Service sheet (pdf)
Welcome to our Service of worship this morning from the Bradford North Circuit. I am Ruth Kerr, a worship leader at Baildon, and today we are pleased to welcome the Chair of our Yorkshire West Methodist District, the Rev. Kerry Tankard who will be preaching on parable of the talents in Matthew’s gospel.
As a scattered group we can nonetheless know that we meet together in spirit, to worship our God. In these extraordinary times we no doubt come today with a variety of emotions, fear, confusion, anxiety but we can be thankful that we have a God who is for us, who loves us and will not abandon us.
Reading
Psalm 62, v. 1,2 and 5 – 8.
Come people of the risen King, who delight to bring Him praise. Come all and tune your hearts to sing to the Morning Star of grace. From the shifting shadows of the earth we will lift our eyes to Him, where steady arms of mercy reach to gather children in.
Rejoice, rejoice, let every tongue rejoice! One heart, one voice, O church of Christ rejoice!
Come those whose joy is morning sun and those weeping through the night. Come those who tell of battles won and those struggling in the fight. For His perfect love will never change, and His mercies never cease, but follow us through all our days with the certain hope of peace. Rejoice ………
Come young and old from every land, men and women of the faith. Come those with full or empty hands, find the riches of His grace. all the world His people sing, shore to shore we hear them call the truth that cries through every age, our God is all in all.
Rejoice ……………….
We may be locked down by our earthly authority, but we are free to lift our eyes to Him, who has ultimate authority – King Jesus, who has defeated evil and is Lord over all.
If we are honest it may be something said of a particularly narcissistic president of a country (real or not real), but not something I think any of us would want to say of God. What then does that mean for us? If that is not what we believe to be the nature of God, what does the parable have to say to us?
I want to give you two readings and I will leave it with you to ask, which reading is the one that speaks to you of the gospel today?
In the first reading, I offer a way we have received the parable most commonly. The first and the second slave each see the gift that their master has given as an opportunity, while the third looks at their master with fear. The fear is embodied in those words I quoted earlier – ‘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.’ What the comments of this third slave causes to ask is the question – how do we see God and how do we see his relationship with us? What is the image or story of God that each of us carries and how does that impact on our action in the world? Does it lead us to fear and to act out of fear?
If our image of God is one that is filled with similar torment to the third slave that will invariably impact on us and how we do things, even what things we do.
Let me tell another story to you: God arrived in heaven to find it full. Upset that he hadn’t managed to whittle out anybody he called for his chief angel to read the ten commandments and after each one he called, “If you have broken this commandment then you must leave my presence”. As each commandment was read people began to leave in dismay until by the time the eighth commandment was read there was nobody left except for one rather wizened, holy and righteous, old man, a Methodist minister of 70 years standing. At this point God looked around. Heaven seemed so big and empty and lonely.
He called on his angel to bring everyone back, for they would be forgiven and welcomed again and live forever in his presence. At this point the old Methodist minister called out, “why didn’t you tell me you would forgive everyone, then I wouldn’t have spent my whole life trying never to do anything wrong.”
Oh dear!
His obedience was out of selfish gain not righteous love, and as such he had lost all sight of God and the gospel. It was not a holy faithfulness, but a faithless obedience. If we imagine God as a threat, a danger to life and hope, and we act only out of a burdened obedience then we have lost sight of what the gospel is truly about. In such a world view, we are less the one thrown into an outer darkness, and more the one who wilfully chooses to live in it. What this reading suggests is something about us and how we burden ourselves with a false image of God. If our image of God leads us to fear something is wrong with our image of God. Why? Because the God we believe in is one of love, and perfect love drives out all fear.
The second reading I am about to offer I think equally challenges us about our image of God, but it starts in a vastly different place. On this occasion, I want to ask us directly about our image of God: what if God is not the one in power, but the one without it?
Let me tell the parable in a different way. There was once a powerful banker who ran a vast financial empire. For years his pay day loan strategy had rewarded him with all the money he wished, and left his customers enslaved to him in debt. He had increased his empire by making those who owed him work for him to pay off their debts, not that any ever did. To incentivise them, and feed his own greed, he chose 3 of them to make an example of. To the first he gave £3000, to another £2000 and to the third £1000. Then he left them and told them he looked forward to the dividends they would bring. The first 2 very quickly identified people they could take advantage of and so they did, doubling, trebling there investment so quickly it was shocking. The third realised the evilness of what was happening. She knew what it meant to be in debt to her master and she was not going to curse others with her own misfortune. She lent money out with no interest, to tide people over and then they paid her back soon after. The money never went up, but no one suffered, and many of those she helped were able to move on.
When the master called them all in the 1st and 2nd were pleased with themselves. They had more than doubled their money, and they had managed to make quite a bit on the side for themselves. They were rewarded, but others would suffer because of them. The 3rd gave back the £1000 and said, ‘I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. I wasn’t going to make others suffer like you make me suffer. Instead I selflessly gave and helped them to save them from your clutches.” The master was furious.
Now let me ask you – which of the people in this story sounded more like God, more like Christ, to you?
Do you see what I mean? The image of God we put before ourselves is the one that shapes our action, our ethics, our identity.
Either of those readings could be the right reading, as could the ones you have heard from a pulpit in the past. The miracle of the parable is its ability to speak into different generations and times and to do so in a way that unlocks us. Any attempt to control the bible for our own purposes reveals something of the false god we create and worship.
I therefore simply ask you again – what is your image of God, and how does that affect how you live, what you feel, and what you do next?
Thank you, Kerry for your challenging message.
In weakness, O Lord, be our strength; in our sinfulness, pardoning love; in our need, all sufficient grace. In our anxiety, be to us both stillness and rest and at all times be to us the fullness of blessing; through Christ our Lord, Amen
Hymn
Come people of the risen King, who delight to bring Him praise.Come people of the risen King, who delight to bring Him praise. Come all and tune your hearts to sing to the Morning Star of grace. From the shifting shadows of the earth we will lift our eyes to Him, where steady arms of mercy reach to gather children in.
Rejoice, rejoice, let every tongue rejoice! One heart, one voice, O church of Christ rejoice!
Come those whose joy is morning sun and those weeping through the night. Come those who tell of battles won and those struggling in the fight. For His perfect love will never change, and His mercies never cease, but follow us through all our days with the certain hope of peace. Rejoice ………
Come young and old from every land, men and women of the faith. Come those with full or empty hands, find the riches of His grace. all the world His people sing, shore to shore we hear them call the truth that cries through every age, our God is all in all.
Rejoice ……………….
We may be locked down by our earthly authority, but we are free to lift our eyes to Him, who has ultimate authority – King Jesus, who has defeated evil and is Lord over all.
Prayer
Our merciful, ever-loving and unchanging God we thank you that your mercies never cease but follow us through all our days. We thank you for each new day and for providing daily for our needs. Thank you for the beauty of the autumn scenery, the stunning colours we have enjoyed this year and the fruitfulness of your Creation.
Thank you for technology which enables us to keep in touch in this time of enforced separation. Please forgive us when we take your gifts for granted. We acknowledge that we often fail to live up to your standards. We like to go our own way and too often cause harm to others. Please forgive us and help us to listen to Jesus.
Thank you for the sustenance of your word, which provides a rock on which to build our lives, and we ask for your Holy Spirit’s strength and willingness to obey what you tell us through it. Thank you, Jesus that you died to pay the price of our sin – may we not squander the precious gift you give us.
Thank you that in an ever-changing world, your love remains the same. Be with us now, in this time of worship and speak to us we pray, Amen.
As Psalm 62 says, we are encouraged to pour out our hearts to God. We all have many concerns at the present time, and we are going to have a further time of prayer shortly.
As Psalm 62 says, we are encouraged to pour out our hearts to God. We all have many concerns at the present time, and we are going to have a further time of prayer shortly.
Hymn
Hymn 2: “Faithful One, so unchanging”. StF 628Intercessions:
God, our faithful rock in times of trouble, we pray for our world. We pray for our Government and those in power throughout the world. Give them wisdom as they seek to protect people from the pandemic. Give them compassion in respect to refugees and asylum seekers. Give them integrity and a desire for justice, as they exercise their authority.We pray for the victims of natural disasters, earthquakes, flood and fire, that they will receive the support they need to rebuild their lives, and we pray that scientists and politicians may work together to tackle the issues of climate change. Help each of us, Lord, to consider what we can do to help protect the beautiful world you have created.
God our refuge, we bring to you all those who are suffering because of the pandemic. Lord, we think of those who are especially fearful, those who are lonely, those whose hospital treatment has been postponed, those who are currently in hospital, those who have lost jobs, those who are in Care homes and can have no visitors: we remember too those who have been bereaved, thinking of the Rev Kerry who has recently lost his father.
God our refuge, we bring to you all those who are suffering because of the pandemic. Lord, we think of those who are especially fearful, those who are lonely, those whose hospital treatment has been postponed, those who are currently in hospital, those who have lost jobs, those who are in Care homes and can have no visitors: we remember too those who have been bereaved, thinking of the Rev Kerry who has recently lost his father.
In a few moments of quiet, let us bring particular people and situations to God.
Our Father, we pray that those we have thought of, might know your love as their anchor. Please bring comfort, healing and peace. Lord, we pray too that you will cause the virus to weaken and disappear, and help those working on a vaccine, but meanwhile, please give us all the strength to cope and the discernment to see what you are teaching us in this challenging time.
Give us eyes to see you in the faces of the vulnerable and needy, and the willingness to reach out. Jesus, our Saviour, please protect and strengthen your church at this time. As we continue to worship online, we pray that more people might discover you, put their faith in you and see their lives transformed. We pray for church leaders, that you will direct them, inspire and encourage them.
Let us finish, by saying together the Lord’s Prayer.
Let us finish, by saying together the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn
Through all the changing scenes of life, StF 638.Reading
Address by Rev Kerry Tankard, Chair of Yorkshire West District
I guess this is one of those familiar parables isn’t it, and one on which I am sure you’ve had heard more than a few sermons. Often those sermons have taken a similar direction in my own experience. We have this slave master giving funds to three different slaves. Each is tasked with being a good venture capitalist, before we had words for such things, and when the master returns each gives the slave master their profits. Even better, those profits are measured in talents! This in turn gives rise to a suitable sermon encouraging us to use our talents for God, and woe betide the Christian who doesn’t. The thing is, there is something troubling in the way the story has often been heard and shared. It is often our intuition to liken the slave master to God; to automatically identify God with the person of power in the story. I will come back to that intuition shortly, but for now let me ask you – how many of you would describe God in the terms chosen by the 3rd slave: “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.”If we are honest it may be something said of a particularly narcissistic president of a country (real or not real), but not something I think any of us would want to say of God. What then does that mean for us? If that is not what we believe to be the nature of God, what does the parable have to say to us?
I want to give you two readings and I will leave it with you to ask, which reading is the one that speaks to you of the gospel today?
In the first reading, I offer a way we have received the parable most commonly. The first and the second slave each see the gift that their master has given as an opportunity, while the third looks at their master with fear. The fear is embodied in those words I quoted earlier – ‘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.’ What the comments of this third slave causes to ask is the question – how do we see God and how do we see his relationship with us? What is the image or story of God that each of us carries and how does that impact on our action in the world? Does it lead us to fear and to act out of fear?
If our image of God is one that is filled with similar torment to the third slave that will invariably impact on us and how we do things, even what things we do.
Let me tell another story to you: God arrived in heaven to find it full. Upset that he hadn’t managed to whittle out anybody he called for his chief angel to read the ten commandments and after each one he called, “If you have broken this commandment then you must leave my presence”. As each commandment was read people began to leave in dismay until by the time the eighth commandment was read there was nobody left except for one rather wizened, holy and righteous, old man, a Methodist minister of 70 years standing. At this point God looked around. Heaven seemed so big and empty and lonely.
He called on his angel to bring everyone back, for they would be forgiven and welcomed again and live forever in his presence. At this point the old Methodist minister called out, “why didn’t you tell me you would forgive everyone, then I wouldn’t have spent my whole life trying never to do anything wrong.”
Oh dear!
His obedience was out of selfish gain not righteous love, and as such he had lost all sight of God and the gospel. It was not a holy faithfulness, but a faithless obedience. If we imagine God as a threat, a danger to life and hope, and we act only out of a burdened obedience then we have lost sight of what the gospel is truly about. In such a world view, we are less the one thrown into an outer darkness, and more the one who wilfully chooses to live in it. What this reading suggests is something about us and how we burden ourselves with a false image of God. If our image of God leads us to fear something is wrong with our image of God. Why? Because the God we believe in is one of love, and perfect love drives out all fear.
The second reading I am about to offer I think equally challenges us about our image of God, but it starts in a vastly different place. On this occasion, I want to ask us directly about our image of God: what if God is not the one in power, but the one without it?
Let me tell the parable in a different way. There was once a powerful banker who ran a vast financial empire. For years his pay day loan strategy had rewarded him with all the money he wished, and left his customers enslaved to him in debt. He had increased his empire by making those who owed him work for him to pay off their debts, not that any ever did. To incentivise them, and feed his own greed, he chose 3 of them to make an example of. To the first he gave £3000, to another £2000 and to the third £1000. Then he left them and told them he looked forward to the dividends they would bring. The first 2 very quickly identified people they could take advantage of and so they did, doubling, trebling there investment so quickly it was shocking. The third realised the evilness of what was happening. She knew what it meant to be in debt to her master and she was not going to curse others with her own misfortune. She lent money out with no interest, to tide people over and then they paid her back soon after. The money never went up, but no one suffered, and many of those she helped were able to move on.
When the master called them all in the 1st and 2nd were pleased with themselves. They had more than doubled their money, and they had managed to make quite a bit on the side for themselves. They were rewarded, but others would suffer because of them. The 3rd gave back the £1000 and said, ‘I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. I wasn’t going to make others suffer like you make me suffer. Instead I selflessly gave and helped them to save them from your clutches.” The master was furious.
Now let me ask you – which of the people in this story sounded more like God, more like Christ, to you?
Do you see what I mean? The image of God we put before ourselves is the one that shapes our action, our ethics, our identity.
Either of those readings could be the right reading, as could the ones you have heard from a pulpit in the past. The miracle of the parable is its ability to speak into different generations and times and to do so in a way that unlocks us. Any attempt to control the bible for our own purposes reveals something of the false god we create and worship.
I therefore simply ask you again – what is your image of God, and how does that affect how you live, what you feel, and what you do next?
Thank you, Kerry for your challenging message.
Before we sing our final hymn, I have a notice for all those at Baildon Methodist Church. Apologies to those not connected to Baildon! Although we will not be able to gather in Church next Sunday for our annual Toy Service, the collection of toys and distribution at Windhill Community Centre will still take place. Please drop off any good-as-new toys, books, games, gifts for teenagers, vouchers etc, to Church porch, Newton Way on Friday, 20th between 10 and 2, or Saturday, 21st from 10 to 12 Thank you, they are more needed than ever this year. Thank you to all those organising this.
Hymn
We close our Service with a hymn of dedication: Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee, StF 566.
Blessing
The writer of that last hymn, Frances Ridley Havergal, wrote the prayer which I am now going to use as our final blessing.In weakness, O Lord, be our strength; in our sinfulness, pardoning love; in our need, all sufficient grace. In our anxiety, be to us both stillness and rest and at all times be to us the fullness of blessing; through Christ our Lord, Amen
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