You can read these readings here:   NIV  // NRSV   // The Message

Did you ever beg God to increase your faith? Have you ever prayed, “Lord, show yourself to me… Help me to understand you…” Have you ever said something like that? Do you know anyone who prayed this prayer?

Our human condition is such that we like and seek concreteness in our lives; we like things that we can touch and feel. On the other hand, we know that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1 KJV). Today’s readings from the Gospel (Luke 17:5-10) and Early Christian Writings (2 Timothy 1:1-14) shed a light on how we can go from hope in the ephemeral “something” that we do not see and cannot touch, to concrete faith that is observable in our lives.

On my spiritual journey, I have been fortunate to earn two units of CPE – Clinical Pastoral Education.

I recall one particular visit with a dying man in the spring of 2008. As I held his hand and listened to him pour out his soul to God, he told me about starting three separate families and walking out on all three of them. He told me how sorry he was that he was not able to be a supportive husband to the women he married, or a loving father to any of his children. It was sad because that man realized that he pushed away everything and everybody that could possibly bring meaning to his life and now, as he faced death, he was alone and lonely. The only people who were there for him were hospital nurses and a chaplain with a bad hairdo and a foreign accent. Both of us were moved to tears and both of us were swept in the holiness and honesty of the moment. And then something wonderful happened. I felt the light in the room getting brighter and I felt warmth enveloping me and everything else in the room. The patient felt something too. And both of us knew that we were touched by the presence of the Holy. Both of us felt the presence of God. It was “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound…” moment.

Part of CPE is something that is called “one-on-one” with a CPE supervisor. During my next “one-on-one” with my CPE supervisor, I presented a verbatim describing that experience and in a theological reflection I wrote how wonderful it was to feel that light and that warmth and how I yearn to experience it again, and again and again. I wrote that I wanted to be able to facilitate moments like this every time I did rounds and with all of my patients. That was a “Lord increase my faith” statement; EVERYBODY wants to be able to facilitate such moments, everybody wants to command God and demand that God appear when and where we want God to appear.

Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed …” Luke 17:6

I am a city boy. Most of my life I spent living in a city. Staring into the sky was never my gig because in the city, there is too much light pollution and it prevents you from seeing many stars. When my wife and I moved to Cecil County, one of the things that surprised me the most was how many stars are there. At night the whole sky is covered with a plethora of tiny specks of light that sparkle and glisten like tiny diamonds. None of those specks is bigger than a mustard seed.

A tiny speck of light from a distant star in the depth of the dark skies propelled the Magi to recognize that something important was happening in Judea. On that hunch, the Magi made special arrangements, organized a caravan and traveled from Persia to Judea to discover and see for themselves what was happening. We are talking about a decision that led to the hardships and dangers of living on the road for months and maybe even a year or two; we are talking about actions that were inspired by faith. “…faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1 KJV) wrote Paul in his letter to the Hebrews.

The Magi had faith in a small speck of light in the sky… the Magi responded to that speck of light in the dark skies with faith and with action.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (Luke 17:6 NIV)

Jesus used this metaphor – metaphor of a mulberry tree – as an illustration; it is not a call to find a mulberry tree and preach to it until it is uprooted and replanted somewhere else all by itself. Jesus makes the point that faith and service are connected and intertwined. The Magi uprooted their whole lives based on faith. Faith manifests itself in the way we live our lives and what we do with our lives. In the book of James we hear “… faith without works is dead” (James 2:20 NKJV).  The “mulberry tree” that Jesus referred to is a metaphor for you and I. The change in the “mulberry tree” that Jesus referred to is a metaphor for the changes that happen in us when we live lives of faith.

With that metaphor, Jesus makes the point that we increase our faith only after we learn to LIVE our faith. “Increasing our faith” is a life-long journey, it does not happen overnight. Our faith does not stay stagnant for the rest of our lives; it grows with each new experience of the Holy. Jesus makes the point that faith that does not
influence our daily lives is a meaningless intellectualism. Jesus makes the point that faith that does not influence our daily lives is spiritually sounding chatter, condescending egotism and feelings of self-importance; it may look and sound good but it is meaningless.

With the metaphor of the mulberry tree, Jesus makes the point that if we want stronger faith, we need to focus on God, and allow God’s glory to flow through us in all aspects of our lives. It is about rolling up our sleeves and working with others towards wholeness in the world where and when we live. It is about being in mission of making disciples for Jesus Christ by teaching them everything that Jesus taught us – we do that by demonstrating God’s presence in our own lives.

Today’s reading from the Early Christian Writings support this (my notes are marked in GREEN):

^NIV 2 Timothy 1:5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. [Paul makes a point that faith started with Lois and Eunice who TAUGHT that faith to young Timothy. We are the stewards of our faith now and it is up to us to carry it out for future generations of Christians. Lois and Eunice did their part so that Timothy could do his.]

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God [Paul calls young Timothy to BE productive, to get INVOLVED in life of faith in order to nurture and strengthen his faith ], which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline [so that you, Timothy, could live productive life that reflects God’s love, grace and presence].

⁸ So - [continues Paul] - do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord [to the best of your ability allow God’s grace and love to shine through you AND make sure that you welcome such opportunities – Timothy: be all that you can be - Timothy: be the best that you can be ], or ashamed of me his prisoner. … (NIV, my comments added).

Today is the World Communion Sunday. Today is a day when all Christians are invited to set aside the things that separate us and to focus on what unites us – the love of God and the hope of eternal salvation.

{Open the Communion Table}

You can read these readings here:   NIV  // NRSV   // The Message

I  am a city boy. Most of my life I spent living in a city. Staring into the sky was never my gig because in the city there is too much light pollution and it prevents you from seeing many stars. When we moved to Cecil County, one of the things that surprised me the most was how many stars are there. At night the whole sky is covered with a plethora of tiny specks of light that sparkle and glisten like tiny diamonds. None of those specks is bigger than a mustard seed.

A tiny speck of light from a distant star in the depth of the dark skies propelled the Magi to recognize that something important was happening in Judea. On that hunch, the Magi made special arrangements, organized a caravan and traveled from Persia to Judea to discover and see for themselves what was happening. We are talking about a decision that led to the hardships and dangers of living on the road for months and maybe even a year or two; we are talking about actions that were inspired by faith.

“…faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1 KJV) wrote Paul in his letter to the Hebrews.

The Magi had faith in a small speck of light in the sky… the Magi responded to that speck of light in the dark skies with faith and with action.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (Luke 17:6 NIV)

Jesus used this metaphor as an illustration; it is not a call to find a mulberry tree and witness to it until it is uprooted and replanted somewhere else all by itself. Jesus makes the point that faith and service are connected and intertwined. The Magi uprooted their whole lives based on faith. Faith manifests itself in the way we live our lives and what we do with our lives. In the book of James we hear “… faith without works is dead” (James 2:20 NKJV).  The change in the “mulberry tree” that Jesus referred to is a metaphor for the changes that happen in us when we strive to live lives of faith.

You can read these readings here:   NIV  // NRSV   // The Message

Did you ever beg God to strengthen your faith?  Did you ever experience an “increase my faith” moment in your life?

Luke 17:5-6 (NIV): 

⁵The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

⁶He [Jesus] replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

The more I am thinking about this scripture through the lens of my life experiences, the more I come to realize that faith and service are connected and intertwined (James 2:20 – “… faith without works is dead” NKJV.)  If we want stronger faith, we need to get involved!

2 Timothy 1:5-10 (New International Version)

⁵I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. [because Lois and Eunice taught young Timothy that faith, aft]  ⁶For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God [don’t just sit there like a log, get involved – aft], which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline [so that you – Timothy - could live meaningful and productive life – aft].

⁸So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord [speaking about serving and doing – aft], or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, ⁹who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Any thoughts or ideas?

You can read these readings here:   NIV  // NRSV   // The Message

It was AWESOME!!!!

You can learn more about Rumbleway Farm at this link

Rumbleway Farm Days are held annually, every last Sunday in September

Scriptures can be read here:   NIV  //   NRSV   //  The Message

We live with preconceived notions. We have our own likes, dislikes, habits and rituals and most of us do not spend much time thinking about it. We even have a name for that combination of likes, dislikes, habits and rituals: we call it “NORMAL.”

The parable of the Rich Man (a.k.a. Dives; Dives means “Rich” in Latin; we don’t know his real name) and Lazarus is a story a two persons whose fortunes changed, and whose ideas of “NORMAL” were challenged. Although Jesus does not use word “chasm” until after Dives and Lazarus were dead, they were separated by a chasm of likes, dislikes, habits and rituals during their lives. They were separated by a chasm of what was considered to be  “NORMAL” in their day and age.

I used to imagine Dives to be similar in character and looks to Ebenezer Scrooge before he “saw the light.” When I looked closely at today’s Gospel reading, I was surprised to discover that Dives is not at all described as being miserly, stingy, gloomy or morose.

Luke tells us nothing about this man’s attitude towards money; it is quite possible that he was generous, supporting all kinds of charities throughout his lifetime.

Luke tells us nothing about this man’s attitude towards life. We have no idea whether he was religious and we do not know any of his thoughts or emotions towards the poor while he enjoyed the blessings of life surrounded by his family and friends in his nice home.

Sometimes what is NOT said is as important as what IS said. By NOT telling us anything about this man’s attitude towards money or life Luke makes a point that this story is not about our need to be generous, our need to depend on God, our need to be grateful to God for every blessing in our lives, or our emotions of sadness or guilt about having nice things.

The point that Jesus makes however has to do with the fact that we live in a world ravaged by poverty, sickness, and vulnerability (based on age, sex, race, ethnic identity, religious beliefs, and social status).

The point that Jesus makes is that we tend to run away from or turn the blind eye to the suffering of others because that is normal in our society and because suffering scares us and challenges our own ideas of normalcy.

We see glimpses of that in our own communities. “Haves” live on one side of the tracks (or the river, or the road) and “Have Nots” live on the other side. The poor are objects of church “outreach programs”; the wealthy are church leaders and members. The “Haves” go to one church and the “Have Nots” go to another. We create separation; we build chasms on the shifty foundation of labels: race, ethnicity, understanding of God (liberal versus conservative), religion (Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist), party affiliation (Republican, Democrat, Tea Party), job categories (blue color/white color)… And we don’t see anything wrong with it (Brewer).

These “chasms” hurt our community. Isolating ourselves from our sisters and brothers in the human family makes us more vulnerable and denies us the opportunity to see and experience richness and fullness of God’s creation, richness and fullness that reflects the image of God. That is why it is important for churches to be involved in mission trips, where members travel to different places and interact with other Christians.

So what’s in it for us? What can we learn from God’s Word today? Where would we be in today’s readings?

The story of the Rich Man (Dives) and Lazarus sheds a light on our abilities and how we translate them into our capabilities. Dives failed to recognize the chasm between himself and Lazarus until it was too late. And even then he did not do anything to repair that chasm. In verses Luke 16:23-31 of today’s reading Dives asks Abraham to send Lazarus to fetch some water and then to send Lazarus on an errand to warn his brothers and their families. We don’t see even a hint of remorse or understanding in Dives’ plea to Abraham. All he cares about are his brothers and their families. That would be us.

The people that Dives wanted to warn are you and I. We are ones who build chasms between ourselves and others and we are ones who pretend that these chasms do not matter. We are the ones who hold on to our hopes and dreams instead of sharing them with people outside our walls.

None of us are powerful enough to broker peace in a time of war. None of us are wealthy enough to end the world hunger. We are not capable of ending homelessness. We cannot prevent earthquakes and we cannot stop hurricanes. As individuals we are helpless against tyranny. But we do have abilities and these abilities translate into capabilities.

Our country is facing tough economic times.

There are Lazaruses all around us. Some are hungry because they have nothing to eat; although we cannot fix all the problems of hunger and homelessness, we do what we can through the Ray of Hope.

Some are spiritually hungry; they are frustrated, scared and feel disenfranchised by the society that all of us live in. Those are the Lazaruses that we can help. We can offer them a sympathetic ear and invite them to become members of our community. We can offer to them the opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves, something that will infuse their lives with meaning and a sense of purpose, something that will give them hope. In the last couple of weeks I talked about seeing the same glow on your faces that was on Moses face when he came down from Mount Sinai with the Tablets of the Law. That glow comes from experiencing and feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

That is what we have to offer and we are capable of doing that.

In conclusion I want to leave you with a couple of questions. Who are our Lazaruses? What can we do to invite them? What are the chasms that we need to bridge?

When we become more diligent about bridging chasms between “us” and “them,” being a Christian, being a part of a church will become less about Sunday and more about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

When we strive to bridge these chasms, the church will become not only a place we go on Sunday, but it will also become something that we do the whole week long.

When we are intentional at inviting people in and offering them a place where everybody knows their name, church will start becoming a verb instead of a noun.

Remember the questions: Who are our Lazaruses? What can we do to invite them? What are the chasms that we need to bridge?

How we answer these questions (and IF we answer these questions) will determine what our church will look like in five, ten, twenty and fifty years from now. The way we answer these questions will determine whether this church will become a pile of rubble or will still be a vibrant community of Christian sisters and brothers serving God by serving the world around us.

Works Cited

Brewer, Sarah Dylan. Sarah Laughed. 27 September 2007. 23 September 2010 <http://www.sarahlaughed.net/lectionary/2007/09/proper-21-year-.html>.

Luke does not say that the Rich Man was stingy. For all we know he was a generous supporter of all kinds of missions and programs in the synagogue (church) that he attended…

Another thing that Luke does not say is that the Rich Man ended up in the Hades because of his ignoring Lazarus… We can very easily infer that by filling the blanks left our in the story but Luke does not say that.

Scriptures can be read here:   NIV  //   NRSV   //  The Message

As I read the Gospel lesson, the first thing that jumped at me is that Rich Man (traditionally referred to as Dives) is totally oblivious to what is going on around him. He was oblivious to the plight of Lazarus at the gates of his house, and even after the reversal of fortune he wanted to boss Lazarus around as in, “Hey Father Abraham, send Lazarus to talk to my family…”

I wonder how many Christians live their lives totally oblivious to “lazaruses” around us?

Message based on Matthew 28:16 – 31; John 21: 1-19:  NIV  // The Message

This message was preached by Rev. Sandra Steiner-Ball in Mt. Pleasant United Methodist church on Sunday, September 19, 2010.

Rev. Dr. Sandra Steiner Ball is Director of Connectional Ministries of Peninsula-Delaware Conference. Her office is in the Bishop Felton Edwin May Resource Center in Dover and she can be reached by calling the center.

Jesus appeared to his disciples on the mountain top and said, “Go, go make disciples of all nations. Again, so as to help his disciples really understand that yes, he did mean go, Jesus appears to the disciples on the beach this time, his message? Go, go feed my lambs, shepherd my sheep, feed my sheep. Disciples! Follow me!

In John’s text Jesus is standing on the beach as the sun came up. The guys had been out fishing but had caught nothing that night and they were headed back to shore for some rest. As they are headed in, Jesus – only they don’t know it’s Jesus yet, tells the disciples to throw their nets off the other side, they immediately respond by doing what he said. Think about that for a moment. If someone came into your workplace and told you how to do your job, how would you respond? Defensively? Or would you simply follow?

The disciples followed Jesus’ instruction that day and were blessed with an abundance of fish. By following Jesus’ direction what seemed impossible after a night of catching nothing, was made possible. In that moment they experienced the power of the One who makes those things that seem impossible, possible! When God, when Christ is truly in the mix of things – when action is infused with the presence and direction of Christ, the results change. God infused, Christ infused action reaps greater results than simply doing things the way they’ve always been done while expecting different results. [You know that is the definition of insanity don’t you - doing the same old things, in the same old ways, and expecting different results? The fact is if you continue to do the same things in the same ways, you will get the same results!]

Well, what’s this got to do with you? Your Church? What is a “new way of doing church” or “rethinking church” that people in this congregation have resisted? What vision of better results could be held before you – before this congregation – to make changing from “the way or ways we’ve always done it” more attractive?

If you ask people to form a circle and join hands, they will automatically face each other, or into the center of the circle. It’s the natural and comfortable way we have been taught since earliest childhood to form a circle for games or to say grace – or to close a meeting or service. However, we church member ought to be facing outward, not in. Jesus said, “Go, go make disciples.” Try doing it, try facing outward the next time you are invited to circle up. It’s different, and takes us out of our comfort zone. It changes our perspective.

This circle talk is an interesting analogy for the church. We’ve gotten comfortable in our own group, but we should be looking outward to connect with those people who are not yet a part of the group, part of the church. The fact is that the church is the only institution that exists for those who are not yet here. That’s the great commission – to go get those – go connect with those that are not here yet and make them disciples – bring them into the fold!

What if, the next time we made a prayer circle we faced out instead of in?

What if, we truly believed that the church exists not for us, but for those who are not yet here?

What if, we recognized that the church is not about us, our desires, our comfort, our agendas, but about God’s Will, God’s Vision, God’s Action?

Are you ready, ready to get out of your routine … out of your rut? Are you ready to change so that God can work through you and me to transform the world?

Jesus asked something of Peter in John’s Gospel. Jesus asked, “Will you feed my sheep … Will you shepherd my sheep?” These requests are much more difficult than casting a net off the other side of a boat. Feeding and shepherding requires relationship. How do you know who’s hungry until you’ve stood with them and listened to their story? How do you guide someone, lead someone, until you’ve spent enough time with them to create the trust needed for them to follow. Jesus calls us to get out of our comfort zones to experience the needs in our communities first hand and respond by demonstrating God’s love in tangible ways.

What if, church was less about Sunday, and more about the other days of the week – being out there demonstrating tangibly – God’s love, meeting people’s needs?

What if, Church wasn’t just a place we go, but something we do?

What if, church became a verb instead of a noun?

What if, this congregation were to intentionally reclaim its United Methodist identity as a movement of God’s Spirit?

That’s how Methodism began you known, as a movement of the Spirit. (Primarily a lay movement by the way). And we need to reclaim this identity. Ministry is not something we leave up to others (like the pastor) to do for us on our behalf.

Jesus said, “Go!” Go into the world and do the things that he did – Teach, Heal, feed hungry people, speak out about injustice, and call the world to more faithful living.

In too many places we have lost that sense of being a movement and have convinced ourselves it is enough to gather in our buildings and wait for people to come and find us. It was because of this phenomenon that John & Charles Wesley began the Methodist movement calling the Anglican Church to get up out of their Sunday morning pews – and to go out into the world – to teach, heal, feed, speak out against injustice, and call the world to more faithful living.

Today, once again we need to face out instead of in and regain that sense – our identity – of being a movement of the Spirit. Jesus sent the disciples and sends us out to meet the world. We do that when we encounter the world at its points of greatest need. Jesus calls us to move beyond bricks and mortar to engage a world longing for love, compassion, healing and hope.

What if the church today reclaimed the call to the mission, to the purpose for which it exists: To make disciples of Jesus Christ. To truly accept this mission drives us to rethink, re-examine and re-mold how we see our church and how we live as the church. No longer can we afford to do business or church as usual – doing the same things, in the same ways, reaping the same results.

What if, the churches were intentional about making disciples?

Well, to be honest, first we need to rethink ourselves! We need to do this in order to be effective in building relationships with those whom we seek to make disciples.

What if, we were positive people, People of Good News – people who spoke, thought, and behaved in the living of Good News? What a Difference this could make.

We are a people of Good News! Now, being a people devoted, committed to Good News … What if we came to church expecting something exciting – came expecting to meet Christ and to hear God’s voice! What if, we came to church expecting – even wanting to be transformed?

Any teacher will tell you – you usually get what you expect! What do you expect from worship? We need to think about that and how the world sucks us into life lived in ways that are not centered on Good News.

Reaching out, making disciples, Evangelism begins with us! We need to begin with ourselves! We need to be transformed. That’s kind of what Jesus was saying to Peter – It’s not just about what you believe, it’s about how that belief causes you to live. If we believe we love Jesus, then we need to feed and shepherd. Faith is belief fused with action.

If we are serious about a new way of outreach and Evangelism, then we can’t come to church feeling like church is an obligation or duty. We can’t come to church with chips on our shoulders, thinking about the other places we have to go, people to meet, things to do. We can’t come to church with the heart and mind of a critic! – “The music is too loud, It’s too cold, Who moved the furniture, Why isn’t the pastor wearing a tie, Who put ‘that’ on the altar, What is she doing in my seat – everyone knows I always it there!” We shoot ourselves in the foot with all our criticism – with all our negativity! Who wants to be a part of all that???? The scripture tells us we are to be people of Good news!

What if you were to prepare for the worship experience the other 6 days of the week by intentionally doing something that would continually transform you into a person of Good News? (Worship should not be just about Sunday mornings! Worship really should be much more about the other 6 days of the week and Sunday mornings should be the place and time where the body of Christ gathers to celebrate, to witness to what God has enabled, inspired, healed, moved, transformed, the other 6 days of the week.)

Think about it! Could you pray for the worship experience – pray to hear the voice of Christ? Could you pray for the pastor, for the leadership, for the church family, for expectancy, for eagerness, for enthusiasm? Could you pray for the expectation to hear God Speak?

What if you were to make a covenant with just one or two other people to intentionally get started on putting these ideas into practice? We need to do it! And we need to include others so that we have some accountability for doing what we say we need and will do. We need to do it for the world draws us into another way – draws us into a language of death instead of a language of life. We need to speak and to practice life!

What one or two things can you intentionally work on to help change your attitude and increase your expectancy in the ministry of the church? Who will you invite to join you in this effort?

How will you be a person who speaks about the Good News? How can you be a person who brings the Good News in the midst of worship, in the midst of meetings, in the midst of change, in the midst of Ministry? If you don’t find church exciting, why would anyone else???

Church is more than just Sunday mornings. Get out into the world – You are “the church” wherever you – be “the church” wherever you find yourself! Transforming the world is not a clean and easy job. But you can be a person of Good News in the midst of it. Hands will get dirty and you can be a person of Good News! Getting a team of people to move in the same direction may be tough. Building trust in new relationships may be difficult – but again we can be Good News people in the midst of these things and remind others that we do what we do because God calls us to love others as God loves us.

Today’s life challenge is that we be receptive to change in our own lives, so that we can become the pliable tools of God to transform, to change the world.

What if you were intentional about a FRAN (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) plan? What if you were to name 4 of those persons right now and commit to pray for them, pray for your relationship with them, pray that they might know Christ, pray for opportunities to share the Good News of your congregation and to invite them.

But, none of this will happen unless you plan for a change in your routine. A failure to plan is a plan to fail and when we don’t plan to do something new we fall back to doing the same things we’ve always done. God’s plan is to build the Kingdom. I hope and pray that your plan is to be an active, intentional, committed, faithful, accountable part of God’s plan, an intentionally relational people with Good News on your hearts, minds, and lips who heed the call to Go, to teach, to heal, to speak against injustice, to call people to faithful living.

Here are the links to these readings: NIV  //  NRSV  // The Message

In the last book of the Harry Potter series, the young wizard finally defeats Voldemort (archetype of the Devil of the wizarding world) and he does it by building a coalition of magical creatures and wizards from across different lands and cultures. Harry Potter was able to build such a coalition because he took the time to understand others – their values, their culture, their likes and dislikes, their allegiances, their hopes and fears.

The parable of the Shrewd Manager is also a story of a man who built such an alliance.

If we read the text closely, Luke tells us that charges were brought against the manager; allegedly he was squandering his employer’s property (Luke 16:1). Luke does not indicate whether these charges were true or not. We don’t know whether the manager was dishonest.

But we know a few things about him. We know that he was not well suited to be a laborer (“I am not strong enough to dig …” (Luke 16:3)). We know that he had character (“I am ashamed to beg…”). We know that he understood his strengths and weaknesses. We know that he is adaptable and flexible: he is not afraid to think and to re-imagine himself (“What shall I do now?”).

We also know something about the Rich Man. He was willing to recognize the abilities of others (“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly” (Luke 16:8)). That indicates his willingness to recognize and to appreciate the efforts of others. That indicates a certain willingness to recognize and consider different ways of accomplishing the task at hand (focus on the goal).

Because of the actions of the Shrewd Manager, there was goodwill among the Farmers towards the property owner (wouldn’t you be thrilled if your debts were cut in half?). The good will may not have packed his barns with grain immediately, but in the long run that goodwill of his tenants was going to generate a lot of wealth for the Rich Man. It would also create a working relationship between his representative and his tenants. That goodwill was there because of the efforts of the Manager.

We also know something about the character of Farmers. When the Shrewd man recognized his need for the community, they were willing to work with him and meet him in his time of need and distress. They did not have to do that. Farmers could have taken their lowered debts, sided with the master and welcome a different appointee. Because they cooperated, there was a bond between them and their overseer, which undoubtedly created much more pleasant living conditions and working environment for both in the future.

We can learn a great deal from this parable. This parable is about the value of the community. This parable illustrates to us what can happen when we strive to find workable solutions to the problems we face as a community.

(//Discussion
Rich Man’s problem – find a new manager. Manager’s problem – almost certain poverty if he lost his position, how to reinvent himself so that he can keep his job. Farmer’s problems – debts so high that they cannot service them

//Discussion)

So what’s in it for us? What can we take out of this parable and how can we apply it to our lives?

In order to find answers to these questions, we need to attempt to see ourselves in this story.

Just like the Shrewd Manager, all of us can be accused of squandering our master’s wealth. I am not talking about a pen or a pencil from your workplace that found its way to your desk at home.

How many of us squander God’s Grace that has been given to us in sacraments by holding a grudge against a sister or a brother in Christ and refusing to forgive?

How many of us squander God’s love given to us in fellowship with each other when we make a decision to skip church and miss an opportunity to spend time with each other?

How many of us squander our gifts, talents and resources by refusing to use them to the glory of God; have you ever refused to serve on a church committee stating that you have no time or skills knowing full-well that you are doing it because it would inconvenience you?

How many of us have squandered God’s gifts to us by refusing to tithe, spending our money on toys instead; flat screen TVs, computers, guns (hunting season is about t
o start), cars, etc. The Bible does not say it’s wrong to have toys, but it does say that we must honor God with the first ten percent of what God has given to us.

The Rich Man heard some gossip about the Shrewd Manager; Luke does not tell us whether the rumors were true or not. Just like the Rich Man, all of us occasionally get engrossed in delicious gossip that fuels our imaginations and we run with it.

Do you know anyone who is in debt up to his or her eyeballs? Would that person be happy if someone said to them, “don’t worry, be happy, your debts are cut in half?” That is what happened to the Farmers in today’s reading. They were elated; they probably saw the Shrewd Manager as a “Robin Hood” type.

We can see ourselves in every character in today’s parable. There is a little bit of the manager in us, there is a little bit of the rich man, and there is a little bit of the farmers.

Today’s parable describes a small universe that was out of balance and found healing. Today’s parable has many parallels with our lives, because our lives and our universe also need healing.

Our economy is in the toilet, unemployment is close to ten percent. Although many families are working diligently to cut down on their debt, as a country we “owe our [collective] soul to the company store.” Our educational system is suffering. We no longer produce engineers, scientists, doctors, anthropologists, you name it, because our culture pushes children to focus on the wrong things. Our workforce is no longer the most educated in the world, and continues to slide. And this is not a complete list.

Jesus’ recommendation? It is right there in verse nine. Luke 16:9 “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Focus on relationships, focus on each other, spend time with each other, help each other as much as you can, laugh together, break bread together.

None of us are wealthy enough or powerful enough to resolve all the problems plaguing our country at this time. We cannot fix the economy, we cannot fix the plight of those who lost their jobs, we cannot provide medical insurance for those who don’t have it, and all of us are struggling under the weight of the national debt. That is scary and depressing stuff, AND it is not the whole story.

The other side of that story, our HOPE and our Good News lies in the fact that we are not helpless. We can fix some problems in our community. If we want our young people to have good jobs in the future, we need to make sure that they get a good education; as parents and grandparents we can take MORE than a superficial interest in that area. We can keep each other accountable and help each other to work towards being debt free.

Today’s Gospel reading gives us a glimpse of what we can do, if we make a conscious decision to work together and recognize our strengths and weaknesses.

^NIV Luke 16:¹⁰"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹²And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Our question is: what are we doing with what is entrusted in our care today? When it is all said and done, what is the legacy that we are going to leave behind?

NIV 1 Timothy 2:¹ I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants all men [and women] to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.