{"id":1291,"date":"2017-11-26T14:11:03","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T14:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/?page_id=1291"},"modified":"2017-11-26T14:17:54","modified_gmt":"2017-11-26T14:17:54","slug":"sermon-19th-november-2017-morning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/information\/sermons\/sermon-19th-november-2017-morning\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon – 19th November 2017 – morning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sermons index<\/a><\/p>\n

Second Sunday before Advent – morning<\/h1>\n
\n

Sunday 19th November 2017<\/h3>\n

Second Sunday before Advent
\n
\n1 Thess. 5. 1-11
\nMatthew 25. 14-30
\n(Parable of the Talents)
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs<\/p>\n

\n

\"MaureenI spent a good bit of this week working away from Pattingham, with a group of other clergy from across the whole of the West Midlands (not just Lichfield Diocese), helping them to discern and think how they might best develop their leadership skills and ability. Thinking about their particular and individual talents; talents that come ultimately from God; and how they might best put them to use in the service of God\u2019s kingdom. This is part of the \u2018other\u2019 half of my job…. I know you like to think of me as just your Vicar, but I serve God and the diocese in other ways as well. Not more important than being your parish priest, but demanding of my time and attention as well.<\/p>\n

But I am not unique in this respect. Everyone here this morning has one identity \u2013 as mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, neighbour, friend, carer or any number of professions and occupations, but will also occupy one or more other identities as well. And all of us are Christians gathered together in God\u2019s name to offer him our worship and to share in the great gift of his love, demonstrated through the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

And God gives to each of us a generous share of talents. The question to ask ourselves this morning is, \u201chow are we using them? How are we developing their potential to serve God\u2019s purposes? What are we prepared to risk, in order that they might grow further?\u201d<\/p>\n

And what about our corporate identity? We are the Body of Christ in this place… How are we using our joint talents? How are we serving God\u2019s purposes for Pattingham, Patshull and beyond?<\/p>\n

Those are questions that your PCC \u2013 our church council \u2013 considers almost every time we meet on your behalf. And I am pleased to be able to commend you as a church for the very real outreach that you exercise towards the community.<\/p>\n

At Christmas \u2013 along with the Card that goes to every home in the parish detailing the Christmas services and inviting people to come along, there will be another of our periodic leaflets reminding people in the wider parish something about the life of this church. And when you start to make a list of all the work that people do with, and the support we give, to the school, with the various charitable trusts, with organising the Bells Run and the Scarecrow Festival, with the \u201cWho\u2019s for lunch?\u201d initiative, with our links with St Alban\u2019s, Wednesfield and with the Covenanting Churches of Wolverhampton West, with the Children\u2019s society, and the Royal British Legion, with other various overseas and national charities …. well it soon mounts up and in fact we are involved in more than there is room for on the Christmas leaflet, so we can rightly claim that we are doing something with our time and our talents. I see little evidence that we are burying our talents away and refusing to take risks on God\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n

But it is always good to keep such things under review; to renew and refresh them from time to time and it is part of my role, I suppose, to encourage you to remember that whatever you do; however you decide to use and risk and develop your talents, you are only doing that because of the love that God has for and with you. Because of the risk he took in taking the form of a human being and coming to dwell with us.<\/p>\n

The story of the Golden Eagle.<\/p>\n

One day, someone found an eagle\u2019s egg and placed it under a brooding hen.
\nThe eaglet hatched with the chickens and grew to be just like them. He clucked and cackled; \u2018scratched\u2019 the earth for worms and bits of corn; flapped his wings and managed to fly just a few feet in the air.<\/p>\n

Years passed. One day, the eagle, now grown old, saw a magnificent bird above him in the sky. It glided in graceful majesty against the powerful wind, with scarcely a movement of its wonderful wings, the back of which had a beautiful golden sheen\u2026<\/p>\n

Spellbound, the eagle asked, \u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the King of the birds, the eagle\u201d said his neighbour. \u201cHe belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth.- we\u2019re chickens.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the eagle lived and died a chicken for that\u2019s what he thought he was.<\/em><\/p>\n

S.Paul tells us we are meant to encourage and build each other up in the faith. Think about the many talents we have sitting here this morning. What are the ways in which these are at present and might in the future be offered to God and celebrated?<\/p>\n

How might we find ways to ensure that \u2013 unlike the eagle in my story – we recognise our true potential and soar away to fulfil God\u2019s will for us?<\/p>\n

What is the \u2018talent\u2019 which we, the Church community, have been entrusted with in this place?<\/p>\n

Are we preserving it? Are we using it? Are we risking it so that it might grow?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sermons index Second Sunday before Advent – morning Sunday 19th November 2017 Second Sunday before Advent 1 Thess. 5. 1-11 Matthew 25. 14-30 (Parable of the Talents) Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs I spent a good bit of this week working away from Pattingham, with a group of other clergy from across the whole of the … <\/p>\n

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