God doesn't make rubbish
6 June 2004 – Janet Wootton: "You are amazing – that is the way God has made you. You can discover the delight that God takes in you..."
The reading before Janet's sermon was from Jesus' parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25.Hello. It's good to be here.
We've just heard how God delights in us as human beings, and gives us talents to use in his service.
God thinks we are delightful. Of course! Because God made us and God wouldn't make rubbish.
Then we heard the story told by Jesus, in which God is like a rich person who gives out huge amounts of money to his servants.
Except this isn't money – it's something much better. It's all the talents and abilities we have as human beings.
Think of the talents you have, that make you distinct from everyone else.
Maybe you are a genius at organisation, or brilliantly creative; maybe you are the life and soul of every party; or a loyal friend; or a solitary genius – whatever.
God made you and God has given you your own measure of intelligence, skill and the capacity to love and form relationships.
So how come – if we are all so delightful and talented – that we make such a mess of the world?
On D-Day, we are remembering the push back against Nazi power, and that brings to mind the horrors of war, and the horrors of genocide.
But we don't have to go back 60 years: remember Rwanda, Bosnia... and other terrible tragedies: the twin towers, and now Iraq.
It doesn't look like a world of delightful and talented people. Talented, maybe, but certainly nothing that could delight God – unless God is into violence and destruction.
One answer is in the story Jesus told. The servants who were welcomed by God were those who made the most of their talents, and offered them back, openly and gladly.
God doesn't give us all this wealth of love and joy and ability to misuse – to grab things for ourselves, or to abuse and hurt others.
That is how the spiral of evil begins. Revenge begets revenge; each stage is worse than the last.
I have worked with people who are homeless and rejected, and seen wrecked lives; people living with bitterness and misery – and it's all so pointless!
The story of the talents is followed in Matthew 25 by another story – you could look it up sometime.
Here, Jesus says that the people who are welcomed by God are those who spend their lives trying to turn back the spiral of evil.
He shows us how to use our talents for good – to feed the hungry, help the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned. This is the way to share God's delight, and the way to use the talents God has given.
You are amazing – that is the way God has made you. You can discover the delight that God takes in you.
Enjoy life. That is what God made you for – to enjoy God's world.
And part of that enjoyment is to follow Jesus and serve him with all our talents, time and ability. To give our lives, our amazing, delightful lives, to God.
Rev Dr Janet Wootton is Director of Studies for the Congregational Federation. Until the end of 2003, she was minister of Union Chapel, Islington, an inner city church with an active homelessness project and a varied music programme. She is a hymnwriter, editor of Worship Live, and is involved in editing the Feminist Theology Journal.
