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Text: Luke 19:27a. “Well done,” he said, ‘you are a good servant!”GNB 

Intro:-  

What is Jesus really talking  about in this parable of the gold coins? What  is more precious than gold? Psalm 19:10, talking about the judgements of the Lord,  says,”More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.” BCP. 
I would suggest that Jesus is talking about the Gospel, the Good News of the kingdom of God. As Christians we follow  Jesus in passing on this precious message. Luke tells us that the people listening to Jesus supposed that the Kingdom of God was about to appear. 

The servant with ten gold coins.  
The message is this: a good servant who received one gold coin made  ten coins, making the most of his opportunity to serve his master. It is an example for us. It also  reflects the tone of Jesus’ own ministry when he attracted large crowds. He called twelve disciples, he fed five thousand and four thousand. As he reached out to so many, so he showed us what a good  servant should be. 

The Church in its history has held crusades and missions to give many people the chance to receive the precious gift of faith. There are also other commendable efforts for the sake of the Gospel which are smaller in scope. 

The servant with five gold coins! 
To me this is Jesus saying that there is room for smaller numbers. Often the effect of presenting  the Good News in Jesus Christ has a domino effect. The message is passed on from one to another. I remember the man who said to me,”You took  the trouble to come and tell us from a great distance, about Jesus.”He  then was able to tell his family. 

Whilst doing my National Service, and being posted abroad, I was part of a fellowship. Of that group, three became ordained in different denominations and one became a social worker. It showed me that a small group can spread the message of faith   far and wide. 

The Servant with just one gold coin. 
It seems that Jesus in this parable comes down hard on this servant, who after all was only  being cautious and careful  with his master’s money. But  Jesus is making this valuable point. The richness of the Gospel is not to hidden or buried. The  Good News that God has come to save his people through  His Son is to be  proclaimed  everwhere.so,that faith in God will increase.  

It seems to me that even churches can be tempted to keep the Gospel to themselves – almost hiding it from others, so to speak, whereas  there is great need in this world for people to share and enjoy the riches of faith – to belong to the God who sent his Son to his people, whose judgements are more precious than gold. Jesus is that precious Word made flesh and let us then become good and faithful servants  of that loving God.