Neighborhood Ministries

(B)  Sunday before Pentecost- Dedicating Our Talents-The seventh Sunday of Eastertide is Ascension Sunday when we celebrate Christ’s return to heaven. When Christ finished giving His disciples their assignment, He ascended into heaven, leaving them to carry on the work until He returns (Acts1:7-11). In the parable of the talents (Math. 25:14-30) Jesus makes it clear that He was leaving His disciples and entrusting them to carry on His work. He indicates that He has given everyone talents to help build His kingdom. Some have many talents, some have very few. He indicated that one day He is coming back and those who are in Christ will stand before Him to give an account of how we used the talents He gave us. How we use those talents will determine our eventual reward. If we use those talents abundantly, He will reward us abundantly but if we squander them, we will receive little or no reward when He returns.  Eastertide should have been a time when members sought their talents and the church sought ways to use those talents. If so, Ascension Sunday should be a time when they commit themselves to the summer evangelistic work so that Pentecost can be a fruitful time of winning souls.