Nov 23rd.
I am so tempted to use some hackneyed global warming line, but alas I will restrain. I like snow, particularly after having been removed from a large part of it over the past ten years. In the Catskill's of N.Y.'s Appalachian range we'd get blasted very frequently. The dancing, swirling chaos of the falling snow brings back great, holiday-esque memories. Your hands start feeling like machines and your lungs feel like they've been frosted. It's a cleansing feeling for sure. My Dad wrote a book called white like snow. you can read a snippet of it or purchase it at whitelikesnow.com
I spoke this past Sunday about the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25. As I did my browsing style research (looking in the windows until something catches my eye) I noticed that the word talent, had nothing to do with what I consider natural talents.
The Biblical Talent in the NT was a unit of economic reckoning amounting to about twenty years wages. Our common use for the word talent actually be-little's the significance of the scriptural talent.
The Average American household makes approx 45000.00 a year. the biblical talent in our economy would then be 900,000.00 Dollars.
In the story the talent was given by the Master at his departure, a sure and direct correlation to Christ's departure. Philippians re-iterates when he (Jesus) ascended he gave gifts to men.
Lets think, did he give them the ability to sing great songs? Did he release skiing talents and hacky-sack talents and people that are talented at baking? When Jesus died for all Humanity and then ascended to the father did he release the talent of writing or skateboarding?
The answer friends is a clear and resounding NO. Those natural abilities were not what the parable referred to and certainly not what Jesus died for. When Jesus ascended he released million dollar sized blessing on Humanity.
That Blessing is a person and his name is the Holy Spirit. To compare your talent of cross-stitching with the power of the holy spirit is like comparing a tricycle with a Lamborghini.
I'm all for hacky-sack but we have been told that we need to use our, "talents," for the Lord when the reality is quite the reverse, he wants to use His talents through us. Applying them through what your good at is OK. It'd be like putting the tricycle in the passenger seat, nothing wrong with that, but the adulation goes to God when humanity doesn't see you as someone who is just great using their natural gifting, but supernatural in their expression.
Applying the real meaning of the word to the parable brings a whole new light to the story. The Master gave each according to his own ability and even the dude with the least bit of ability was still well off in anyone's book. It then makes sense why the master was upset because a huge resource was granted the servant and he buried it. The illustration is clear, he put it back down on the inside of himself, turned it off, whatever you wan to say.
Hear the Message if you are interested.
