Rector's Sermon - Sunday, September 19, 2004

First Reading	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1	113	1 Timothy 2: 1-7	Luke 16:1-13

    The Bible in general and the Gospels in particular offer considerably more comments about the use of wealth than about sex. Why do you think it is that many who declare that they are Christians seem to be preoccupied with matters of sex and usually avoid any discussion of the proper use of money and American culture’s worship of the aggrandizement of wealth? The parable of a resourceful and shrewd steward is really about the use of all our possessions and faculties. This parable offers us no wiggle room, but confronts us with the question: What does it mean to love God with all our heart, and mind, and soul?

    In the popular TV show called "The Apprentice", young aspiring executives compete for a top spot under Donald Trump. There comes a day of reckoning when the apprentices are called into the boardroom, and at least one hears the words, “You’re fired.” For that person who had dreamed of quick wealth and power, the future has completely changed. His or her dreams have evaporated.

    In the same way when the steward of the estate is called in by the landowner and told that he is dismissed, the steward’s life is in crisis. He is compelled to make profound decisions, and if he does not, he will starve. The steward realizes that he needs to use all his resources and ingenuity to save himself. Halfway or half-hearted measures will not do, for his world is turned totally upside down.

    A common theme of the Gospel is in order to understand Jesus, one has to be prepared to accept the shock of change and, in many instances, embrace a complete reversal of the way the world sees things. The images of God as a woman with a broom sweeping her cottage to find a lost coin; a shepherd going out to look for a stay sheep; and a father running down the lane to welcome home a wayward son, are 180 degrees different than the common view of how authority, power, and judgment ought to be exercised. Soon after today’s parable, Luke introduces the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man has good fortune all his way in this world while Lazarus has continual bad luck. In paradise, however, it is Lazarus who has the honored position while the rich man is the one thirsting. This parable is another reaffirmation that God’s commonwealth implies that being wealthy and successful like Donald Trump is not necessarily a sign of being blessed by God, nor is being poor or rejected like the apprentice Trump fires, necessarily a curse or evidence of moral failure.

    Jesus is never what the world expects or particularly wants. In one sense people of faith are those who understand that Jesus calls them daily to decision. Jesus doesn’t introduce any of his parables by saying, “Let me tell you about somebody else, but don’t worry, this will never apply to you.” Jesus’ parables are not meant to bounce off us and land on the person whom we think needs to hear it. More than anyone else, people of faith are given the courage to willingly acknowledge the profound nature of transformation that Jesus expects of all of us. For example, the Bible affirms the basic sacredness of the whole of creation and our responsibility to care for it. This means we don’t need to be a lobster man in Maine or a hiker in the Adirondacks to note that our air and water are at a crisis stage. We can’t ignore the problem with pollution or there will be profound consequences for all future generations. On a much smaller scale, this fall we are going to have to ponder stewardship for our parish. We can’t beat around the bush and ask someone else to support our parish, or ignore the problem by pontificating, “Let’s just cut the fat.” Giving the same won’t do. The fact is that our pocket book is a window into our spiritual life.

    Why are many more preoccupied by matters of sex than money? I suspect because it is easier to shift the focus from us. It is easy to create a diversion that makes it easier to point the finger at someone else than to acknowledge the crisis we face. It is so much easier to want and expect a change in others than ourselves. I know if I were a contestant on the apprentice I would never hope for Donald Trump to point his finger at me and say, “You’re fired.” Yet in a way, when Jesus calls us, he is saying “You’re fired from your former life. Go out into the world and follow me. Discover me outside on the streets, and wherever humanity walks, and your life will profoundly change.” That’s the lesson from today’s parable.

    And I offer this to you in the name of the Loving and Living God, Amen.