Bishop's sermons: Bp James' sermon at Diocesan Synod 13 Nov 2004

‘Living it Large’ (Matthew 25.14-29)
(From Survival to Revival)
Sermon preached at Carlisle Cathedral on 13 November 2004

Talking to young people (including my own children), I periodically hear words and expressions that are new to me and that (usually) I don’t understand. You may know the feeling! But I came across a phrase the other day that I thought was really brill, as my youngest daughter might say – “living it large”.

For young people, that means developing the sort of lifestyle that provides them with the maximum possible good time – all the time. From a Christian point of view, that sort of lifestyle often leaves a great deal to be desired! But “hey” (to enter into the spirit of things!) – whatever – like; why should youngsters have all the best gigs? I want to purloin “living it large” and use it to describe the sort of lifestyle Jesus had in mind whenever he spoke about what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.

And, of course, that’s exactly what he was doing in the so-called “Parable of the Talents” which we just heard. Like the “labourers in the vineyard”, this wasn’t delivered as a sort of lesson in GCSE Economics. Jesus told it to draw a vivid contrast between people like the Pharisees who stuck to the letter of the law and made religion sterile and dull: and people (like his true disciples) who were willing to live by the spirit – that is to “live it large” in a colourful and life-enhancing way, by displaying commitment; confidence and courage.

First, commitment – to the master and his purpose.

In the parable, the rascally servant horded what was entrusted to him by the master and, according to Luke, he didn’t even do that very efficiently. He “wrapped it in a napkin” before burying it in the ground (there were no safes in those days) which, according to Rabbinic Law, was an inadequate way of storing a deposit. In those days, it was taken for granted by Jews that capital should be exploited. No specific instructions were necessary, but the servant was paralysed by fear of his master. His philosophy was “survival” – simply hanging on to what he had been given and, as he discovered to his cost, that was unacceptable.

Living in the kingdom means learning to “live it large” like the two faithful servants, with the message of this parable ringing in our ears: “Trade until I come”! The problem is that often, like the rascally servant, our philosophy is also “survival”, and we horde what has been entrusted to us, afraid that if we don’t ,we may lose even what little we have of:

• pastoral care for ourselves from “our” Vicar

• popularity, or at least amused tolerance in our community

• control over what happens in “our” Church


Somebody pointed out to me the other day that because I have money in the Bank, plastic in my wallet and spare change in a dish on the bedroom chest of drawers, I rank among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. That means we all do: and our spiritual wealth is even greater. But it has been given to us to be shared, and keeping it for ourselves is the equivalent of defrauding God. We become like Luigi Tarisio, a famous collector of musical instruments. When he died in 1854, two hundred and forty six exquisite violins were found in his house, including Stradivarius’ own favourite, which had been stored in the bottom of a rickety old bureau. All those violins were made to be played. Tarisio robbed the world of their sound just as, without real commitment to the master and his purpose, Christians can so easily rob the world of the Gospel.

Second, confidence in that Gospel.

In the parable, the faithful servants were confident that when it was put to work, the money they had been given would multiply. And it did. We are called to have the same confidence in the priceless Gospel we have been given: confidence in its truth, confidence in its timeless and universal relevance, confidence in its power to change and transform people’s lives. This confidence needs to be more than a “belief” (which is something we hold). It needs to be a “conviction” – something which holds and sustains us.

When it is, we won’t hesitate to:

• tell the story of how God is at work in our lives and in our communities (and how that story needs telling: according to a recent survey, two-thirds of people think that the local Pub has more to offer their community than the local Church)

• pray, believing that it really will make a difference

• challenge others to make the same commitment as ourselves (one key characteristic of every growing Church is the challenge it presents to be different ..)

When we water down the Gospel to meet the mood of the age, we dumb down its challenge and deprive it of power: rather like a Traffic Warden, clamping a sports car. Like every other Christian around the world and throughout history, we have been given a one item agenda. That item is mission – spreading the Gospel by what we are and say and do and, at next March’s Synod, we shall be looking together at possible ways of resourcing that mission in the Deaneries of this Diocese.

Third, courage to take risks.

In the parable, the rascally servant is excessively cautious while the faithful servants are prepared to leave their comfort zones and take risks by using what the master has given them.

For us, faithfulness means being like those “good and trustworthy” servants. I read recently about the Parker brothers who in 1934 laughed Charles Darrow out of their offices. He wanted them to market a game he had invented called “Monopoly”. “It’s too complicated”, they told him. “It’ll never work”. A year later, they recognised their mistake and took him on. Since then, they have sold over 100 million sets, and made enough little green houses to go right round the world if laid end to end!



The Gospel can seem “too complicated” to some. Others can’t believe it’ll ever work – at least “not where we live”. But in the Parable of the Talents, Jesus calls us all to take risks, to launch out into the deep and to leave our comfort zones and trust him.

Risk has become rather a dirty word in our society. But it’s what we are wired for. Only last week, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents warned that children are now thrill-seeking on railway lines and building sites because playgrounds are so boring. Councils are so scared of being sued, they have eliminated all the risk – and, with it, all the fun.

New liturgies, new ways of being Church, new places to meet for worship, new strategies for outreach – there are plenty of risks for us to take. Many of them are contained in the objectives we have chosen for the coming year and in this parable Jesus says, quite simply, “Get on with it”.

So does our Diocesan Plan. Its six “aspects” or “dimensions” are writ large on the banners around me. (Originally, they were going to be brought up, until we realised that the bearers wouldn’t be able to see where they were going which wasn’t quite the message we were hoping to convey!) This Plan is designed to:

• increase commitment to our master and his purpose

• build confidence in his Gospel

• encourage us all to take risks in his service

It’s all about “living it large”. “For to those who have”, said Jesus, “more will be given: and they will have an abundance”.