I would not be at all surprised if you have heard the name Emily Brontë. She is a 19th century author who wrote Wuthering Heights; a classic among English literature that has inspired adaptations, including film, radio and television dramatizations, a musical, a ballet, and operas. Likewise, you may also be familiar with Emily’s sister Charlotte Brontë. She is the author of another literary classic; Jane Eyre. Charlotte is considered to be the literary ancestor of writers like Proust and Joyce. You might have even heard of Anne Brontë; the sister of both Emily and Charlotte. Anne, like her sisters is the author of a literary classic. Anne wrote The Tenant of Wildfell Hall; considered to be the most shocking of the Brontës' novels, likely because of its feminist tone.
These sisters are known the world over for their collective body of work and I would not be at all surprised if you have heard of the Brontë sisters. I would, however, be surprised if you have heard of their brother. Though he was thought to be as talented, if not even more talented that his sisters, very little is known about Branwell Brontë.
As a young boy, Branwell displayed a keen intellect and quick wit. He was gregarious and creative, exciting and interesting. At an early age Branwell announced that he was going to be a poet and a painter. The artistic community eagerly waited for the masterpieces this talented young man was sure to produce. But Branwell spent more time with a pint in his hand than a paintbrush. It comes as no surprise then that his personal life was littered with one scandal after the next. After he was caught embezzling money from the railways, his sister Emily got him a job as a tutor for a wealthy family. But Branwell was scandalously fired from that job also when he was caught having an affair with the lady of the house. When he should have been at the height of his literary career, Branwell was at the bottom of a bottle. With little more than a few poems and a family portrait of his sisters (which he painted himself out of) at the age of 31, Branwell Brontë drank himself to death.
Branwell Brontë is a sad example of wasted talent. Unfortunately, he is not the only example. You can probably think of an athlete or entertainer who had been blessed with exceptional talent only to see that talent wasted for similar reasons. Maybe you even personal know of someone, a family member or a friend, who was gifted with talent; maybe they were smart, or athletic, or artistic, maybe they were charismatic, maybe they were all of those things, but for various reasons they wasted those talents. Maybe you have even thought to yourself if you had been given such talent you would not waste it. You would not make the mistake so many artists, athletes, and entertainers have made. You would do everything in your power to make sure that your talent reached its full potential. If given the opportunity, you would not waste your talent.
I’m glad to hear you say that, because today I want to talk to you about using the talent you have been given to its fullest potential. Today, we are going to take a closer look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-15. There Saint Paul encourages us to excel in the grace of giving. In order to excel in the grace of giving; we need to think of our giving like a talent we have been given, then we need to be reassured that talent isn’t being wasted, and then finally, and most importantly, we need to see how that talent is used in response to the grace of God.
First, we need to think of our giving like a talent we have been given. Now, I know we don’t typically think of giving as a talent we have been given, but it is. In his letter to the Romans Saint Paul says, “6 We have different gifts [or talents], according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift [talent] is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”[1] Just like any other talent we are given, God gives the ability to give. In verse seven of our text for today saint Paul writes, “7 But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” Here Paul encourages us to strive to excel in our giving like we would strive to excel in any other talent we might have. Giving, like any other ability we might possess, is a talent that God gives to us.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that is how we tend to think of our giving. I think we tend to think of our giving like a bill that has come due, or a membership fee that we owe, or a surcharge for services rendered. But in order for us to excel in the grace of giving God encourages us to think of our giving like a talent we have been given; a talent that is not to be wasted.
The Macedonian Christians were not willing to let their talent be wasted. Saint Paul tells us that the Macedonian Christians “urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” When the Macedonian Christians learned of the offering that was being gathered for the church in Jerusalem; when they learned about the ministry that was being done there, they pleaded for the privilege; they were eager to take advantage of opportunity to be of service to the saints. The Macedonian Christians knew how their money was being used and as a result they were eager to use their talents to their full potential.
In order for us to excel in the grace of giving we need to be reassured that our talents aren’t being wasted. I think part of the problem is we preachers don’t always do a good job of making sure you Christians know how your talents are being used. Now part of the reason is your fault. We preachers know how sensitive y’all get when we talk about money. Sometimes I get the feeling that people are more comfortable talking about the human anatomy with a preacher than they are talking about money. But regardless of how uncomfortable the conversation might be, we preachers should do a better job of telling you how your talents are being used, because, I think if you feel like you are just giving your money away it doesn’t make sense to give anything. I mean if you are going to waste your talent, you might as well waste it on yourself, right?
So, allow me to reassure you that your talents are not being wasted here at Messiah. At Messiah you have amazing opportunities to use your talent in service to the saints. For example, your giving pays for this building. Now you might ask, “what’s so amazing about that?” Fair question, but think about the miracles you have witnessed in this building. Faith is created in this building. Sins are forgiven in this building. Satan is silenced in this building. Is that not an amazing use of your talents? Think also about the service to the saint that you provide inside this building. When people are grieving the loss of a loved one, they find comfort in this building. When marriages face overwhelming obstacles, they find the strength to endure in this building. When young people are lost and confused, they find guidance and direction in this building. I bet your fellow believers would say such things are an amazing use of your talent. I could go on and on and talk about the numbers of pastors and teachers that you train, the publications you produce, and the missionaries you send all over the world, but I pray that you are starting to see that here at Messiah your talents are not being wasted. And as a result, I pray, like the Macedonian Christians, you find yourself eager to excel in the grace of giving.
Finally, in order for us to excel in the grace of giving we need to use our talents in response to the grace of God. In verses 8-9 saint Paul writes, “8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” You don’t have to give an offering, or use any of your talents for that matter, here at Messiah. Nobody is forcing you to put an offering in the plate. God is not commanding you to put an offering in the plate. That plate is not a duty, obligation, or requirement, it’s an opportunity; an opportunity that you are free to let pass you by. But before you do, think about what God has given you. Think about Jesus who possessed eternal riches as the Son of God. Think about how, for your sake, Jesus exchanged the luxuries of heaven for the humiliations of this earth. Think about the price He was willing to pay so that your every sin might be paid for and your very salvation might be purchased. This is what God has given you, regardless of what you put in the plate, forgiveness and salvation are gifts of His grace. One more time, you don’t have to put a penny in the plate to receive this gift. But when you think about what God has given you, you might want to at least consider what your response could be.
Despite their sever trials and extreme poverty, the Macedonian Christians determined that their response to God’s grace would be generous. Paul tells us they, “they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own.” Being recipients of God’s grace yourselves, I can’t imagine your response would be any different. Now, you are going to have to determine on your own what you consider to be a generous offering; you are going to have to figure out how much you are able to put in that plate. But I have little doubt that as long as you are giving in response to God’s grace, like the Macedonian Christians, you too will excel in the grace of giving.
It has been said, “the saddest thing in life is wasted talent.” May such a thing never be said of us. Instead let us think of our giving like a talent we have been given and having been assured that our talents are not being wasted let us use those talents in response to God’s grace. Let us be known as a people who excel in the grace of giving. To God be the glory. Amen.
[1] Romans 12:6-8