Saturday turned out to be a full and busier day than I had anticipated so I never did get time to work on a Night Prayer or a Pause for Prayer for Sunday morning! I'll be back with Night Prayer on Sunday night!
11/15/26
What did Jesus really mean in the parable of the "talents"
Above you'll find a video of my homily for the weekend of November 15, based on the Jesus' parable of the servants entrusted by their master with 5, 2 and 1 talents. The text of my homily follows below. (If a video doesn't appear above, click here!)
Jesus preached this parable to a 1st century Mediterranean audience. And the people who heard him understood the talents he mentioned in purely financial terms.
The gospels were written in Greek, and the Greek word for talent is talanton: you can see how easily that comes into English. It wasn't until the Middle Ages (when preachers started interpreting this parable as a call to sharing your individual skills, abilities, and gifts) it wasn’t until then that talent lost its financial connotations and became something closer to our understanding of personal talents.
It's also helpful for us to know that people in this first century world of Jesus, people lived with the understanding that all the goods, all the wealth of the world - already existed. And… that all wealth was already distributed. So there were “the haves” and the “have nots.” Whichever group you were born into - that's where you got stuck for life. There was, at this time, no notion of “going out in the world and making your fortune.” Your fortune, great or small - or none - was what you already had.
The only way to increase your wealth would be by fraud. So anyone who came to acquire greater wealth was presumed to be a crook, a thief. Wealthy folks who did grow wealthier - precisely by taking advantage of poorer people. Wealthy folks avoided being accused of wrongdoing by entrusting their investments to underlings, to servants - just like the three servants in the parable of Jesus tonight… just like the rich man who entrusted them with his talents.
If the rich man were later accused of fraud, he would blame middle management - and they're the ones who would be thrown out where there would be “wailing and the grinding of teeth.” (Grinding of teeth is Bible-speak for deep anguish and despair.)
So if this is all about money, what kind of money are we talking about here? Well, in Jesus' day, a talent was the largest measure of currency. Back then, a standard day's wage for a laborer or a soldier was one denarius - a day's pay, one denarius. One talent was worth 6,000 denarii – and 6,000 denarii represented one person's income for anywhere from 16 to 20 years. The modern equivalent of these wages over that span of time would be between $400,000 and $600,000. And Jesus was preaching to peasants, who lived day to day, and would never dream of amassing one talent, let alone two or five.
So what's the message here?
• Well, it would be foolish to suggest that out of the blue, Jesus suddenly decided to give investment advice as part of the gospel message. That's not gonna happen.
• It's also hard for us to imagine Jesus inviting us to imitate the master who's using the cover of his service to legitimize his shady investments.
• So that leaves us with the servants. I think it's the servants we need to look to - we need to look to the risk that two of the three servants took - one didn't.
• Each of the three had been entrusted with a smaller or larger fortune.
• Each of the three knew that their master was a crafty businessman, that somehow he was able to reap a harvest where he had planted nothing; to bring in a crop where he had sown no seed. (Now, if you don't catch a whiff of fraud in all of that, your naivete is immense!)
The two servants who doubled what they'd been given knew very well that they were dealing with an oligarch, not some start up entrepreneur. But they weren't afraid to take a risk of what had been entrusted to them… to take a risk. Unfortunately, the third guy suffered from a bad case of financial risk aversion. So he took his share of the master's portfolio - and buried it in the ground.
If we're to see ourselves as the servants in this parable, then we need to ask, “What have we been given? What's been entrusted to us, that we might take some risks?”
What Jesus has entrusted to each of us is – the gift of faith. And Jesus is watching, waiting, to see what you and I are doing with the gift of faith… to see what you and I have done with the gift of our faith… to see what you and I will do with our gift of faith.
What risks will we take?
Will I take the risk of loving God - more than anything else or anyone else in my life - as Jesus told us we're supposed to do?
Will I take the risk of loving my neighbor as much as I love myself - as Jesus told us to do?
Will I take the risk of telling the truth when I know a lie will get me off the hook?
Will I take the risk of claiming as my neighbor even strangers I don't know, or recognize, or even like?
Will I take the risk of forgiving those who offend me - and forgiving not just once, but over and over again - 70 times 7 times, as Jesus said?
Will I take the risk of selling what I have and giving it to the poor? Will I take the risk of selling at least some of what I have - and giving it to the poor?
Will I take the risk of speaking up and speaking out when silence would be a much more comfortable option?
Will I take the risk of really trying to love the people I perceive to be my enemies - as Jesus told us to do?
Will I take the risk of taking up my cross, whatever it may be, and asking for the grace to carry it faithfully - day by day?
Will I take the risk of loving so fully and faithfully that I might lay down my life - even figuratively - for a friend?
- OR -
Will I take the risk of witnessing to my faith in Jesus when I know that others don't want to hear my testimony?
Will I take the faith I've been given and tuck it away for safekeeping? Keeping it for myself and taking it out when I need it? Hiding it from others lest they think I'm kind of odd?
Will I, like the third servant in the parable, bury the gift I've been given?
- OR –
Will I take the bond of faith I've been given - and grow it. And patiently wait till that bond matures and yields a dividend - a harvest that I didn't plant?
Well, you can see that when we understand the real terms of this parable - the stakes are much higher than discussing how generously I share my gifts and skills with the community…
Each one of us here, this afternoon, is here because we have received a larger or a smaller gift of faith. Only faith got you and me here this afternoon. And each of us has been entrusted by the Giver of all good gifts, entrusted with the task of developing, growing, maturing and sharing the faith we've been given.
And it doesn't matter what might be the size (the smallness or the greatness) of the faith you have or I have. We're responsible only for the gift we've been given: nothing more, nothing less. One servant in the gospel doubled two talents into four - in today's terms, that would be $2 million. The other servant doubled five talents into ten – in today's terms that would be $5 million. But to both of them, the master spoke exactly the same words: Well done, my good and faithful servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you greater responsibilities. Come! Share your master's joy!
Those are the servants we want to be. We don't want to be the third guy: the guy who took what he'd been given and buried it in the ground. For him, there was only the anguish and despair of being cast out.
This coming weekend is the feast of Christ the King and the Sunday after that - the 1st Sunday of Advent, beginning of a new year on the church calendar. So as demanding as this gospel is, let's take some relief in knowing that a new year of grace is about to open ahead of us. That we're being given, all of us, a fresh opportunity, another chance to assess the faith we've been given - the gift of faith Jesus has entrusted to us - and to begin again to develop that gift, to grow that gift, to mature that gift, to share that gift.
If we do, we can be sure that we'll begin to see how we, like Jesus, can reap a harvest where we had planted nothing… and bring in a crop where we had sown no seed.
11/13/26
Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 11/14
This morning's Pause for Prayer is a poem by Mary Oliver...
Song for Autumn
Don’t you imagine the leaves dream now
how comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of the air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees, especially those with
mossy hollows, are beginning to look for
the birds that will come—six, a dozen—to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
stiffens and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its long blue shadows. The wind wags
its many tails. And in the evening
the piled firewood shifts a little
longing to be on its way.
how comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of the air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees, especially those with
mossy hollows, are beginning to look for
the birds that will come—six, a dozen—to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
stiffens and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its long blue shadows. The wind wags
its many tails. And in the evening
the piled firewood shifts a little
longing to be on its way.
Night Prayer: FRIDAY 11/13
Where I live, Lord,
the temperature is dropping
day by day - and night by night!
I've begun searching my bureau, my closet
and the trunk of my car
for wool hats, gloves and scarves
to wrap me up and keep me warm
in the chill of shivering weather
waiting just around the corner...
But it's prayer, Lord, only prayer
that melts the chill settling in my soul
when hope, in frosted darkness
fades at this lonely time of year...
Hold me close and swaddle me -
warm me in your strong embrace
until my soul’s aglow with the fire
from the furnace of your heart...
Bundle me in grace, Lord,
and warm me for the work
of keeping warm your own,
the homeless poor who need
the comfort of my blankets,
my hats and glove and scarves,
some protection from the elements
and from the long cold winter
that endangers the forgotten...
Clothe us in your love
that we might warm each other, Lord,
from the bounty that is ours
in the warmth and grace you share...
Protect us, Lord, while we're awake,
watch over us while we sleep,
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Draw Me Close by Michael Smith
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Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 11/13
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| Photo by Elizabeth G Brooke |
Some
of my seasonal posts are among my personal favorites - I enjoy
reworking them and sharing them with you year after year. Here's my latest version of a prayer I first posted 16 years ago...
The chill, the rain, the wind
have claimed all leaves
save those whose stubborn hold
will not let go 'til you, Lord,
say the word
have claimed all leaves
save those whose stubborn hold
will not let go 'til you, Lord,
say the word
and then they'll fall
spiraling in
autumn's annual letting go
when holding on
when holding on
to what's now past
might seem survival's only path
but you know, more than I, Lord,
you know how my letting go
might seem survival's only path
but you know, more than I, Lord,
you know how my letting go
may be my only way to hold
all I keep dear
and all I dearly try to
keep as mine...
Help my letting go, Lord,
my letting go my hold on all
my letting go my hold on all
my stored up fears and tears,
my grip on all I won't let go
and all that won't let go of me...
I offer you
my fear of falling,
fear of letting go my heart
into your saving hands,
fear of letting go my heart
into your saving hands,
into your promise to be there
to catch me safely in your arms
to catch me safely in your arms
and hold me close
in your embrace...
Help me make my own
the prayer of falling autumn leaves,
trusting that you'll keep me, Lord,
through winter's biting wind and cold
as I let go my grip, my hold
on all I've lost
- save my hope of spring...
Gather up your falling leaves
and catch the pleas
that spiral from my heart
in my letting go
in my letting go
my autumn soul
into your gentle hands, Lord,
on a crisp November breeze...
Amen.
Letting Go by New Creation Worship
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Instrumental
In the tempest's roar
Still, your peace endures forever
Certain as the dawn
Perfect love has won my heart
Casting all my cares
To the One who holds tomorrow
Resting in your love
Grace now overflows in me
Fall into the everlasting arms
Walk upon the waves, you are my calm
Jesus, I will trust in all you've done
Letting go, letting God take over
Casting all my cares
To the One who holds tomorrow
Resting in your love
Grace now overflows in me
Fall into the everlasting arms
Walk upon the waves, you are my calm
Jesus, I will trust in all you've done
Letting go, letting God
I fall into the everlasting arms
Walk upon the waves, you are my calm
Jesus, I will trust in all you've done
Letting go, letting God take over
Instrumental
Be still and know O my soul
All is well, all is well
Be still and know O my soul
All is well, all is well
There is a peace that calms every storm
There is a peace
His name is Jesus
His name is Jesus
11/12/26
Night Prayer: THURSDAY 11/12
In November, we keep the worthy custom of remembering and praying for those who have died. I especially favor this prayer which I first found in the 1969 Rite of Funerals - and then discovered in a musical setting by Carol Browning. You might pause for a moment and remember, perhaps even write down, the names of those who have died for whom you want to pray this night, this month...
Peace be with those who have left us,
with those who have gone to God.
May they be at peace.
May they be with God.
May they be at peace.
May they be with God.
May they be with the living God.
May they be with the immortal God.
May they be in God's strong arms
and gentle hands.
May they sleep in peace.
May they live in peace.
May they be where the name of God is great.
May they be with the living God
now and on the day of judgment.
May they live with God.
May they live in eternal light.
May they live in eternal light.
May they live in the peace of the Lord.
May they live forever in peace
With God in peace.
...................................................................
Protect us, Lord, while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Two songs this evening: the first is Carol Browning's setting of the prayer above and the second another, John Rutter's setting of a blessing written by William Sharp.
Peace Be With Those by Carol Browning
Peace be with those who have gone to God.
May they be at peace.
May they be with God.
May they be at peace.
May they be with God.
May they be with the living God.
May they see the immortal God.
May they see the immortal God.
May they find their delight in the Lord.
May they rest secure in God.
May they know the peace of the Lord.
May they rest forever in peace.
Deep Peace by John Rutter, performed by Libera
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Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 11/12
Will I ever learn, Lord?
Will I ever learn not to panic
when times are tough,
when I'm overwhelmed,
when things fall apart,
and nothing feels right?
Will I ever learn, Lord?
Will I ever learn to trust and hope
that things will get better,
that peace will be mine,
that tomorrow will come
and that all’s not lost?
Will I ever learn?
Will I ever learn to trust, Lord,
that you're on my side,
that you have my back,
that you are my strength
- and that all shall be well?
Will I ever learn, Lord?
Well, at least I hope I'm learning, Lord
learning day by day
that you are ever with me,
your love for me abiding
that I have every reason to trust and believe:
all shall be well,
all shall be well,
all manner of things shall be well...
Amen.
11/11/26
NIght Prayer: WEDNESDAY 11/11
This was a day for remembering, Lord:
and for honoring and praying for
all of our veterans...
We remember and pray for the men and women
who, for years, interrupted their lives to serve us
and we honor their generosity...
We remember their willingness
to stand in harm's way
and we honor their courage...
We remember their love
of liberty and freedom
and we honor their loyal devotion...
We remember their leaving behind,
their separation from, their family and friends
and we honor their personal sacrifice...
We remember the memories they carry,
the horror and price of war
and we honor their strength of spirit...
We remember all they lost,
their emotional and physical pain
and we honor their commitment to duty...
We tell these veterans,
"Thanks for your service!"
but that's too little, Lord:
these words pale
in the face of their dedication and sacrifice:
given freely, that we might be free,
offered selflessly on our behalf,
r endered humbly for our nation's pride...
So tonight we remember and pray
for those who've served so well,
who've kept our country safe to be
the land of the free and the home of the brave...
Give them the reward of their service, Lord,
and heal with your gentle touch
any pain or memories they may still bear
in mind and heart and soul...
Protect us, Lord while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
On Veterans Day by Karl Hitzemann
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11/10/26
Pause for Prayer: Veterans Day
<
To the Soldier, To the Veteran
These things I do not know:
These things I know:
For these things I pray:
© 2011 Alden Solovy and To Bend Light.
Veterans Day Prayer
God of compassion,
God of dignity and strength,
Watch over the veterans of the United States
In recognition of their loyal service to our nation.
Bless them with wholeness and love.
Shelter them.
Heal their wounds,
Comfort their hearts.
Grant them peace.
God of justice and truth,
Rock of our lives,
Bless our veterans,
These men and women of courage and valor,
With a deep and abiding understanding
Of our profound gratitude.
Protect them and their families from loneliness and want.
Grant them lives of joy and bounty.
May their dedication and honor
Be remembered as a blessing
From generation to generation.
Blessed are You,
Protector and Redeemer,
Our Shield and our Stronghold.
© 2011 Alden Solovy and To Bend Light.
This post includes my Veterans Day Prayer followed by two more from Alden Solovy at To Bend Light. You might want to share these prayers with veterans you know...
A Prayer for Veterans Day
God of peace,
we pray for all who have served our nation,
protecting and defending our freedom...
protecting and defending our freedom...
We pray for those who have fought,
whose spirits and bodies are scarred by war,
whose spirits and bodies are scarred by war,
whose nights are haunted by memories
too painful to face in the light of day...
too painful to face in the light of day...
We pray for those who serve us now,
especially those in harm's way:
especially those in harm's way:
keep them healthy and strong,
shield them from danger
and bring them home, soon and safe,
to their waiting families and friends...
shield them from danger
and bring them home, soon and safe,
to their waiting families and friends...
Turn the plans and the hearts and the minds
of our leaders and enemies, too,
to the work of justice which always yields
of our leaders and enemies, too,
to the work of justice which always yields
a bountiful harvest of peace...
Lord of all power and people:
we long for the peace that you left us,
help us work for the peace that sustains us,
help us work for the peace that sustains us,
the peace that our veterans guarded
by putting their lives on the line for us,
for our nation and world...
Amen.
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| Image source |
To the Soldier, To the Veteran
These things I do not know:
The sound of a bullet.
The power of a blast.
The blood of a comrade.
The depth of your wound.
The terror at midnight.
The dread at dawn.
Your fear or your pain.
The power of a blast.
The blood of a comrade.
The depth of your wound.
The terror at midnight.
The dread at dawn.
Your fear or your pain.
The sound of your honor.
The power of your courage.
The blood of your wound.
The depth of your strength.
The terror that binds you.
The dread that remains.
Your dignity and your valor.
The power of your courage.
The blood of your wound.
The depth of your strength.
The terror that binds you.
The dread that remains.
Your dignity and your valor.
The sound of your laughter.
The power of your voice.
The blood of your yearning.
The depth of your healing.
The joy that frees you.
The hope that remains.
Your wholeness and your love.
The power of your voice.
The blood of your yearning.
The depth of your healing.
The joy that frees you.
The hope that remains.
Your wholeness and your love.
© 2011 Alden Solovy and To Bend Light.
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| Image source |
Veterans Day Prayer
God of compassion,
God of dignity and strength,
Watch over the veterans of the United States
In recognition of their loyal service to our nation.
Bless them with wholeness and love.
Shelter them.
Heal their wounds,
Comfort their hearts.
Grant them peace.
God of justice and truth,
Rock of our lives,
Bless our veterans,
These men and women of courage and valor,
With a deep and abiding understanding
Of our profound gratitude.
Protect them and their families from loneliness and want.
Grant them lives of joy and bounty.
May their dedication and honor
Be remembered as a blessing
From generation to generation.
Blessed are You,
Protector and Redeemer,
Our Shield and our Stronghold.
© 2011 Alden Solovy and To Bend Light.
Night Prayer: TUESDAY 11/10
Veterans Day is tomorrow, but there's no day in the year when we're not in debt to these men and women who have served us...
The 15-foot-high, bronze
sculpture pictured below is at the center of a small park, a memorial to military chaplains, in Des Moines, Iowa. It's titled A Veteran’s Prayer for Eternal Peace, which became the inspiration for my prayer below...
 |
| A Veteran's Prayer for Peace |
The hands of a veteran, Lord...
Hands that once gripped a rifle,
now empty, free to lift to you in prayer...
Hands that once held off the enemy,
now raised up to welcome and receive...
Hands that once embraced
a wounded, fallen body,
now raised in prayer to you
to whom we lift the ones we lost...
Hands that trembled once in danger's face,
now steady, calm and grateful
for survival, life and hope...
Hands that ached with loneliness,
away from home and loved ones,
now hold the hands of family and dear friends...
Hands that reached to you in prayer,
once in time of war,
open still, this very day,
in prayer that all wars end...
Hands that served a nation's call
to guard, to fight and shield,
I pray now rest at ease, in peace,
their work and service done...
Protect them, Lord, our veterans,
watch over them with care
that awake, they stand the watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Many will be familiar with the Navy Hymn (Eternal Father, Strong to Save) where each verse ends in prayer for "those in peril on the sea." Here is a later version which prays more broadly for all who serve in the armed forces: on the sea, on the land and in the air...
Almighty Father, Strong to Save
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Almighty Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep:
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.
O Christ, the Lord of hill and plain
O'er which our traffic runs amain
By mountain pass or valley low;
Wherever, Lord, thy people go,
Protect them by thy guiding hand
From every peril on the land.
O Spirit, whom the Father sent
To spread abroad the firmament;
O Wind of heaven, by thy might
Save all who dare the eagle's flight,
And keep them by thy watchful care
From every peril in the air.
O Trinity of love and power,
Our people shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go,
Thus evermore shall rise to thee
Glad praise from space and land and sea.
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