To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

[Matthew 25:15-18]

In recent weeks we have seen the stock market go crazy. Prominent business houses have gone bankrupt and major banks have collapsed. More than 12 trillion dollars of global investments have vanished.

There was a time when world economies were booming. Investors became reckless and good business sense was ignored. As a result, people are losing their jobs, homes and wealth. This tells us that we humans can not guarantee any investment, whether it is of high or moderate risk.

The above text tells us about an apparently wealthy man, who left home to go on a long journey. Before leaving, he portioned a sizable amount of his wealth to three of his servants.

To the first he gave five talents, an equivalent of approximately 375 pounds of what was probably silver. The second got two talents about 150 pounds. The third servant got one talent or 75 pounds.

It is obvious that the master of these servants trusted them very much. He had entrusted them with an incredibly large sum of his wealth. They were to invest this wealth.

Two of the servants immediately went out and invested the money which their master had given to them. They knew that it was risky, but this did not deter them. They invested their master's money and made money for their master.

However, the third did not do anything with his money. He was fearful of his master; therefore, he secured his master's money in a hole.

While Jesus alludes to money here he is not talking about money. He is talking about our love, the love that we have for one another. He is talking about the faith that we have, the hope we take to others through his word. He is talking about the charity and kindness that we have for our fellowmen. He is talking about how we use the abilities we have for the good of the kingdom. He is talking about our life's work. He is talking about the way we use them for the kingdom. Yes, Jesus is talking about people and the way they live.

Some may think that the church is like a hole in the ground. Take your gifts and talents and bury them in that hole and just sit around and wait for the master to come.

It is true that when you expose the word of God it will fall in some unsavory places. People will try to abuse it and try to make it suit their purpose.

That does not mean that you should keep God's word a secret. You have been called to be an investor for God's kingdom. God has given you certain gifts to use. Some have greater capacities while others have less. That is why we have different types of gifts. Invest yours.

God wants us to take risks for His kingdom. He loves risks. He took the greatest risk when He sent His Son into the world. He sent His only beloved Son to die on a cruel tree for sinful humankind, you and me. That was His risk for us. He knew the outcome, but that did not stop Him from reaching out to us.

Our stock markets and investments in the secular world may be risky and even fail but investments in God's kingdom are safe. They cannot fail. There is no crash or tailspin to worry about.

God has things well in hand, even though we think God's investments are pretty risky, even foolhardy. With God the investment is safe.

The worthless servant in the text feared a market crash. Therefore, he was over prudent. He was not prepared to take a risk. Therefore, he played it safe. In doing so, he lost.

God has given us all certain talents to do the work of the church. Christ has left us to make investments in souls. He knows our capability. That is why some have more talents than others.

Remember, the talents which have been given to us are not for ourselves, they are for sharing, bringing hope to others through the Gospel. When we do, the return on our investment is wealth for our master. Amen.