In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     If you are one of those folks who, at some time, have said something like, "You know, you shouldn't talk about money in the Church!", then today, would you like a little salt and pepper as you eat your words, because not to talk about money in church, today, would be-- to be unfaithful to the words of Jesus in our Gospel lesson!

     Of course, there are those who would like to read this passage from Matthew 25 and claim that Jesus isn't talking about money or wealth or possessions here. Of course, the word, even in Greek, is "talanta"-talents, which to us, generally means natural abilities or endowments-such as a talent for music or sports. But in the Greek, a talent is a weight of measure-about 75 lbs.-- normally used to refer to the value of precious metals-such as copper, gold or silver. Coinage was specific to the government issuing it, and had value only in regions that participated in trade with that government. A measure of gold or silver, on the other hand, was valuable everywhere, and its weight was its weight-its value was its value, everywhere. So, when Jesus speaks about the man going on a journey, leaving certain talents of precious metal with his slaves, the value was indisputable. Similarly, these talents were not monies made, manufactured by the emperor or the king. Jesus is speaking here about something made by God-gold, silver, copper-things that had intrinsic worth, no matter where they were used, or in what empire or realm. Which may very well be why Jesus used talents of precious metals in his parable, rather than coinage.because he's talking here about real wealth, about something that has worth and value apart from the particular nation or region one lives in. He's not talking about American dollars and cents, or about Roman coins-Jesus here is talking in general terms about the wealth, the possessions, that we each end up with in life, no matter where we are in the world, or what era we live in. In this sense, then, Jesus' parable transcends time and geography, as he speaks to each of us, about what is given to us in life, and how we are to use what's given to us. And what does Jesus say about this?

     First, He reminds us that all that we have is a gift-a trust from God. In a way, this parable might sound like a very legalistic teaching that suggests we receive rewards and punishments in life, based on what we do or don't do. As if God is a harsh judge, watching over us, blessing some and cursing others, depending on how we use what we've been given. And there's a sense in which this IS what Jesus is saying in this parable. If you begin with us, and what we do with our wealth and possessions, then it sounds like Jesus is saying grace and blessing come to those who do good in life, and judgment and punishment come to those who don't. And there is a sense in which this is what Jesus is saying. But the parable doesn't begin with us. The parable begins, with the man-the Master, who is going on a journey, who summons his slaves and entrusts his property to them-to one, five talents (or 375 pounds, commonly silver in the biblical world), to another two talents (or 150 pounds), and to another, one talent (75 pounds). In other words, it is the Master, who first, gives gifts to his servants. Just as it is God who first gives to us, graciously and generously, entrusting to us what is in fact, His. But is the man-the Master in the parable, God the Father, God the Creator? We can certainly say that everything we have is a gift from God the Creator. But in this parable, it seems more that the Master, is Jesus. St. Gregory the Great, writing in the 6th century, said, "Who is the man who sets out on a journey for foreign parts, but our Redeemer, who departed to heaven in the resurrection body he had taken on?" St. Cyril of Alexandria, in the 4th and 5th centuries said, "The Word compares the time the Master spent away from home in the parable to either the ascension of Christ into heaven, or at any rate, to the unseen and invisible character of the divine nature"-in other words, sometimes Christ is not visible or seen, yet He entrusts us with His gifts-material and spiritual. One way or the other, it is God's will that we should be entrusted with these gifts. It is God's good pleasure to give them to us. God's grace is first, in that God chooses us to be His servants, and entrusts us with His gifts. The parable Jesus tells, then, is about our response to God-and how we deal with His gifts in life. And what Jesus says in the parable, is that we are to use-to invest-to multiply His gifts-not by sitting on them, not by burying them in a field because we're afraid we'll loose them. Rather, Jesus says, we are, each and every one of us to use whatever gifts, abilities, indeed, money we have-to further God's Kingdom and spread the good news of salvation in and through Jesus Christ! Certainly, Jesus does not mean to suggest that we are to invest our money and resources, so that we, ourselves will have more. Jesus is not suggesting that He wants you and me to be good money managers so that we will become rich, and well-off, sitting in a 30 room mansion at Broadmoor Bluffs. Jesus has no desire for us to use what we have to make more for us, and for our own pleasure and enjoyment. To the contrary-Jesus, the Master gives us all that we have, and all that we are, so that we will use it to ultimately, be returned to Him, as we use it for the sake of His Kingdom and purpose. Our goal in life is not to be to increase our wealth and possessions for greedy purposes, but so that our increased wealth and possessions will serve Christ's purposes-whether that means we are able to provide greater support for building Christ's Church, provide larger offerings to support the ongoing work of the Church, give more to the ELCA hunger appeal to help the poor and needy in our world, or to simply be able to afford to buy Christmas gifts for the developmentally disabled residents of the Martin Luther Homes. The point Jesus is making in this parable is-in response to God's magnificent and manifold gifts, His servants are to use what has been given to us-for the sake of God and others! Indeed, Jesus says, when we are trustworthy stewards, more will be given to us, to use to increase His kingdom and influence in the world. What the Master can not abide, will not abide-is servants who will not use what has been entrusted to them--disciples who do nothing. These, Jesus cannot tolerate. For any disciple to have been given a baptismal birthright, to have been blessed with adoption into God's kingdom, to have been given all the spiritual and material gifts that are entrusted to God's children, and then, not to use them for any good purpose-whether out of fear, or ignorance, or laziness-this person is of no use to God. And, Jesus says, this person will ultimately, be cast out of the kingdom as a worthless slave.

     Now, Jesus is using an extreme example, as he often uses exaggeration and hyperbole in his parables to make his point. Is there any one of us who doesn't try, at least, to make use of what God has given us, for the sake of God and others? I don't believe there's a soul here who has buried all God's gifts, and is sitting on it in a Lazy-boy, waiting for Jesus' return. The message for us, today, is not that we are in danger of being thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The message for us, is-you have been given great gifts-now, use them! Invest them! Create greater wealth, so that you can give it away for Christ's sake! When you receive an increase in pay, or a windfall you weren't expecting, invest it in God's kingdom! Take all that you have and are, and turn it over to Jesus, and ask Him-now, what do YOU want me to do with this?

     As next Sunday is the Festival of Christ the King, this is an appropriate time for us to hear just this kind of message from Holy Scripture-as Jesus reminds us, in this parable, that He will return as Christ the King, and there will be an accounting. In the meantime, Jesus is asking us, calling us, pleading with us-"Invest yourself!" "Give yourself, and all that you have, and all that you are-to God!" "Don't just sit there, on your assets and accumulations-use it, to serve God, and others, in this life we've been given!" Now. Today. Before Jesus comes again.

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.