Jesus has given each of us various talents and expects us to be faithful in developing and exercising those talents. In our worship today let us ask God to help us discover our own talents and to guide us in how we should use them.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I feel that I'm not good at anything.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes I envy other people who are good at everything.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, help me to believe that I too have talents.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 25:14-30 (NRSV)
"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, 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.'
Story:
We all have talents, but we may not recognise them as such. We don't have to be the best in the world, we simply have to recognise our talents and use them to the best of our ability.
In this story poor Beth fails to spot her embryo talents, with disastrous consequences.
Beth's Gifts
When Beth was born, God showered gifts upon her. Beth lay in her cradle and cooed and smiled with delight.
When Beth was five, she begged to learn to play the piano.
"You'll have to practise hard every day," warned her mother.
Beth promised that she would and for the first few weeks, she really did practise hard. But then she heard Candy next door playing the piano and Candy was much better than Beth, so Beth gave up.
"I can't do it," said Beth.
When she was seven, Beth joined the Brownies. She loved all the games and the fun and she started to work on some badges. But then she noticed that Tammy, her pack leader, had strings of badges all down her arm and Beth knew that she'd never get that many. So Beth gave up.
"I can't do it," said Beth.
Beth was particularly good at swimming and was chosen to swim for her school against the school in the next town. She practised hard at her swimming, but she only came fourth in her race, so Beth gave up.
"I can't do it," said Beth.
As she grew older, Beth discovered that she had a way with small children. She loved to be with them and to look after them. But on one occasion Beth's brother Andrew came with her to baby sit and the children loved Andrew who romped and played with them. So Beth gave up.
"I can't do it," said Beth.
One day, the vicar invited Beth to read the lesson in church. Beth was thrilled. She felt it was a great honour to be asked and she knew she was a good reader. But on the day, Beth was so nervous that she shook all over and felt sick. So Beth gave up.
"I can't do it," said Beth.
When Beth grew up, she looked at other people and envied them. It seemed that everyone could do something well and in fact, everyone was better than Beth.
"I'll never be any good," said Beth. "I can't do anything."
When Beth died, God came to meet her and cuddle her in his strong arms. He kissed the top of her head and said, "Welcome home, Beth. I love you so much."
Beth said, "How come if you love me so much, you made me so useless? I was never any good at anything. I never shone in sports or in the arts or in any area of life. I was hopeless at everything. I had no talent."
God gazed at Beth sadly. "But I showered you with gifts when you were born! I shower every newborn baby with gifts. What happened to your gifts?"
Beth frowned. "I never found them! You must have hidden them."
God smiled. "I did hide them," God admitted. "I hid them within your heart. I made them tiny so that they would all fit into your little baby heart. But I expected them to grow as your heart grew. I thought you'd work on them and make them develop until they were big and strong. With my gifts, you didn't have to be better than everyone else, you just had to be as good as you could be. What went wrong?"
"I couldn't do it," said Beth. And as she saw her sad little life laid out like a film in front of her, Beth cried in God's arms.
Activity:
You need:
Paper and crayons or felt tips
Plasticine
A
karaoke machine or microphone and CD player
Dressing up clothes
Music
Tell the story of the talents in your own words. Then tell the children you're going to have a Talent Contest. The children can do anything they like. Some may want to draw or paint, some may want to model using plasticine. Some may want to sing, some may want to dance, some may want to work together to put on a simple play.
Give the children about fifteen minutes to work on their talent, then either display the talents to each other, or display them to the whole church. Give the children plenty of encouragement and praise, and if they are enthusiastic, you might think in terms of putting on a Christmas concert using their talents.
Intercession:
Generous God, thank you for the different talents you have given to our church. May we all work together to use our talents to best advantage and to reveal your generosity to others.
Generous God, help us to appreciate the different skills and talents shown by different people. May we put a true worth on all gifts, not just those which produce monetary wealth and not just those which are highly visible.
Generous God, save us from the sin of denigrating our own talents. May we be as aware of false modesty as we are of excess pride, so that we rejoice in the gifts you have given us and use them to the full.
Generous God, we hold within your presence those with a gift for caring. Bless them in their work whether paid or unpaid and give them the strength they need. We pray for all who are sick, especially
Blessing:
May you discover the talents
God has given you
and be aware
of your own huge value.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
