Abundance or Scarcity

Abundance or Scarcity?
Matthew 25:14-30

 What is one thing you wish you had?

A gift or a skill you see other people do or have that you desire to have?
Cooking? Singing? Social interaction? House? Friendships?

What would you want to have more of?

I have no musical talent.
The irony is that I am surrounded by friends who are proficient in music.
The sorts that can pick up an instrument and play.
The sorts that can find a tune and sing triumphantly.

I wish I had musical talent.
I look at what they can do in their contexts and I think – gosh what a blessing that would be – if only I had that.

My brain is wired to see what I don’t have. A scarcity mindset.
Rather than to think of what has been gifted to me.
An abundance mindset.

In today’s’ reading we see these ideas of scarcity and abundance worked out.

The master calls his servants together and entrusts them with his property.
This is a crucial first step.
The servants are being trusted.
They are expected to be faithful to what they have been given.
Interestingly, there is no distinction between the three servants – all are expected to be equally faithful and all receive gifts from the master where they previously had nothing.

Then we hear that one receives five talents, another two, and another one – according to their ability.

There is still equality.
Each one has been trusted, each one has received the master’s property out of the master’s abundance – everyone has received a gift to steward.

Then the master leaves them.
The servant who received the five goes out immediately, trades, and makes five more.
The servant who received the two goes out, trades and makes two more.

Interestingly we get no sense of urgency when it comes to the final servant.
verse 18 “but he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

The irony of this is that we all know money doesn’t grow on trees but here this servant seems to think the ground might at least keep it safe.

Now, the master eventually returns and what does he find?
Two servants who have been faithful and one who has not.

To the two faithful servants, the master says “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

But to the unfaithful servant, he says “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest.”

Eg what a waste?
The unfaithful servant was too frightened to do anything with his master’s money. No money tree grew from his buried coin – nothing came of it and even what he was given is taken away.

Verse 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

Scarcity and abundance.
Abundance and scarcity.

This servant had a scarcity mindset.
He only had one coin and out of fear he buried it.

What are the parts of our lives we bury?

What are those places in our lives that we fear?
And because of that fear, we try to keep hidden from God?
And probably from one another?

For me it was Self-reliance.
I spent years attempting to hide my self-reliance from God.
I was convinced that I was able to do what needed to be done, to rely on myself because that way I would achieve what needed to be achieved.
I buried the assistance of others thinking that I could be enough on my own.

And then.
I vividly remember having a conversation with Bishop Victoria. We were discussing worship and liturgy and she confessed she had no musical talent.
“This meant I could never run a full service on my own,” she said. “God has always ensured I have had to rely on others.”

Instead of seeing her lack of musical ability through a scarcity mindset, she saw it from abundance. What she did not have God would provide. Where she did not have others did.

Scarcity and abundance.

Which would you rather have?

Abundance as this story illustrates comes from God.
It is so easy to look at what we have and to congratulate ourselves on how excellent we are.
To see the excellence of humanity and to push God aside.
To look at all we have and to be able to name how we got there.

And yet - Everything we have is a gift.

Like the master who gives his servants the coins, all that we have is entrusted to us.
Our liturgy has this beautiful line “All that is in the heavens and the earth is yours and of your own we give you.”
That is – we do not tithe out of our own coin purses, or give hospitality from our own kitchens – we came here with nothing, but all we have - has been given to us by God.
We give out of what we have received.

Each of us, like the servants, is given gifts – according to our ability.
(slide 3)
The Apostle Paul writing to the Church in Thessalonica reminds them “to encourage one another and to build one another up.”

Why? - so that these gifts might be used for the building of the Kingdom of God.

I have never been able to run a service by myself.
I have no musical ability – and as you may know – worship often includes music.
God has gifted me with an abundance of friends and colleagues who are skilled in music. They give their time and their talents in the service of God’s Kingdom. God always provides.

Take this morning for example.
My husband Cam is off to police college this morning.
When we received his flight details we realized they were less than ideal.
He leaves midway through today’s (10 am) service

We could have chosen to push through, bury what we thought God was calling us to and had someone else drop him at the airport.

Instead – Alan will take my place in the service, blessing us to be faithful to farewell Cam at the airport, and send him off with prayer.

God is abundant.
This week let us be people who are faithful so that we too may hear the words of the master say “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Amen.