Unearthing the Gift

October 6, 2013

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”

Sermon 12 of Summer Series

Worship Theme: Stewardship

Luke 12: 42-46 GWT

Matthew 25:14-30 NIV

This summer we are on a cruise together on the SS Stetson Memorial.  We are “Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”.  We are now at the end of our journey. It has been a great journey. We have looked at our Captain with a different set of eyes. We have talked about the name of Jesus and what that name means to Christians. We have stopped by different ports that Jesus is the Captain of. We stopped by the port of Worship and found out why we worship. The port of Fellowship was one that reminded us that Jesus came for all. The ports of ports of Discipleship and Ambassadorship told us what we are to be doing for the kingdom of God as we travel this world. The port of Sonship reminded us of not only who we are but whose we are…we are adopted children of God and our adoption papers were signed in the blood of Jesus. Last week we stopped at the port called “Lordship” and talked about what it means to us and for us as we affirmed that Jesus is the Lord of all. We are now at the last port that we will be visiting on our voyage…The port of Stewardship.

Now I know what you may be thinking…here we go again. The pastor is going to ask that we give more money to the church…we go through this every year… Well yes stewardship is partly about money but it is so much more than that. It’s not a “four letter word” that we should not be talking about. It’s all about thankfulness and gratitude. It’s all about using our God given talents to further God’s kingdom. It’s about sharing what we have with others who have nothing. And yes it’s about paying the bills of the church so that it can function…fulfill its purpose in the world.

This morning I want to talk about the talent we have been given by God. You know…that little thing that we do that gives us joy as we do it. One talent might be visiting the sick. Another may be cooking a meal for others. Still another might be listening to others with an attentive ear. The list just goes on. Now some of you might say that you have no real talent. But I am here today to tell you that that statement is not true.

God gives all of humanity a talent…something that we are good at and enjoy doing. I think that sometimes people really underestimate themselves. They think that if they can’t of think of something they can make money with they have no talent. Well…how about those who give good counsel to others? They may not make money at it but it doesn’t mean that it is not a talent. Not everyone has the ability to give good counsel. And without someone to give good counsel, where would the wisdom in the world be? We need to realize that we all have something to offer and as we offer it…no matter how big or small…we are being “Good Stewards” of what God has given us…and we need to unearth that talent for God and use it for His glory.

Let’s look at the definition of stewardship. Wikipedia tells us that “Stewardship is an ethic that embodies responsible planning and management of resources. The concept of stewardship has been applied in diverse realms, including with respect to environment, economics, health, property, information, and religion, and is linked to the concept of sustainability.

Historically, stewardship referred to the occupation of a steward. Initially, stewardship was the responsibility given to household servants to bring food and drinks to a castle dining hall. The term was then expanded to indicate a household employee's responsibility for managing household or domestic affairs. Stewardship later became the responsibility for taking care of passengers' domestic needs on a ship, train and airplane, or managing the service provided to diners in a restaurant. The term continues to be used in these specific ways, but it is also used in a more general way to refer to a responsibility to take care of something belonging to someone else.” Something belonging to someone else…

And Christian steward ship is:

“A grateful and responsible use of God's gifts in the light of God's purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ.  Christian stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to conscious, purposeful decisions.

Stewardship is lived out in:

1.   living and telling the Good News;

2.   sharing with God in seeking justice, peace, and the integrity of creation in an interdependent universe;

3.   wisely employing God-given human resources, abilities, and relationships;

4.   sharing the material resources we hold and giving them in service, justice, and compassion;

5.   providing for future generations;

6.   Sharing in the life, worship, and responsible stewardship of the Church and of its mission.

Both for the individual and for the community, stewardship is a joyful act for the sake of God's world.” It is a joyful act for the sake of Gods world…Gods Kingdom…

Stewardship is a multi-faceted response to Gods goodness and grace to you and to me. It is like a many faceted diamond that as you turn it…it shows an opulence…a kaleidoscope of beauty and depth. It gives sparkle to an otherwise drab looking world.

The Luke scripture from this morning tells us to be out using those gifts…those talents that we have been given…being a good steward of what we have and what we are given. (And yes…we do need to be good stewards of those special gifts we are given…not deciding we won’t use them for whatever reason.) But…but…as we use those gifts, we are to use them for the good of others. There are so many out there who would use the gift they are given to oppress and hurt others. They have seemed to have forgotten who gave them these gifts in the first place. But then again we live in a world that tells us we are the ones who make who we are…we are “Self made men and women.” Oh how the high and mighty eventually fall…

In Matthew 25 verses 14-30 tells us what happens as we become good stewards of what we are given by God. It reads…And I am reading from the NIV Bible this morning…

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (that is the one thing I long to hear when called home…Well done my good and faithful servant.)

Like the servant in the parable, God has given each of us a talent. It may be small and not that noticeable or it can be large and right out there, seen by all. It doesn’t matter how large or small. We shouldn’t…like the bad servant…hide our talent in the sand. We need to unearth our talent so that it can be used for God’s glory. We need to share what we have to help our church bodies. We need to encourage each other…spur each other on…to use their talent. If it wasn’t for the body using its talents, the body would die.

Like any human body, if one part doesn’t work…if a part is not contributing…the whole body suffers…so it is with the church body of Christ. The  church is a living, breathing, ever growing entity. It needs all of its parts working in order to survive and flourish.  How can a body live if one of its parts decided it was not going to work? How can a body thrive if all of the parts don’t kick in…if all of the parts don’t do it’s God given job? How can we, as Christians, be the body of Christ if we don’t work together, challenging each other to fulfill the great commandment to “Make disciples of all nations”?

Yes Stewardship is about money but it is also about so much more. Maybe…it is not something that should be feared but it is something that should be embraced as we travel on the road God has set us on. Maybe, it’s about stepping out of ourselves and trusting the God given talents we are blessed with. Perhaps, it’s about taking care of what we are given…yes even our church buildings…so that the God News can be heard…the news that so many are waiting to hear.

My question…my challenge for you and myself is to think about  this, “How have we been using our talents? Are we using them for our own pleasure or for Gods pleasure? Are we ready to trust God and His providence for us or are we squandering what we have for a rainy day? Do we even believe you have a talent to share?”

 Church, the body of Christ needs all of its parts to survive. Will we use our resources for our own stability or help others become stable? Are we sharing the gifts and talents we have been entrusted with or are we burying them in the sand? Will you and I hear that well done or will we be thrown out with the other untrustworthy servants? We have a choice to make. Which will you choose? To believe in God and that we are given talents to share or to step out in faith and encourage others to do so? As Joshua pronounced to those around him, “Choose this day who you will serve. But as for me and my house…we will serve the Lord.”

Amen.