CW 751 - O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made
The Gospel lesson for this week is the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a rich man who entrusts his wealth to three servants based on their abilities. To one man, he gave five talents of silver (a talent was a unit of measurement of about seventy-five pounds); to the second, he gave two talents; and to the third, he gave one talent. Then, the rich man left on an extended journey. The first two servants immediately went and put their lord’s money to work, but the third man buried the talent in a hole. After a long time, the rich man returned and demanded an accounting from his servant. The first two came and reported that they had doubled their lord’s wealth. He was well pleased with them and rewarded them for their faithful service. The third man admitted he had done nothing with the talent entrusted to him. The lord harshly punished him for his faithlessness.
This parable is a reminder for us to be faithful with the gifts God has given to each of us. We have all been blessed by the Lord in different ways. Everything we have is a gift given to us by God. The Lord expects us to use our gifts and talents in faithful service to his kingdom. As children of God, we want to serve our heavenly Father and show gratitude for what we have been given. We do good works by using our talents and gifts by supporting the work of the church and serving our neighbors in love. Our service to God is unique to each one of us. We have all been given different gifts in different amounts, but each of us can use those gifts in unique ways to serve our Lord. This is what faithful service to our God looks like.
O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made is a hymn that reminds us of this truth. Everything in our lives (our clothes, money, various gifts and talents) are gifts from God. Stewardship is wisely using these gifts in service to our Lord. This means returning a portion of our gifts to the Lord in the form of offerings, but it also means doing everything in our lives to the best of our ability in service to our God. If we have the ability to do math well, we should do math well to the glory of God. If we have the ability to show kindness to others, then we should do that in service to God. At each stage of our lives, we are given unique opportunities to serve God. This is called our vocation. Everything we do in our lives, we do as if we were doing it for God.
Verse 1: O God, your hand the heavens made and all that they contain; the world appeared at your command, and in it now you reign. The restless sea, the land, the sky your handiwork declare; the touch of your creative power is present everywhere.
Verse one reminds us that all of creation is a gift from God. God created this world and everything in it as a blessing to humanity. The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:20 tells us that creation itself declares that God exists and that he is powerful. We call this the natural knowledge of God. The beauty of creation only tells us part of the story. It does not tell us about God’s love or how he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for the sins of the world. As we
look at the wonder of creation, the stars in the sky, the multitude and diversity of animals, and all the other wonders of creation, we rejoice and praise God for the wonders of his creation.
Question: List some of the most spectacular things you have seen in God’s creation and give thanks to the Lord for them.
Verse 2: To us are given gifts divine, all talents you have sent; inspire us now to use them well your kingdom to extend. We hold each gift a trust for you nor claim it as our own; we gratefully acknowledge, Lord, all things are yours alone.
Verse two reminds us that all of our gifts and talents have been given to us by God. Our abilities are not our own; they are gifts of mercy that have been given to us to use in service to our Lord. We use these gifts to extend the kingdom of God. We have all been given different gifts, talents, and abilities, so our service in God’s kingdom will look different and unique. This is a wonderful blessing of God! Each of us can serve in our own special way using the abilities we have been given. This lets us serve in ways that allow us to grow in our strengths and augment the strengths and weaknesses of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Question: Take a few moments and list your unique gifts and how you can use them in service to our Lord.
Verse 3: Deliver us from selfish aims, true stewards we would be; endow us with a deep desire to live unselfishly. A full accounting we must give and see you face to face; let us approach your throne with joy, supported by your grace.
It is easy to take our gifts for granted and use them for our own selfish ends. This is the point of Jesus’s parable of the Talents. The wicked servant selfishly hid his talent and did not use it in service to his Lord. On Judgment Day, God will demand an accounting from us on how faithfully we have used the gifts and abilities he has blessed us. While we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone, it is still necessary for Christians to do good works. The Book of James reminds us that faith without works is dead. An apple tree that is alive and well will produce apples. The same is true of our faith. If we have faith, we will produce fruits of faith. This final verse of our hymn encourages us to use the gifts we have been given in faithful service to our Lord so that we can stand before him on the Last Day and hear those wonderful words of blessing that are ours through Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Question: What are some ways that you can be a better steward of the gifts God has given to you?
O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made is a beautiful reminder that God has gifted us with so many blessings. We praise God for the heavens and the earth that were created by his almighty Word. We praise him for the unique talents and abilities he has given to each of us. And we ask God to
help us be better stewards of these gifts so that we can use them to the best of our ability in service to him.