Sacrifice the Gift

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" Steve Prefontaine

If you lived through the first wave of running fever in the United States during the 1970s or if you have run competitively in the decades since then, you can probably guess the identity of this young man. Instead of hiding his gifts away—just so he could play a more renowned sport—this teenager chose the path less traveled. He developed into the most iconic runner in the history of the United States of America. His name? Steve Prefontaine. At one time he held every U.S. running record from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. Even to this day his legendary status holds among runners everywhere. Just mention his name to any distance runner and a smile will cross her face. 

This did not have to be the case though. “Pre” could have tried to keep playing the more highly regarded pastimes of football and basketball. He could have quit sports altogether. Even once he gained success in running he did not have to keep going. There were many who wanted to stop the outspoken, mustachioed Prefontaine from representing the United States at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. However, as he put it during the heyday of his career, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. While it is certainly an all-or-nothing way of seeing things, could there be a more succinct way of describing today’s Gospel lesson?!

Three servants were given a large sum of money each according to the individual’s skill level. Two of them straightaway went out and began using the gift. Both of those servants doubled the initial investment and were able to joyfully come to meet their master. The third? Well, the third faced the same options that Prefontaine faced: use the gift or sacrifice it? Sure, we may look at this great runner and think he has very little in common with the third servant, but they faced a similar decision. Use the talent that was handed to them or let it sit buried beneath the surface. And, to tell you the truth we face the same choice as this third servant too. We face the same decision that this icon of distance running faced. Do we use the gifts given to us or not?

Most preaching professors will tell their students to never discuss the process of writing a sermon with the congregation in the midst of the sermon. No one wants to know how the sausage is made, they just want to enjoy it. However, I have to tell you about making sausage… I mean working on this sermon. I have struggled with this passage all week long. Every time I get to the end and try to reconcile how the master treats the timid third servant I cringe. Is God really this harsh? Is this even who God is? 

The first part of the story makes a lot of sense to me. God graciously gives to us in abundance. God also gives us the ability to choose how we use the gifts given to us. The first two servants go out and boldly trust in the abundance of God transforming and multiplying the gifts given to them. The third servant though became paralyzed by fear. It is at this point in the story that I wonder if the real harshness was not from the master but from within the third servant.

When looking more closely at the master we see him giving abundantly, allowing the servants to make their own choices, and sharing in the joy of the first two servant’s growth. What about that is harsh? The master never asks for a certain return on investment, there is no due date on any payment, and in fact, there is only gift! But, what about the ending? Why is it that the third one is thrown out into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth? Isn’t it strange that the master gives freely, but then criticizes how the third servant utilizes the free gift? Is this a little bit like giving a child a toy they really want and then getting upset that they are more excited to play with the box that the toy came in? 

I think there is even one more wrinkle in this story. This story has historically been linked to God’s righteous judgment—something we will hear more about next week in the story of the sheep and the goats. However, the life of Christ Jesus points out that God’s judgment can never be separated from God’s love. What seems to make the master so upset is that he wanted the servants to use what they had been given. If the third servant had gone out and tried his hardest but failed mightily. The master would have still said to him the same as the other two, “Enter into the joy of your master.” As strange as it sounds, failure was not what the master reprimanded, rather it was not participating, not sharing a gift with others, and not using what God gives.

I hate to break it to us all, but this story is not about success, and neither is this life. This story is not about the outcome, and neither is this life. Life in Christ is not about winning—yes, I’m saying that during Iron Bowl week—nor is it about social status, nor is it about ROI. This story is not about our ability to double the investment God has made in us. No, this story is about God gifting us with skill and talent. And, perhaps more importantly how we will receive it and use it.

Will we let fear rule in our hearts? Will we be afraid of trying to do that thing that we dream of doing, but don’t know how it will go? Will we continue to be satisfied with burying the talent in the ground because there we know it’s safe? Or… will we go at once and trust in God’s abundance? Will we write that book we have always wanted to write? Will we quit the mundane job we hate to pursue the thing that we know will bring us joy? Will we buy the boat so we can sail around the world? Will we use the talent and trust that God will always provide in abundance even when will fail or will we let fear rule our hearts? Will we sacrifice the gifts or will we use what God has given us? Even when we fail God will welcome us into joy, so what will you do with the talent God has given you?