Take this Moment

At church yesterday we sang a song written by John Bell. It had the last verse:
Take my talents, take my skills,
Take what's yet to be;
Let my life be yours, and yet
Let it still be me.

Revd' Ian's sermon was about two passages from Matthew's gospel: : the Talents and the sheep and goats. The sheep were welcomed with ' for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

Then the parable of the talents where two servants made their master's money work and earned more money. The servant given one talent feared his master and so buried the money for safe keeping.

Ian asked, 'What point Jesus was trying to get across. Which of those servants do you most identify with?' The servant who hid the money was driven by fear. That fear stopped him taking any risk at all. Could the talents equate to gifts God has given us? It appears that all the servants wanted to please their master but one feared and did not use his gifts.

Taken together these two parables might be saying: don't fear, use the gifts God has given you for his Kingdom.