For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Matthew 25:14-15
Several years ago, I led a “Spiritual Gifts Inventory” for the congregation I served in Salisbury, NC. I have asked several folks here at St. Jacob’s about such an inventory and has there ever been one done here? The answers I got were of a mixed bag, but what I was able to glean from these questions and answers is that, if the congregation has participated in a spiritual gifts inventory, the number of members participating was smaller than hoped for.
God blesses his Church with gifted members for the sake of the church’s ministry and mission. Some of you may have participated in such an inventory, maybe even several times over the years. But it is always worthwhile for congregations to explore how God has gifted them and how or if our collective spiritual gifts are being used. Responding to many questions and statements, the testing group seeks to help the person participating to determine what their gift (or gifts) might be. One of the passages sometimes used in these evaluations is Matthew 25, the parable that tells the story of a wealthy master who went away and left three servants with different amounts of money to invest. Most of us have heard plenty of teaching on this passage even before it became popular to conduct spiritual gifts inventories. For context, Read Matthew 25:14-18.
The most common translation of the word used for what the master left his servants was “talents”. Talents were not a specific kind of coin but were understood to be a prescribed weight of a bag of silver. Each bag of silver would amount to the value of one year’s worth of daily wages. The word “talent”, however, is particularly useful when talking about the various gifts God has given to each of us.
The first two servants in today’s passage took the bags of silver that their master had left them and invested them. Thus, they were able to give their master a return on his investment. They saw themselves as stewards of what had been put into their care. The “wicked” servant, however, did not use what was provided. In effect, he wasted his gift. He provided no return on his master’s investment. Not all the things God has provided to us are monetary; in fact, most are not. We are born with certain “natural” abilities, such as the ability to run fast or an ability to sing well. We also have abilities and qualities that God has blessed us with at the time of our Baptism. These abilities which God has given us which are not necessarily something we could be expected to be able to do on our own, like the ability to know certain things, or possess the gift for compassion, generosity, or having keen insight into certain situations. These are spiritual gifts.
These gifts aren’t simply given to us; they are entrusted into our care to use in serving God. Operating in the gifts God has given us is not optional; it is God’s call to stewardship of what He has put into our care. Many churches use this as a way to staff programs but these gifts are not primarily given to us so we can fill the slots in our church programs; they are ways God has chosen for you and me to serve Him in our world.
Before too long, I am hoping to work with the Stewardship Team to conduct a spiritual gifts inventory here at St. Jacob’s. I am also hoping there will be a significant number of our church family members who participate. If you are reading this, then you are one I am hoping will attend. I pray each church family member will take a few minutes to think deeply about what gifts God has given you to use for Him. Once the inventory is complete, you may be surprised to find how you might bear fruit for God’s kingdom. Most people who participate in such inventories realize they have not been serving in ways God has gifted them. I pray we would all be good stewards using the gifts and talents God provides.
Grace and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
