Sermon September 18, 2022
Luke 16:1-13
The Message
The Story of the Crooked Manager
16 1-2 Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You’re fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.’
3-4 “The manager said to himself, ‘What am I going to do? I’ve lost my job as manager. I’m not strong enough for a laboring job, and I’m too proud to beg. . . . Ah, I’ve got a plan. Here’s what I’ll do . . . then when I’m turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.’
5 “Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “He replied, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’
“The manager said, ‘Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now—write fifty.’
7 “To the next he said, ‘And you, what do you owe?’
“He answered, ‘A hundred sacks of wheat.’
“He said, ‘Take your bill, write in eighty.’
8-9 “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”
God Sees Behind Appearances
10-13 Jesus went on to make these comments:
If you’re honest in small things, you’ll be honest in big things; If you’re a crook in small things, you’ll be a crook in big things. If you’re not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? No worker can serve two bosses: He’ll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
In today’s scripture reading, Jesus is giving a parable to the disciples about a rich man and his manager. The manager was not honest, and took advantage of the rich man. When the rich man found out, he planned to fire the manager. The manager then used his street smarts to change the bills of those who owed the rich man, reducing them, so that when he was fired, he would have places to go.
What I got out of this story, and a point for today is this part:
using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live.
The poor and needy are the ones that Jesus spoke of frequently. These people already were living in survival mode, They are today living on the bare essentials. Those who are homeless, needing food stamps to feed themselves – these are the people of the story. They are street-wise, they are alive, yet they live without the extras that can make us soft.
This week I was able to meet with some of the poorest people on earth. There were about 20 women from Bugambe in Uganda, on a zoom call. They belong to an organization called Hope Empowerment Organization, which was begun by a young woman, Joan, who I met there about 2 and a half years ago. Joan was an orphan who was taken in and raised by a woman who had means, who had wealth, a Ugandan woman. Now that she is a grown woman, Joan decided to give back to those who need support by creating this organization.
When in Uganda in 2020, I had met women like these, and had seen their circumstances. Some lived in a 3 sided shelter or in a mud hut with a thatched roof. No electricity, and the only water was a pump a quarter mile away. They generally had one or two outfits, and food was scarce. Once, a nurse from the US was teaching them about cleanliness and how to stay healthy. She was teaching them about boiling water before drinking it. The women explained that if they did that, they would not have fuel for cooking food. I imagine if they met the homeless in the US who use McDonald’s for bathrooms and water, they would feel the lives of the homeless were full of luxury!
I was meeting them on Zoom to teach them an exercise that can calm down their nervous system and help relieve their trauma, even if just for a few minutes. Also,theyI have been raising money to buy land so they can grow their own vegetables, chickens and pigs, and sell what they don’t need. They are learning to live a sustained life. Each one was so beautiful! And each was so grateful, not because I am their “white savior”, but because I brought them hope.
These women do not have money as their master. They worship daily, and constantly are praising God. They are grateful for every little thing in their lives, and truly believe these things are God Given.
The greatest lesson I learned from these wonderful people of Uganda was that of gratitude and joy. For each little thing they receive, there is no expectation. Because there is no materialism, there is no greed, no envy, no selfishness. Each person works very hard. When we finished doing the exercise together, there was an explosion of joy and gratitude! Believe me, I never got that kind of reception when teaching it in the States! These women live on the bare essentials so that they live, really live!
So now let’s pray for the poorest of poor, the neediest of the neediest. People who barely have enough to survive, the ones who live in war zones, who are oppressed by their governments, or who are cast out by their own people.
Let us pray. Dear God, our God of compassion and love, today we pray for those who live on the barest of essentials. We pray that their hearts are open to you, that they will receive what they need in the way of love, in the way of financial help, food, clothing and shelter. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Let’s turn our attention to the homeless. We know them, maybe not by name, but probably by face, as these people cannot be “home” when it rains or snows or they are bored or tired. They sleep on benches, in sleeping bags in parks, on porches of churches. They eat in the soup kitchens. Some are in between homes, and homelessness is temporary. Others have lost employment, causing loss of housing, and struggle mentally and physically. They may not see a pathway to housing. There also exists homeless people who choose it as an independent way of life. Their needs are great. Let us pray for them:
Dear God, who sustains us, help us to be understanding, to see how the homeless are sustained. We pray that you comfort them and provide for them especially in the worst weather. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Consider next a wide swath of the American population – those who close to bankruptcy, or homelessness or other economic disaster. They may have a roof over their heads. They may have food thanks to food stamps. They may get their clothing from the Salvation Army to stretch the dollar. These people may be the disabled, the elderly, or the working poor.
Did you know that slightly more than half of American adults have less than $1000 cash banked? That they are 1 paycheck away from disaster? That they cannot afford a car repair or extra dental work or an emergency room visit? Many people today are learning how to be street-wise, and how to exist on the bare minimum. They may be your neighbors, co-workers, relatives, even fellow church members. These also are the poor and the needy.
So let’s pray right now for these people.
Dear God, as we turn our attention to the people who are living on the bare minimum, we pray that they find enough essentials to live comfortable today, this week, and beyond. Bless them through their struggles. Amen.
We have been praying for a great percentage of the population. We have been praying for their comfort, mostly. For them to be able to exist on the bare minimum.
Let’s return to the scripture:
No worker can serve two bosses: He’ll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
I look out at you, and I feel that you who are listening today, love God more than money. Why? Because you are here, and you do not have to be. Many of us are struggling to figure out how to “be” in this world. I’m 65, and I have never seen the world in such disarray, with prices going up on everything while income stays the same or barely stays with inflation. The demand at food banks and soup kitchens are very high and increasing all the time. What can we do?
If we are one of the ones being served, we can be grateful. If we are being served, then it means that some people are donating, some people are serving God and us, instead of the bank. If we are some of those who are serving, we can be grateful that we have enough to share.
Meister Eckhart said, If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
So we have one more prayer. Repeat after me.
Dear God,
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you!
Amen.
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