THE
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
2The
Lord said to Moses, “What’s that in your hand?”
Moses answered, “My shepherd’s staff.” . .
. (Exodus 4:2 elr)
7Each one of us has received a special gift
in proportion to what Christ has given. . . . 16Under [Christ’s]
control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is
held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and
builds itself up through love. (Ephesians 4:7, 16 tev; emphasis added)
10Each
one, as a good manager [steward] of God’s different gifts, must use for the
good of others the special gift he or she has received from God. 11Those
who preach must preach God’s messages; those who serve must serve with the
strength that God gives them, so that in all things praise may be given to God
through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and power forever and ever. Amen. (I
Peter 4:10-11 tev)
For
further reading: the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30.
We’d
been at our new pastorate only a few weeks. Like a good Baptist church, we had
close communion around the supper table every Wednesday evening before
small-grouping for missions or Bible study or “prayer meeting” and of course
choir practice afterward. The church supper committee supplied the main
course—meat and potatoes, chicken and potato salad, fish and chips—and every
family brought in a favorite vegetable or salad or bread and/or dessert.
After
supper everyone took their dirty dishes to the kitchen, scraped plates, emptied
glasses, and placed the used hardware on the counter where it was immediately
removed to the grand industrial-grade dishwasher that had been given to the
church several years before by the university when their kitchen equipment was
upgraded. It was a well-oiled, good Baptist operation, and the dishes were
steaming clean almost before everyone finished at table, and, before the
kitchen committee left for prayer meeting, put away for use another day.
Except
of course for the big pots and pans in which the main dishes had been cooked
and served. Those monsters would not fit in the assembly-line trays of the
dishwasher. The heavy-duty pots and pans had to be washed by hand in the deep
double sinks.
So
there she stood, sleeves rolled up about six laps, full-length cafeteria apron
secured round her neck and waist, and up to her elbows in hot soapy water
scrubbing and rinsing those heavy, greasy pots and pans.
She
was in her seventies. She was not frail. But she was beginning to show her age.
And now perspiration beaded up on her softly wrinkled forehead. And she
sometimes struggled to lift that heavy stock pot or that huge baking pan.
Naturally,
when I noticed her hard at work, and saw that no one else—uncharacteristically
for those good folk—even offered to help her, and, perhaps, seeking to make a
new-preacher good impression—I offered to help her with her heavy load.
“Miss
Alma,” I offered, “let me help you with those heavy pots and pans, and then,” I
ventured, “let’s see if we can get someone else to share this job with you.” I
was not prepared for her strong response.
“Mr.
Edd,” she said, “this here is my job!
I been doin’ it for years. I ain’t got much education, so I can’t teach a
class. And I can’t carry a tune in a washtub, so I can’t sing in the choir. But
I raised six children and now I’m helping raise twelve grandchildren. I know
how to wash pots and pans! That’s my
talent! You just go on and help somebody who needs help. I got this job
covered!”
Do
I need to tell you that I never again offered to take some of the load? And I
understood why no one else offered to help either—“This here is my job!”
Everyone,
every one, has some talent, some
“special gift he or she has received from God” (1 Pet 4:10 ; and see Eph 4:7). Some are gifted as
“apostles,” some as “prophets,” some to be “evangelists” or “pastors” or
“teachers” (Ephesians 4:11 ).
And, we might add, some can carry a tune in the choir or answer the phone or
teach a class or paint a wall for the children’s classroom or trim the
shrubbery or prune the roses or wash pots and pans or cheerfully greet folks at
the door with a handshake or a hug and a worship prompter for the day.
Everyone is gifted in some special way
for some special task. And an essential part of our stewardship is to discover
what is our gift and then to put that gift to work “for the good of others” and
so the whole “body,” the church, may grow and be built up through love (1 Peter
4:10 ; Ephesians 4:16 ).
It
rightly has been said that
Stewardship
is a Christian way of life. . . .
When lovingly embraced, Christian stewardship produces a spirituality that
refreshes our lives with the Holy Spirit, deepens our relationship with the
Lord Jesus Christ, and glorifies our Heavenly Father. . . . Stewardship is an
expression of gratitude to God. It reminds us that we are the administrators,
not the owners, of our assets. It fills a need deep within each of us to
worship God and to thank Him for the abundant blessings he has showered on us.
. . . [Stewardship is the] opportunity to worship God and to express gratitude
to him through the intentional, planned, and proportionate contribution of Time, Treasure, and Talent to
the church and others.[1]
Note
that emphasis on the three Ts—Time, Treasure, and Talent. We are stewards, managers, of the Time, Treasure, and
Talent with which God has gifted us. In this stewardship series we have heard
or will hear about the responsible management/stewardship of Time and Treasure
as an essential part of our Christian way of life. Let’s consider here the
responsible management of our talent
or talents.
1. Everyone, every one, at First
Baptist Church Macon
The
classic text regarding talents of
course is the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30; the Parable of the
Pounds at Luke 19:12 -27).
“Once there was a man who . . . called his servants and put them in charge of
his property. He gave to each according to his ability” (Matt 25:14-15 tev).
In
Jesus’ story, the “talents” were sums of money or property value.[2] But
of course the story has wider implications than just the management of capital
investment and portfolio. One Gospel student’s renaming of this parable is
especially appropriate: “A Parable of the Use of Capabilities.”[3]
We
say that persons have received talents
in music or other “arts,” business, leadership, public speaking, and so forth. Webster’s Collegiate says that the
original meaning of “talent” is “any of several ancient units of weight.” Now, Webster’s says, “talent” refers to “the
natural endowments of a person . . . a special, often creative or artistic
aptitude . . . general intelligence or mental power: ability.” And Webster’s
reminds us that these senses of the word are from “the parable of the talents
in Mt 25:14-30.” The Parable of the Talents (in the King James Version) has
given this key word and this key meaning to our language.
It
is evident from the Gospels that Jesus knew and clearly taught that persons
differ in talents. There are diversities of gifts. Some persons draw plans for
a cathedral, some compose music for its pipe organ, some carve the stones for
its walls, and some build the road to the door. But every one of these is
talented. No one is without some gift essential to the building.[4]
For
many reasons, talents differ from person to person, but every person has some
special ability or aptitude or capability that is entrusted to us by God. We
are then the caretakers or managers of that talent, charged with investing it,
putting it into service.
Peter
referred to such special abilities or capabilities or “talents” as a “gift”
from God. In New Testament Greek, the word translated “gift” is charisma, also translated “grace,” or,
as we Baptists like to say, “unmerited favor.” Not because we earned it or
because it is our due, but simply because God chooses to “grace” us with
certain abilities and “talents.”
There
are at least five lists of such “gifts” or gracings in the New Testament: Rom
12:6-8, 1 Cor 12:8-10, 1 Cor 12:28 -30,
Eph 4:7-13, and 1 Pet 4:10 -11.
These lists are all different, and it is apparent that “the lists are not
intended to be definitive but only to indicate the infinite number of gifts
bestowed by God upon humankind.”[5] The
key words here are “infinite number” and “humankind.”
In
the past—indeed, still today!—certain groups or classes of persons have claimed
some sort of exclusive right of possession regarding such “gifts.” For example,
“clergy” have sometimes claimed right of gifts over laypersons.
Spirit-baptized, fire-refined, tongues-speaking, twice-born warriors for Christ
over ordinary, everyday disciples of Jesus. Or, of course, men over women. Hear
the following good word regarding such patently false claims.
[In
Eph 4:10 -11,] the gifts,
which are not intended to be an exhaustive list, are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Because many of these functions are seen to
be done by men [or clergy] in Scripture and in the church, the image they
conjure up when reading them is that these are gifts for men, not women, and
many people have therefore a mental image of men as the personification of
these gifts. However, there is no such delineation of the gifts in Ephesians,
and in a context speaking so much in terms of unity of the body and grace given
to “each of us” [Eph 4:7], the
thought that such gifts would be for men only would be distinctly out of place.
. . . God’s gifts are for all members of
the church, and the church can grow properly only when “each part is working
properly” (Eph 4:16 ),
and each member is encouraged to use and develop her or his God-given gifts.[6]
There
are all kinds of talents or gifts that God graces each of us with, and while
the variety of talents is unlimited, so is the company of those to whom such
goodly gifts are given.
At
the close of the morning service on the first Sunday at our new pastorate, one
of the men lagged behind to be the last one to greet me at the door. “Mr. Edd,”
he said, “you need to know that I don’t pray in public. So please don’t ever
call on me to pray on Sunday or Wednesday night. I’m not a public speaker. My
talent is finances. I’m a good businessman. I know how to make money. And I
share that talent with my church. But I don’t pray in church.” He was right
about his financial talents, which is why he became chairman of the finance
committee the next time church officers and teachers were elected. Of course
telling me he was no “public speaker” was a challenge and before long he was
teaching a youth Sunday school class and was on the list of those who regularly
led the church in prayer. But he was right about his main gift being in
finances, and his investment of that “gift” served the church well.
Some
time ago, Ruth called the church office and was cheerfully greeted by one of
our angelic front-desk volunteers. “You have a real talent for minding the telephone,” Ruth said. And then Ruth added, “Makes
me want to call back just to hear your welcoming voice!” “You know,” she
responded, “minding the front desk has made me feel more a part of the church
than I have ever felt. I feel like I’m making a real contribution to the life
of our church.” And she is.
2. Every
gift/talent/capability is important to the life of the body, the church.
“Each one,” First Peter said, “as a good
manager [steward] of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the
special gift he or she has received from God” (1 Pet 4:10 ). And, Ephesians explains, “Under
[Christ’s] control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole
body [First Baptist Church of Christ at Macon 4:16 ).
It
is with the various and sundry talents of the members of the church as with the
members themselves: each and every one is essential to the health of the whole.
“For the body does not consist of one member [or one talent or capability] but
of many. . . . [So] if one member suffers [or if one talent is lacking or
scorned], all suffer together; if one member [or talent] is honored, all
rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:14 ,
26 rsv).
Ephesians
4:7-16 stresses “(1) that the effective functioning of the church as Christ’s
body depends on the recognition that each
member has a function within the body and on each exercising that function; and (2) that each function is
appointed and its exercise made effective by the enabling (engracement) that comes from Christ.”[7]
Let’s
paraphrase Paul. The preacher cannot say to the choir member “I have no need of
your talents.” Neither can the deacon say to the nursery worker “I don’t need
your special capabilities.” Nor can the audiovisual technician say to the usher
“I can get along without your abilities.” And so on.
Each
must realize that (1) sometimes the talents which may seem to be less important may in fact be essential—How effective
would the preacher be without patient hearers and doers of the Word?—and (2)
your talent contribution and mine, no matter how lowly we may think it is, is
as essential to the health of the First Baptist Church of Christ as any other
(see 1 Cor 12:14-26). So, then,
3. What is your gift/talent and are you
using it to your full stewardship potential?
You
didn’t think we were going to forget Moses and Exodus 4:2, did you?
Moses
had talents of which he was not aware. Of course he had legislative talents,
even though he probably couldn’t get elected to the U.S. Congress on his
Decalogue platform—too many “Thou shalt nots” and not enough promises. But his
main talent—after diplomacy of course—was, I think, leadership. It took him a
long while to recognize that talent. It took him longer to put it to use for
God’s sake and for the sake of God’s people. When God called on Moses to “Go
down, and tell ol’ Pharaoh to let my people go,” Moses made all kinds of
excuses why he was not the one for the job. Simple shepherd that he now was, he
would get no respect from Pharaoh. And, besides, he had a slight speech
impediment, and would be laughed out of Pharaoh’s court. Moses’ whining about
his perceived inabilities may translate into something altogether different,
like the wiseacre’s paraphrase of the old hymn:
I’ll
go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
I’ll
say what you want me to say,
But
I’m busy right now with myself, dear Lord,
I’ll
help you some other day.
But
at last God made Moses see what his capabilities really were. “What’s that in
your hand, Moses?” God asked. “My shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. Then God
demonstrated to Moses the effective power in that simple shepherd’s staff when
it was used in God’s service and for the sake of God’s people. A simple
shepherd’s staff, a symbol of leadership and caretaking! A symbol of the talent
with which God gifted or graced Moses!
Well,
what about you? With what talents are you gifted? What possibilities are in
your hands for contributing to the work of the kingdom, that is, especially
here and now to the life and ministry of the First Baptist Church of Christ at Macon
God
asks you and me as he did Moses, “What’s in your hand?” Truth to tell, not many
persons of so-called “worldly wisdom” find their place of service in God’s
kingdom. When God calls, such worldly wise are usually not within hearing
distance.
“We
should never long wistfully for greater gifts. The most successful person in
God’s cause is the obedient one. Any
sincerely dedicated person is great in God’s sight. Outstanding ability is not
the prime requisite. Willingness, sincerity, dedication—these are the essential
matters. . . . Do not be deterred from handing it back to God because it is so
little. What we have, is what the Lord wants. What we are, he has made us—and
for this hour.”[8]
Moses, what’s in your hand?
Only a shepherd’s crook,
A weak, frail stick for guiding sheep.
But Moses! Moses! Look!
It’s become a living thing!
And henceforth from this hour
Dedicated to our God
It symbolizes power.
Christian, what’s in your hand?
Some simple, little thing?
Some gift neglected, even despised?
Still, if you will bring
Your gift, and lay it at God’s feet,
Nor wait, this very hour,
Dedicated to your God,
Your mite will become power. (author
unknown)
[1]Adapted from a
statement on “Stewardship: A Way Texas 16 October 2003 , as it appears online at
<http://www.catholiclubbock.org/stewardship/stewardship.asp>.
[2]A “talent” was
a certain weight of silver or gold. In New Testament times the most popular
coinage was the silver denarius, “considered a fair wage for one day’s labor.”
At the time, a talent was equal to 6,000 denarii, that is, 6,000 fair day’s
wages, or more than twenty years wages for a day worker. See “Money” in the Mercer Dictionary of the Bible, 581.
[3]Sherman E.
Johnson, “Matthew” (introduction and exegesis), The Interpreter’s Bible (1951) 7:558. Johnson also suggests that
“Jesus’ point is that talents are given to be used. Not to employ an
opportunity means to lose it” (7:561).
[4]Compare the
comments of George A. Buttrick in his exposition of “Matthew,” The Interpreter’s Bible (1951) 7:558b.
[5]“Gifts of the
Spirit,” Mercer Dictionary of the Bible
(1990) 330b.
[6]Claire M.
Powell, “Ephesians,” The IVP Women’s
Bible Commentary (2002) 699, 700; emphasis added.
[7]J. D. G. Dunn,
“Ephesians,” The Oxford Bible Commentary
(2001) 1174a; emphasis added.
[8]Fred M. Wood, Great Questions of the Bible (1977) 31.
No comments:
Post a Comment