Resource: The Parable of the Talents

This week the YAGM had their final retreat. The coordinator invited me to do a session with them as kind of a full circle since I spent much of orientation with them as well. My topic was Spiritual Gifts, a topic I have been working on with the congregation I am serving. After a year of serving overseas it seems only right to come together and assess what one can offer to their home communities whether that is a congregational setting or the workplace.

For those who are not familiar with the Spiritual Gifts Assessment it can be found on the ELCA website and search "Spiritual Gifts Assessment Tool" for a prinatable and online copy.

The session began with a retelling (transcript pasted below) of Matthew 25:14-30 the Parable of the Talents. This retelling was done with visual items made at home. As the story was told slowly and steadily the pieces were placed on top of the large fabric and moved around as needed. Characters that were speaking were centered while others disappeared.This included the following:

-A large solid color fabric or paper. This worked as the background and way for the audience's eyes to maintain focus.

- Four cut outs of a family (Mother and three kids). The cut outs were very basic shapes and shared the same pattern for the bodies. These were the four main characters.

-Two paper cut outs of a farmer and rancher. These are supporting characters added into the parable.

-One industrial cityscape and one farm. These are basic drawings made but help stimulate the imagination.

(All of the above is made out of color paper and markers. In this case sticky fabric was added to the back of each for easier movement.)

-Five seeds

-Two eggs

-Ball of yarn

This style of teaching was introduced to me during a Christian Education Seminar at LTSP. Dawn Stewart came into class with a box of well crafted tools that she would use to tell us the Parable of the Sower. She had the entire class sit on the floor as she sat infront of us slowly pulling our her accessories and speaking in a warm and calming voice. The difference here was Dawn's intended audience. She was simulating working with children so her reflection questions were quite simple. She then had us break into creative spaces where we could draw, paint, or collage our thoughts and reflections from the parable. We would later come together and share our art.

Rather than breaking into artistic spaces, the volunteers and I turned our attention to the Spiritual Gifts Assessment. As I read each question out loud, the entire group graded themselves between 0 and 4 then adding up their scores in certain categories to see which are their gifts. Then we took time again to reflect on what qualified as a gift and if any were shocking to receive. The session continued with a clear explanation of each gift along with where in the church their skillsets would best be utilized. Reflections continued as the reality of some of these gifts began to hit us. Some quivered at the gift of evangelism as the term has become tainted with fundamentalist hate speech and hollering on the streets. Others were overwhelmed at the gift of pastor/ sheperding as that had only recently began to cross their minds.

"Isn't discernment personal? How is that a gift? Why is mercy a gift? Shouldn't everyone have that?"

It is quite amazing how some gifts we really do not think twice about. Faith, for example, is a gift. One would think anyone taking this assessment would already have faith being a relatively active member of the church however even faith is not guaranteed. For that reason it is important for us to know each others gifts as we may accompany each others in areas of our weaknesses and uplift each others strengths.

After two hours of Spiritual gifts we concluded in prayer but we are beginning anew.

*Below is the Parable of the Talents which can be used and adapted as needed*

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There was a small Toban family living in the campo of Chaco. There was the Sheu, the eldest, then Eliseo, and Nalpapi. Their father worked over 2500 kilometers away in the oil fields near Comodoro. Mother was their healer- their dwelling- their caretaker. Then one day Mother gathered the children around.

“Sheu! Eliseo! Nalpapi! Come here- come here”

Mother’s children gathered around her feet curiously gazing upwards towards her face.

“My darling children, soon I will be leaving you to visit your father. When you were younger I would carry you on my back back and forth across the coast. But now you are older and must care for the few things we have here.”

“We understand Mother.”

“Sheu, my child I do not have much but please take these seeds. I only have five of them but I am sure you will do well with what you are given.”

“But  Mother,” said Sheu “you know I do not work the lands. I tend to the needs of the house.”

“Trust in me” said Mother. Then Mother turned to Eliseo and said, “Eliseo my child I do not have much but please take care of these chickens. We are down to two but I am sure you will do well with what you are given.”

“But Mother,” said Eliseo “you know I do not care for the livestock. Since I was a kid I maintained the fields.”

“Trust in me” said Mother. Then Mother turned to Nalpapi and said, “Nalpapi my child I do not have much but please take this ball of yarn. It is only one kilo but I am sure you will do well with what you are given.”

“But Mother,” said Nalpapi, “you know I do not work with textiles. I provide for the animals in the yard.”

“Trust in me” said Mother. So Mother packed her things and left for Comodoro and the children went on their way. Sheu went into the town and saw a farmer with their child in tattered clothing. Sheu approached the farmer and offered to watch the farmer’s child and fix their clothing in exchange for the farmer to grow the seeds and to feed their neighbors. That summer the farmer grew the seeds in abundance and provided crops for their neighbors. Sheu and the farmer had met once again and where the farmer offered her back twice the seeds Sheu had first given him. Eliseo too had walked into town where a rancher was complaining about dead grass his livestock could no longer eat. With feelings of compassion Eliseo offered to fertilize and replenish his grass if the rancher agreed to mate the chickens. The rancher did not only that but acquired enough eggs and chicklets to provide meals for the homeless in town. Eliseo and the rancher had encountered each other in town again where the rancher provided Eliseo with four new chickens in gratitude of compassion. Nalpapi however, did not take the ball of yarn into town. The yarn was placed in a small crevice of the house where the sun does not touch and the water does not leak. Nalpapi kept that yarn there since Mother had left for Comodoro.

Then the time came when Mother returned. She was greeted at the house by Sheu, Eliseo, and Nalpapi.

“Mother, Mother” cried Sheu, “I have something to share with you. You gave me seeds to care for even though I maintain the home. I shared these seeds with a farmer in need and the crops came in abundance. People were fed all around Resistancia and in return the farmer gave me twice of what I offered him.

“Sheu I am so proud of you. Thank you for caring for what was given to you.” said Mother.

“Mother, Mother” cried Eliseo, “I too have something to share with you. You gave me chickens to raise even though I work the land. I shared these chickens with a suffering rancher and the chickens flourished like spring flowers. Our community in Resistancia is cared for and in return the rancher doubled what I offered him.

“Eliseo I am so proud of you. Thank you for caring for what was given to you.” said Mother.

Nalpapi was quiet and hesitant to speak. “Nalpapi, what about you my child?” asked Mother.

“Mother I saw how much you loved the ball of yarn and when you said to care for it I decided to keep it safe from everything. So I buried it in a crevice in the house until you returned.” said Nalpapi.

“But my dear Nalpapi, why would you hide anything I ask for you to nurture? You were given yarn even though you care for the animals. You were offered freedom from your self inflicted limitations but you chose to remain closed off from your neighbors and keep something from others that could have helped someone else. How does one build community without sharing and indulgence? Now we see that those who act in abundance will receive in abundance while those who act as though the lack will have nothing to show.”

#ReclaimMissionary