Trinity United Church of Christ
    W4888 Harvest Lane
    La Crosse, WI 54601
    

© Rev. Diane Kay Martin
Trinity UCC ¨ La Crosse, WI
November 13, 2005
Texts:           1 Timothy 6.17-19
                    Matthew 25.14-29

 Pay It Forward 

          “If somebody did you a favor—something big, something you couldn’t do on your own—and instead of paying it back, you paid it forward to three people, and the next day, they each paid it forward to three more, and the day after that, those 27 people each paid it forward to another three, and each day, everyone in turn paid it forward to three more people, in two weeks, that would come to 4,782,969 people.”

          That’s the plan of 11-year-old Trevor McKinney in the 2000 film Pay It Forward. Trevor receives the inspiration for this plan when his social studies teacher challenges each member of the class to come up with an idea that will “change our world.” Of course, Trevor’s classmates receive his idea with ridicule and laughter, but that doesn’t stop him. He goes on to “pay it forward” to many, many more than just the three his plan requires, and … well … you’ll have to watch the movie to discover how it turns out.[1]

          But I wonder if Trevor knew that “pay it forward” wasn’t his idea. Jesus thought of it nearly 2,000 years ago, when he told the parable—today’s parable—about the man with the talents.

          Okay, “talents.” Let us stop right here and clarify something. Talents, in this story, are not our skills—our “giftedness”—the things we are very good at. A talent was a measure of money. One source I read says one talent equaled 50 to 75 pounds of pure gold, which, he writes, “today would be more than I’ve earned in my 25 years in the ministry, or worth 20 of those flasks of pure nard that Mary used on the feet of Jesus.” [2] And that’s just one talent!

          Here’s the story, as Nathan read it: The man in Jesus’ parable who owns land and money—and slaves—is planning a trip. He decides to “pay it forward” to three of his slaves, and he gives them some of his money to be caretakers—custodians—stewards—over. He gives them a chance to exercise wise stewardship over some of his resources.

The story says the man gave one of his servants ten talents—umm … that would be roughly 250 years worth of a good salary. He gives another servant two talents—a “paltry” 50 years worth of pay—and the third man he gives one talent—still a whole lot of money, right? [3]

          Now, I see two quick lessons to be learned from this parable. First, we’re not all dealt the same hand. You may have three aces, and I may have only one. What matters is what I do with my one ace. You may have been born into a wealthy family—don’t you wish!—and I may have been born on the other side of the tracks. We can’t control that! What matters is what we do with the hand we’ve been dealt.

We can learn this from the first two servants to whom the master “paid it forward.” One received five talents of cash; the other received two—each according to his ability—and they both doubled the master’s investment. They both earned the same praise, received the same reward: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”

The second point in this parable can be learned from the third servant—the one who buried his treasure in the ground. Was the master pleased with this investment strategy? Dean, do you advise your clients to take this approach? Or to hide their money under their mattress? No! If you want a return on your investment, you have to turn it loose out there in the world.

It’s like the scene in It’s a Wonderful Life when there’s a “run” on good ol’ Bailey Savings & Loan. George Bailey tells an anxious customer, “Joe, I don’t have your money here—you know that. Why, your money went out and helped Bob buy his house, and then it helped Mrs. Goode with her bills, and from there, it went to who-knows-where. But it’s not here, locked up in this safe. It’s out in the community, making good things happen for you and for your neighbors!” [4]

And that’s what “pay it forward” is all about! You do something good, out there in the world where things are not always safe, and God multiplies it. God doesn’t call us to bury our talents—financial and otherwise—in the ground. God wants us to be risk-takers … just like he is.

“For God so loved the world that he paid it forward—he gave his only son—so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” [5] God, the biggest risk-taker of all, loved us so much he gave his son! Would you pay such a huge price—forward, or backward, or sideways—for a bunch like us? I don’t think so, and I don’t blame you. But God did, and Jesus did. Jesus said, “I love you this much,” and he stretched out his arms, and he died—and in doing so, he got a great return on his investment: He earned for each one of us the certainty of eternal life—something we could never do on our own.

But not only that—not only eternal life—as if that wasn’t enough—but also “the life that really is life”—abundant life in this life. Look again at our Call to Worship, which is based on 1 Timothy 6.17-19. (Halfway down…) “Remind us to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. In this way, we will store up for ourselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future. In this way, we will take hold of the life that really is life.” [6]

How do you “pay it forward”? Maybe you do just what little Trevor McKinney suggested—maybe you find three people and you do something to help them. Maybe you “pay it forward” through your ministry within this congregation. Many of you already give so generously of your time and energy that it humbles me to be a part of your ministry. But we’re approaching the holiday season, and the level of activity tends to escalate in churches at this time of the year. So, in a few minutes, I’m going to pass around more than a dozen clipboards and give you a chance to sign up to “pay it forward” here, at Trinity, in some very tangible ways.

And maybe you “pay it forward” in your giving to this congregation. When we receive this morning’s offering, we’ll ask you to put your Giving Goal card in the offering plate, telling us how much you hope to give to this congregation this year. When we give out of gratitude for all that we have received from God—knowing that we can never “pay it back,” but we can “pay it forward”—that’s when we begin to “take hold of the life that really is life.” One ace, or three aces, it’s still a blessing from our generous God.

“If somebody did you a favor—something big, something you couldn’t do on your own—” Thank God, somebody did! Amen.

Copyright © 2005 Trinity United Church of Christ
Last modified: 05/30/07