancing feet, your artist’s eye, your good mind, your inventive ideas, your compassionate spirit, your fine handwriting, your ability in math, your physical strength, your willingness to do hard work, your wonderful prayerful spirit? What we do with our talents and resources is our way of giving thanks to God for all the good gifts. Please, in this Thanksgiving season, give God thanks for your gifts and plan to use them to the best of your ability. And don’t forget to help others in the process. Amen.
Peninsula United Methodist Church 