TALENT SHOW

 TALENT SHOW

A Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA

November 15, 2020

Psalm 123; Matthew 25:14-30

 

So, The Parable of the Talents.  It says: Take what we are given, put it to use.  Have a positive impact on others, and on the world.  Do something with your talents.

 

There are lots of ways we could proceed with this idea.  One would be to tell a Pittsburgh Talent Story.  So here goes:

By the age of six, a young girl from Charleroi, PA, had shown signs of extraordinary talent by becoming the youngest member of her church choir.  Recognizing her gifted and natural singing ability, her parents took her to see one of Pittsburgh’s top vocal coaches.  Once a week, her father was more than happy to drive her fifty miles to the big city, for her hour-long vocal lessons.  After graduating from high school in 1952, she was spotted by a scout photographer for the 1952 Miss Pittsburgh Pageant. She entered the contest and won.  I am guessing you know who she is.  Because her talent then and now and all the years in-between, was not hidden in the ground. 

 

Sometimes it is good to share a story like this, to bring the parable into sharper focus.  And to say, how does that relate to who I am in God’s Kingdom?  So we might draw some parallels.

 

One talent, or two, five or ten, what are we doing with them? Are we showing and sharing them?  Are we making something of them? If so, we are on the right track.  We might even end up with a lifetime of notable and dedicated service, based upon how we invest and use our talents. I like that idea.  The idea of asking, how can I use the blessings that God has entrusted to me, for a larger purpose?

 

We should probably keep in mind that the talents that Jesus spoke about had to do with money.  A talent weight was a way of measuring money.  Whether silver or gold.  Jesus doesn’t specify if the talents in the parable were silver or gold.  We don’t know.  But we still wonder, what they are worth today.  So, a talent of silver would be worth about $16,500.  A talent of gold, today, would be worth the equivalent of approximately $1,400,116.57.  So the matter that Jesus was talking about was not inconsiderable.  Putting it to use was tremendously worthwhile.  And the doubling of it by the servants with the 5 or the 2 talents was admirable. Just as the story says; “Well done good and faithful servant!”

 

Fortunately, our talents include our money, and every other blessing.  Providentially, talent shows.  Happily, people notice. In good time, people pay attention.  People gain something from being with someone who shares their talents.  Talent shows.  I like to think of the talents that our Lord Jesus showed in the Gospels:  A talent for identifying and putting promising people to work as disciples. A talent for speaking to large groups of people, and giving them inspiration, and hope. A talent for caring for people the rest of society had shunned and ignored. A talent for healing people who were hurting.  A talent for knowing what is happing inside a person, and for drawing that out, and addressing it. 

 

Yes.  I like to think of the talents that our Lord Jesus showed in the Gospels:  Of helping people know that God loves them.  Of establishing goodness and grace.  Of providing a way to live and a way to live eternally.  Of giving beyond what would be normally expected; even unto death on the cross.  Our multi-talented Lord shared what he had, and we are all the better for it.

 

Talent shows.  Can we say that Jesus has set the example?

That doing all we can and more so with our gifts and talents is the way of Jesus Christ?  If we can incorporate that concept into our daily living, we will be happier and the world will be a happier place.  I like what Nancy Rockwell says, “Love and faith, like money, require the taking of risks in order to grow."  (The Bite in the Apple, 2014).  God loves us just the way we are.  And God loves us too much to let us stay the way we are.

 

“What talent do I have, really?”  If you have found yourself asking that question, perhaps it would be good to reflect on the people who have been your companions on this journey of life. Where you have listened with focused attention. Where you have provided encouragement.  Where you have made something they enjoy.  Where you have shared a conversation that brightened their day.  Where you have traveled an uphill way, with them, letting them know you love them. And that God loves them.  These are talents.  They may not be the kind that end up in a typical talent show, they may not make you a household name.  But they are winners, even so.

 

Talent shows.  I am always in awe of people whose talents and gifts are different from my own.  People who can play a piano or organ, for example.  Especially and organ, when the hands and feet are doing at least four different things all at once.  Not my talent.  Not my gift.  I would not know where to begin.

You have talents that the person next to you does not have, and vice versa.  That is a good thing.  Just as wonderful as great art by one particular artist might be – think how uniformly dull a gallery or museum would be, with only that one kind of art.  God likes variety and we are made in God’s image with all our varied talents.  The key is to use them.

 

Now I would be remiss if I concluded the sermon without telling you that I do not know Miss Pittsburgh of 1952 personally.  I do know and admire her gifts and talents, but somewhat from afar. She will be long remembered for starring on Broadway. And in the movies and on TV, in productions such as “Carousel”, and “Oklahoma”, and “The Music Man”.  I say, I admire her somewhat from afar, because while I do not know Shirley Jones personally, I do know you.  And you are like her.  I know that God has blessed you richly. You have many, many talents!  Talent shows.

 

Sometimes, it may seem safer to live from day to day, hiding what God sends us, and keeping it locked away.  Remember, these talents can never flourish, if they are buried.  May God make us bold enough to share.  And may God’s blessings abound.  Amen

 

LIGHT BEARERS

A Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Shadyside Presbyterian Church

Sunday November 8, 2020

Psalm 78:1-7; Matthew 25:1-13

 

In Western Pennsylvania, Westinghouse is a household name. George Westinghouse, the inventor extraordinaire, began his electric company in Pittsburgh in 1886. Three years before that, right here in Pittsburgh’s East End, the first electric light was installed in a residence, by Westinghouse.  The location?  It was at the home of James Ross Mellon, at 410 N Negley Avenue. In 1883.  Before that time, light depended on gas, or oil, or candle power.  And then everything changed. 

Can we put ourselves back in the days of light bearers such as the ones we find in our scripture lesson? Can we lift up insights to help us now? This parable Jesus told, about being ready for the bride groom makes us think of being ready for Jesus. (In fact it’s often used as a scripture during this season of Advent. As we watch and wait before Jesus arrives).  However our lectionary has placed us in advance of Advent in advance of our celebration of Thanksgiving. By several weeks. So I think we’re to make of this is that readiness is something we focus on at all times of the year. Being ready to see the Lord arrive; being ready to welcome him; being ready to enter into the celebration.  These things know no time or season.

In that regard we don’t want to be like those foolish maidens who didn’t have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. You and I know people like that. People who never think ahead or plan ahead. People who are famous for being spontaneous. Maybe even known for being easily distracted? People who amble along through life in a haphazard manner.  People who would probably forget to take along with them the oil they need for their lamps.  We may enjoy their company from time to time.   Even so, we would not wish to identify with them, when it comes to matters of what we believe and how we put our faith into practice. Since that is the case – we will do what is needful, in order to have plenty of oil in our lamp of faith. In order to keep it burning.  In order to see clearly as we keep watch.  In order to not be oblivious as we wait.  In order to…be ready.

When I consider this parable of the wise and the foolish maidens, I am reminded of an absolutely gorgeous illustration by the artist Maxfield Parish. It is entitled “The Lantern Bearers”.  Parish painted “The Lantern Bearers” (in 1908), for the cover of Collier's magazine.  The painting shows a group of people who are artfully arranged holding up softly glowing paper lanterns. The entire scene is illuminated, not by the sun, nor by the moon, nor by the stars, but by the light that each person is bearing.  The picture is beautiful in and of itself.  Well worth enjoying.  It is even more beautiful because it speaks about where this wonderful light is coming from.  From right there. From each one of those light bearers.  The light from within.

In the context of Jesus parable, the light bearers play the important function of lighting the way to celebration that will go on and on.  Guess what?  The light bearers are each of you.  And all of you.  You have this wonderful opportunity to bear the light of Jesus Christ into those places where it hasn’t shined, yet.

          If we had been reading this particular parable 200 or 100 years ago, we might have thought, “This is a call to mission, a call to service, a call to action.”  It still is.  It is a call to carry the light of Christ. Carry the light of Christ to others. Carry the light of Christ to a family member or a friend. Carry the light of Christ for those fleeing war and persecution, showing them the way to freedom—all the way to the foot of the cross. Carry the Light of Christ to transform the world by your devotion, service, and witness. Carry the light of Christ with joy and thanksgiving; to faithfully share the hope that is in us. Carry the light of Christ into the world. Will you carry the light of Christ within you?  Will you embody that light?  Will you provide that light wherever you go?  There are places where you go every day of your life, where you can.  Bring the light of Christ into those places.  Let it shine.

Did you notice that the bridegroom arrived at an unexpected hour?  Did you hear that he appeared long after the foolish maidens had lost their light?  And yet, those wise maidens still had the ability to shine theirs.  Maybe find yourself in a place today.  A place that is depressing and dismal.  Where the cause of Christ is not championed.  Where the forces of injustice seem to have won. Where insensitivity reigns.  Where manipulative power is the norm.  And it feels as if you have been there waiting, a long, long time.  If we take a look at history we know that even darkest times, when the light seems to go out entirely, they are still those who bring light of Christ to bear upon the scene.  And that makes all the difference in the world.  Light bearers.  Jesus applies the title to himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”    The Dark Ages were truly dark. But they still gave way to the light.  Today may seem just as dark.  Always look for the light.

I have a flashlight in my home and I know exactly where it is. Which is good because when the power goes out (even though I know my home pretty well), I look for the light.  I want to see what’s happening.  And where I am.  So before I go very far, I find the flashlight, turn it on, and that helps me get through the next minutes or hours or days.  However long it takes, until the darkness goes away.  It does me a lot of good. And it does everyone else in the house a lot of good.  That light is great. But then again, there is that light of Christ, which is greater by far. The light of Christ does not depend on gas, or oil, or candle power.  Or electricity.

Here are some thoughts that come from what you know to be the light of Jesus Christ. In the light of this new day, you awakened in a community of faith.  You awakened to a community of faith that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion.  You awakened to a community of faith that believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about drawing the circle of his love larger and larger.  You awakened to a community that builds bridges not barriers.  You awakened to a community of grace not judgment.   

No matter what uncertainty you awakened to this Sunday morning, remember this:  Christ loves you for who you are, just the way you are. Now, shine his light.  The light of Christ depends on you.  Let it shine!  Amen.

 

SING WITH ALL THE SAINTS IN GLORY

The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, November 1, 2020

A Communion Meditation for All Saints’ Sunday

Psalm 34:1-10, 22; Matthew 5:1-12

 

A Sphere of Spiritual Wellbeing

 

“The Dome over Manhattan” was a 1960 proposal that Buckminster Fuller had, to build a 2-mile diameter geodesic dome, which would cover all of Midtown Manhattan. (You can find illustrations of it on line). A huge bubble, with a height twice as tall as The Empire State Building, stretching from the East River to the Hudson.  Mr. Fuller argued that it would be an economical solution to many of the city’s most costly concerns, including heat and light, as well as a collector of rainwater.  His arguments sound convincing, and the project itself was certainly impressive.  And it is somewhat like what we are reading about in our scripture passage from Mathew.

 

Jesus is envisioning an overarching environment of peace, comfort, joy, mercy, and hope.  We are drawn to it, not only because it sounds wonderful in and of itself, but also because it would stand in contrast to what we know about the world and all its capers.  When we pay attention to Jesus’ words, we recognize: The Beatitudes are for us, and the Beatitudes are for the saints as well.

 

In an article entitled “Have a Blessed Day”, Alyce Mackenzie reminds us: “The Beatitudes offer formulas for what constitutes blessedness—not good fortune, or prosperity, or personal achievement, but rather being surrounded by a sphere of spiritual well-being as an individual and as a community. In the Old Testament, that meant: Pursuing wisdom, following the commandments, and treating others with respect.”

A sphere of spiritual wellbeing, over each of us and all of us.  Like the dome over Manhattan.  And look what it entails:

 

Pursuing Wisdom

 

Pursuing wisdom means essentially, gaining something that only God’s Holy Spirit can provide us.  Knowledge, we can find in school, in great books, and more and more commonly, if we are careful in our search, on Google and YouTube. But wisdom is something more.  Wisdom comes as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our inmost being.  As we see with the eyes of faith.  As we act according to what God reveals.  Sometimes wisdom draws upon our knowledge, or our experience, or our awareness. And yet, wisdom from God can do much more – prompting us to learn more that we know, to do more than we have done, to comprehend more than we have noticed. 

 

“True Wisdom,” as John Calvin says, “consists in two things: Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self.”  Have you been getting to know God, better?  Have you been getting to know yourself better?  Then, you have been pursuing wisdom.

 

Following the Commandments

 

And what about following the commandments?  By following the commandments, we mean, of course, the 10 Commandments.  The rules that give shape and structure to our lives.  Like the structural framework of a geodesic dome, they hold it all together.  We would do well to heed these words of John Calvin: “We are in no position to rely upon God's promises unless we obey his commandments.”

 

Treating Others with Respect

 

What about treating others with respect?  Has this goal fallen out of favor, in the general way people act, the way they live now?  We hear of all sorts of clashes between people that, at their core, demonstrate lack of respect.  Sermons are about Good News, not bad news, so I will not belabor the point.  But if the Beatitudes teach us anything, they teach us to believe that the other person is worthy of our attention, our value, our compassion, our actions on their behalf. Treating others with respect takes no more time than not doing so.  Jesus illuminates this, in the Beatitudes.  His gift of attributes, to hold in our hearts and minds, to keep near us.  Inside our calendar, on our refrigerator, in our office desk drawer.  As a reminder. Treating others with respect is a life-practice that will become almost automatic, when we practice it over and over again.

 

If you ran into an old friend you had not seen in a long time, and if they asked how you were, and if you said: “I am perusing wisdom, following the commandments, and treating others with respect,” would they be surprised by your answer?  They might be surprised you phrased it that way.  But they know you well enough to know that you mean what you say.

 

The Beatitudes are for us.  They are also for the saints of God whom we remember on this All Saints Day.  People who having lived this life in faith, now live eternally with the Lord.  People who would say about our Lord Jesus, "Gently, deliberately, Christ drew me into that divine sphere of his personality, with the ultimate sureness of truth.  How blessed I am, that I was drawn into that intricate tapestry of iridescent grace, which, interlacing with mine, spread patterns of light and love over my life.”

 

The saints are the recipients of the fulfilled promises of the Beatitudes.  They are being comforted.  They are inheriting the earth.  They are filled with good things.  They have received mercy.  They see God.  They are children of God.  Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Their reward is great, in heaven.  They have obtained the crown of glory.  Their souls have gained the joy of eternity.  If you have been wondering about your friend, your family member, who having lived this life in faith now lives eternally with God, trust and believe, that is their reality, now.  As for us, we are still on the way of Jesus Christ.  We have more to do, along the lines of what Jesus tells us.  We have been given the wonderful blessings and responsibilities of sharing the faith.

 

Jesus is inviting us into his overarching environment of peace, comfort, joy, mercy, and hope.  His sphere of influence, that will comfort and will bless.  We are invited to sing, with all the saints in glory, Christ’s theme song - the Beatitudes.  Committed to Christ, and to others, may we live into this attitude:  Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and receive, without forgetting.  In Christ, may it be so.  Amen.

A MIGHTY FORTRESS

 

A MIGHTY FORTRESS

A sermon by the Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Shadyside Presbyterian Church

Reformation Sunday, October 25, 2020

Psalm 1; Matthew 22:34-46

 

Here is a famous moment in which Jesus gives them more than they were asking for. They wanted a one-commandment answer.  He gives them two. The first one is all about God. The second one is all about neighbor. The two go hand in hand.

Pittsburgh Presbyterians have a corner on the concept of neighbor.  We live in neighborhoods, not unlike the one that Presbyterian Pastor Fred Rogers brought to the TV screen.  He helped young children and their families realize we are all interconnected by love. Think of the introduction to his show.  In the days before drones, he gave us first an aerial perspective.  Then our focus became closer and deeper, right down to his own doorstep.  Making abstract concepts real.  Taking what we believe down to the personal level.  There is neighborliness! Love your neighbor on the grand scale; the bird’s eye view.  Love people in general, but do not stop there.  Focus-in on the specific, the personal, which will allow people to receive the love you share.

Today being Reformation Sunday, I like to think back to the great reformers of 500 years ago.  What were they attempting?  To make the church of their day as much like the church in the first century AD as possible.  So that the church for their children and their children’s children would be closer to the ideal of the churches founded by the first apostles.  It called for the whole community to live according to the way of Jesus.  Every church that honors the spirit of the Reformation still strives to do exactly that. 

If you were to go to Geneva to see what is there, one of the famous sights is that sculpture of the Reformers.  There they are, larger than life, carved in stone, standing tall.  At the center of the monument, four 5 m-tall statues of Calvinism's main proponents are depicted:  William Farel (1489–1565), John Calvin (1509–1564), Theodore Beza (1519–1605), John Knox (c.1513–1572).  To the left are 3 m-tall statues of: Frederick William of Brandenburg (1620–1688). William the Silent (1533–1584), and Gaspard de Coligny (1519–1572). To the right are 3 m-tall statues of: Roger Williams (1603–1684), Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), and Stephen Bocskai (1557–1606).  I’d like to think that if those Reformers were to step down from that wall, and make their way to our church on Reformation Sunday, that they would approve of what they find.  Maybe they would even have some words to say on this occasion.  (Although I suppose that William the Silent would have nothing to say).

And what of that other, most famous Reformer? Martín Luther might like to know that we still sing his song, A Mighty Fortress, on Reformation Sunday.  At the Pgh Theological Seminary 200^th commencement in 1994, Fred Rogers was the commencement speaker.  He took as his focus for the sermon at line from Marin Luther’s Reformation hymn. And he told of a conversation he once had with his beloved professor, Dr. William Orr.  At the nursing home.  Fred and his wife Joanne went there, every Sunday after worship, to visit Doctor Orr. 

That Sunday’s worship had concluded with Luther’s famous Reformation hymn.  One verse had caught Fred’s attention:

“The Prince of Darkness grim,

We tremble not for him,

His rage we can endure,

For lo, his doom is sure;

One little word shall fell him.”

      Fred Rogers asked Dr. Orr what was that one little word, which could defeat the prince of darkness?  Dr. Orr responded, “There is only one thing evil cannot stand and that is forgiveness.”  We might say that forgiveness is an example of love made tangible.

        It is also fair for us to say that love is made tangible, when we give to our church. To forgive.  To give.   Our pledges, are a real commitment to care for our congregation, and our neighbors near and far. How blessed we are on this stewardship commitment Sunday, that you are making your faith real, your hope focused, your love tangible, as you let the church know what you will contribute in the year ahead. With your generous and prayerful gifts, the heart you have for our Lord will reach far, and encourage many, and honor God.  As we move from 2020 into 2021, we have heartfelt hopes and dreams that what lies ahead will help us serve Christ even more effectively – through new ways of being the church, as well as traditional ones.  In order to make that happen, each one of your gifts is requested, and every one of them is appreciated. To forgive.  To give.  Love made tangible.

How do we experience love made tangible from God?  We find it in our very lives.  God created us in love.  God called us God’s own, in love.  God provided us a way when there seemed to be no way, in love.  God sent massagers of hope and guidance to us.  In the prophets of the Old Testament, and in the leaders of the early church, out of love. God came to us in love, in the person of Jesus Christ. God showed us the extent of divine love, as we looked at Christ, the Messiah, as we listened to his teaching, as we grew through his wisdom, as people were called and claimed, forgiven. set free and made whole, given hope and a new beginning.  God sealed that love for us in Jesus, by giving his life, for ours, in enduring the cross and the grave, on our behalf, in undoing the finality of death, and in opening to us the way everlasting.  How can we say thank you?  How can we show our gratitude for God’s great love for us?

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”

And what about our neighbors? “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In 2020 we have learned that our neighbors are both near us and far away. We have learned that our neighbors long for us to know that their lives matter.  We have learned that neighbors are not yet able to live in ways that God intends, where they can be whole and well. We have learned in this far from ordinary year that love can extend as far as our gifts and our technology will allow.  We have learned that sharing in a worthy cause and giving to bring relief are just as important as ever. 

At some point this past year, as I was returning to Pittsburgh by air, the pilot gave me a special gift. On his approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, he flew directly over our neighborhood.  I looked and saw Fifth Avenue and Ellsworth Avenue, and Amberson Avenue, and Westminster Place. I saw our church building and grounds. And then, something even better happened.  Here and there beside the church, I saw some cars, which I recognized as belonging to some of you.  And it made me think of you.  And that made me very very glad.  Because it moved me from the general idea of neighbor, to the specific.  To you.  To the love you share.

I invite you to keep on doing that. Focusing-in on the specific, the personal, so others will continue to receive the love you have to give.  As you do, you will make what Jesus says about the greatest commandment real.  Today.  And all the days to come.  Amen.