Sermon 19th September 2010
In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
In today’s gospel reading we hear what is probably one of the most puzzling of all of Jesus’ parables. It is often sub-titled “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager”. Taken at face value, it tells the story of a man who, when faced with dismissal from his work, tries to lessen the effects of losing his job by calling in his employer’s debts in such a way that benefits him, and maintains his social standing. We might expect his employer to react angrily at the way this man has used his position to feather his own nest, yet his boss appears to be quite impressed with his ingenuity and initiative. In spite of his dodgy dealing he receives praise instead of reproach from the very person against whom he has acted. It’s a strange story that goes against our sense of natural justice. Why should he be praised for behaving in this way?
The main motivation of this character seems to be a desire to save face. He is a manager, and therefore will have some level of responsibility. He may well have staff under him and property to care for, though he doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job of it, as he is described as having “squandered” his master’s property! He acts as he does so that people may continue to welcome him into their homes. To him at that time, it may have seemed a very sensible thing to do. He had to somehow maintain his position in society; even if he was to lose his job.
Social status and wealth were very closely connected in Roman times, and all throughout history, right up until today we can see the importance people put upon how they appear in the eyes of others. Those who did not achieve positions of wealth and great influence were often looked down upon by those who did. After all, surely increased wealth was a sign of God’s blessing? It’s something we even see today in some churches that teach as long as you follow the will of God, you shall prosper materially.....the so called “prosperity gospel”.
The Bible has much to say about wealth and how it can be used as well as mis-used. Throughout the Old Testament we often read of the prophets raging against the injustice of the rich using their wealth in order to trample over the poor and maintain their own position. The prophet Amos is one of the most vocal about this as he denounces the greed and self-serving attitude of those who have become rich at the expense of the poor. Jesus himself often contrasts the greed of those who seek to exploit the poor with those who choose to pursue the riches of God. It’s not the wealth or riches itself that is the issue, but rather the attitude that lies behind it. It is the acquisition of wealth for its own sake that we see rebuked by Jesus, not the good stewardship of money that can be used in an honourable way to benefit others.
We hear Jesus in the gospel reading saying, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much”. If we can’t manage to be good stewards of what we do have, how can we expect to be trusted with anything greater? Jesus turns the idea of what constitutes true riches on its head. Not for him the accumulation of material things at the expense of what he regards as the true riches found in the Kingdom of God. He points us always towards a higher way of living, that of using what we do have, in the service of others for the glory of God.
We recently marked “Talent Sunday” when everybody who was at the service that week was given a ten pound note, along with the challenge to use it in a way that would benefit the church and society. It isn’t a competition to see who comes back with the greatest return on the money, but rather an opportunity to reflect and put into practice in a small way what it is to be entrusted with the smaller things. The church is entrusted with the spiritual care of those who are the children of God, which includes each of us sitting here today, in churches throughout the land, and I believe also those who would never even consider walking through the doors of a church building. A measure of the suitability of the church to be given the responsibility of guiding people in the ways of God is in how it behaves towards those who are on the margins. How can we be entrusted with the care of people’s souls if we do not also meet their most basic human needs?
Here at St George’s we are a community I think that does try to reach out in a practical way to those within the wider community. We have been entrusted with a building that we make available for use by those whom we live amongst. The crypt centre downstairs is used daily by many community groups seeking to meet the needs of a hugely diverse group of people. It is in the demonstration of practical love that people are able to see something of Christ in us. By using what we have around us in the service of others we can bring glory to God.
All of us are called to serve and give something of ourselves in some way or another. Whatever gifts we each have can be used to serve those around us and God. Everybody sitting here today has their own particular way in which they are called to serve God. It’s certainly not something that is restricted to the clergy or those who are in licensed ministry. Today we are recognising those who have been called to serve in helping administer the Eucharist. It is a privilege to be able to serve the Sacrament to others, to be used by God as a vessel by which others are able to meet with him. By being entrusted with the honour of what to many may seem the relatively simple act of assisting in the distribution of the Sacrament, those who do so allow themselves to be used as vessels through which the love, grace and true richness of God is able to flow.
AMEN
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