Secondary: Current Assemblies

HARVEST TIME AGAIN?

By Ronni Lamont

Suitable for Key Stage 3


Aim

To examine how we use our talents.

Preparation and materials

• This assembly is based upon Matthew 25.14–30.
• You could easily prepare a short drama based on the story. It works well in a series of still pictures or tableaux.

Assembly

1. Have you ever thought that what you achieve in life is a bit like a harvest? Here’s a story that helps us to think about that.
   
   Once there was a strict landowner. He went away for a while on business, so he entrusted much of his wealth to three servants. The coins of the time were called ‘talents’. To one servant he gave five talents. To another he gave two talents. To the last he gave just one.
   
   The first servant took his five talents, and invested them on the stock exchange. The second took his two talents and invested them at a bank. The third took his one and only talent, dug a hole in a field and buried it. He carefully marked the spot so that he could dig it up when he needed it.
   
   A year later the owner returned, and the three servants were summoned to his counting house.
   
   The first one stepped forward and said: ‘You gave me five talents, and I invested them on the stock exchange. Here – they’ve doubled in value.’ The landowner was delighted. He slapped the servant on the back, and invited him to a rather smart party he was holding later that day.
   
   The second one stepped forward. ‘You gave me two talents, and I invested them at the bank. Here – they’ve doubled in value.’ The landowner was delighted. He slapped the servant on the back, and invited him to a rather smart party he was holding later that day.
   
   The third one stepped forward. ‘You gave me just one talent. But I knew that you can be hard and cruel, and I was scared that I might lose it altogether. So I buried it in a field: here you are.’ And he gave the landowner the somewhat dirty coin.
   
   The owner was indeed furious. ‘You useless servant!’ he shouted. ‘You knew I could be cruel, did you? Well, I will be now – get out and never return to my house.’ The servant left, and was never seen again.
   
2. This story is based on the idea that a talent is like money. You are all talented, in different ways. Some of you seem to have loads of talent (name some of the sports ‘stars’ in this age group). Some of you keep your talents to yourself (name some lesser-known talents, perhaps not mentioning names). And some of you think you’ve hardly got any talents at all. But we all have.
   
3. But what happens if you don’t use the talent you’ve got? What would happen if David Beckham didn’t train? If you didn’t practise your French vocab? If you never wrote a story, painted a picture, befriended a lonely person? You’d forget how to do it. You’d lose your talent, and it certainly wouldn’t develop.
   
4. At the end of your time in school, how will you have developed the talents and abilities that you’ve been born with? How could you work at developing your talents more?
   
   And don’t forget – talents are more than academic achievements: what about the ability to help out? To cheer people up? To be there for your friends? Social talents are just as important as academic, artistic or sporting talents.
   
   We’ve all got talent, let’s use it.

Time for reflection

At the end of your time in school, how will you have developed the talents and abilities that you’ve been born with? What will your harvest of achievement look like?

Will you be like the first two servants, who worked on their talents, developing and growing them?

Or are you going to bury your talent, so that it goes to waste?

(Pause)

Prayer

May I use my talents to the maximum:

Working hard

Playing hard

Growing and stretching my intellect.

That I may do as well as I can

And others may benefit from having me around.

Amen.

Suggested songs

‘Will you come and follow me?’ (Hymns Old and New, 560)