The Story for the
Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
November 15, 2020
prepared by the Rev’d Adam Brown
Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents
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,[f] 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.’
Something to Do
Lost and Found
Take eight coins, or draw them on a piece of paper. Assign each with a gift God has given you – it could be a talent or skill, a vocation, some aspect of your life, etc.. For each one, think of how you can nurture it and help it grow, and imagine all the good that it could do. Now go back and, for each, think about what would happen if you hid those gifts away from the world.
Talented Help
On a piece of paper, draw or list eight things that help you nurture your own “talents” or gifts from God. It could be a tool or a device, a person, a place, etc. You could draw or list one per day, or all at once and reflect on each one throughout the week.
Something to Wonder
Talented Investing
In the parable, we hear an encouragement to invest the “talents” we have been given, rather than hide them away out of fear or laziness. The third servant was told he could have gone to those more knowledgeable for help. Take a moment and think of all those in your life who have helped you, both in general and spiritually. Were there moments in your life when you returned the favour?
Something to Learn
Community Ministries
Take a moment and learn about the Community Ministries operated throughout the Diocese of Ottawa. There are six main ones, so perhaps you can choose one per day this week and learn about all the good ways those around us are “investing” their “talents”.
https://www.ottawa.anglican.ca/community-ministries
Something to Pray
Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways.
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow.
The story this week has made me wonder about…
(what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.
The story this week has filled me with…
(how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.
The story this week has reminded me of…
(are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.