Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30
‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 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.” 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.” 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.” 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.” 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; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” 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? 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. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 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. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor
When the word stewardship comes up in church, many clergy feel a deep sense of dread. We immediately think, Oh no, now we have to talk about money and that’s the last thing we want to do…it is an awkward, sensitive topic, nobody ever wants to touch.
Over time, stewardship has become almost synonymous with fundraising campaigns, pledges, and appeals for increased giving. But in reality, stewardship is about so much more than any of this.
At its core, stewardship is about how we live in response to God’s generosity. It’s about recognizing that everything in our lives…our money, time, relationships, talents, education, opportunities…all of this comes from God. No matter how much or how little we might have in our lives, all of us have been entrusted with gifts, and we are called to steward them well.
The word steward isn’t one we use much today. When I was writing this sermon, I thought about the reality show Below Deck. Now, I don’t actually watch it, it’s a bit too cringy for me, but it’s about luxury yachts that cater to the rich. On this show there are stewards who take care of the guests and manage day-to-day operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly. What is important to note is that while they are entrusted to look after all that happens on the yacht, they don’t actually own the yacht or any of the resources on it. Their job is to use their experience and wisdom to care for and manage things that belong to someone else.
This is exactly what stewardship is for us: we recognise that all we have been given is ultimately from God, we own none of it and our call is to look after it, manage it and when we do this well, it grows, seeds are planted, and it makes a difference beyond ourselves.
We saw this in our Gospel reading from Matthew in the parable of the talents. The master entrusts his servants with money…notice how the money doesn’t belong to them, but it belongs to their master. Their job is simply to take care of it wisely. Those who do so are praised, but the one who does nothing with it is rebuked. The message is clear: what we have is entrusted to us, and we are called to use it well, to grow it. If you’re following the Lent series, you’ll explore this idea further in the week’s scripture readings.
What is important to recognise is that this approach to stewardship offers a life-giving alternative to what our world presents us with. The world often tells us: Work hard, and you’ll get what you deserve. You own what you earn. You control your fate. But stewardship invites us to see things differently. By saying everything belongs to God, we are reminded that our achievements, blessings, and resources are ultimately gifts to be shared, not possessions to cling to.
For me, one of the things I think God has entrusted me with is my education. Yes, I worked hard to get through school…I put in the effort, paid the tuition, took the opportunities. But even though I did so much work for it, none of this belongs to me, I don’t own it. God placed the opportunities, mentors, and resources in my path, I simply chose to take them. Stewarding these gifts means that I don’t keep them for myself, but I find ways to give them back, to invest them, as we saw in our Gospel, to serve God by using them as wisely as I can. Most recently, this has meant volunteering with United for Literacy, where I help a fourth grader with her reading. That’s what stewardship looks like in my life right now…taking what God has given me, my education, and using it to bless someone else, using it to help a child gain her own talent for reading. In a way I am investing the gift of education that God gave to me in my fourth grader and, hopefully, it will grow in her and at some point she will invest it in someone else…the gift growing, gaining more profit over time, echoing this morning’s Gospel reading.
So today, I invite you to ask yourself: What gifts has God placed in your care? Are you using them to build up others and glorify God? Or are you holding them back out of fear, or a sense of ownership? Maybe you’re afraid that if you give too much, you’ll be left with nothing. Or maybe it’s hard to let go of something you worked so hard for. But the beauty of stewardship is that when we release what we’ve been given, God multiplies it in ways we might never imagine.
The beauty of stewardship is that it invites us to participate in God’s ongoing work in the world. It’s about recognizing that everything we have, no matter how small it may seem, can be multiplied when we invest it, share it beyond ourselves. So as we continue through this season of Lent, may we reflect deeply on what we’ve been entrusted with. And may we have the courage to live not as owners, but as faithful stewards of God’s gifts.
Amen.
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