As the ‘ordinary’ season comes to a slow close, the themes of readiness and attentiveness come to the fore — preparing the way into Advent, when we wait anxiously for the arrival of Immanuel.

We heard last week the warning to “keep awake,” to pay attention to the signs of the times and the presence of the Holy Spirit. And while we can all easily agree that “staying awake” seems like a good and reasonable thing to do, we might not all agree on what “staying awake” actually looks like.

Enter this week’s story about the talents — a pledge-season favorite — not because it says anything about giving your money to the church, but because it says everything about faithfulness and risk — knowing that it’s in giving that we receive — knowing that we can only find the fullness of life God has promised us by giving that very same life away.

In this season of political change and economic uncertainty, it would be all too easy to turn in on ourselves again — that ‘inward turn’ Augustine referred to as ’sin.’ It would be easy to ‘fall asleep,’ to take our eyes off the needs of the world and to focus, instead, on our own needs.

But we’re called to practice the discipline of “keeping awake” by continually demonstrating our commitment to the hopes and needs of the world in which we live and serve — by offering whatever blessings we’ve been given, both great and small, so that we might be a blessing to others.

It’s our time our talent and our treasure that God has given us to give away — especially in these uncertain times — not for our own sake, but for the sake of the world. And to those who have much faith — faith enough to resist the urge to hoard — much, much more will be given. But from those who have little faith, even what they have — both great and small — will be taken away.