Thoughts for the Day

Jesus went on to tell a parable: ‘A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, “Do business with these until I come back."........

When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, “Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.” He said to him, “Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.” Then the second came, saying, “Lord, your pound has made five pounds.” He said to him, “And you, rule over five cities.” Then the other came, saying, “Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.” He said to him, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.”

He said to the bystanders, “Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.” (And they said to him, “Lord, he has ten pounds!”) “I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

As a child I lived in Belgium for some years, first in Antwerp and then near Lier. I can remember acres of parquet wood flooring in a second-floor flat with no outside space, before we moved to a house with a garden on an Army camp. At last there was space to use my roller skates - the old fashioned kind that gripped onto one's shoes (or came off with the obvious result of a tumble). I would climb the stairs on my skates and use the slate topped low walls as a skating rink! (It gives me shudders to think of this now!). I could race down the road on my skates, raise one leg and behave like a ballet dancer, and stop in an instant! Years later as an adult I put on some modern skates and promptly fell over. All the skill had gone!

The Parable of the Talents appears in both Luke and Matthew's Gospels and has been interpreted by the Western church as being about our abilities and gifts - on a 'use it or lose it' basis. But it's also about taking risks, 'throwing our heart over the fence' as we might say if we were horse riders. God gives all of us gifts and talents - that is everyone, with no exception! He expects us to use these gifts to serve Him and His people without fear of taking a risk. We should especially notice that if we don't use these talents they can whither and die like my skating, and the penalty might be harsh when one day we are asked to account for the gifts God has given us.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You give us so many talents,
some of which we have yet to discover.
Help us to accept that we must use
or lose these gifts,
not just for ourselves
but to honour You,
and to help Your people.
Amen.