September 22, 2022

Last Sunday’s gospel reading, Luke 16:1-13, tells a confounding parable about a manager about to use his job, who, in an effort to provide for himself after he is kicked out of his master’s house, forgives debts owed to his master, and in an interesting turn of events is praised by the master for doing so even when his actions mean his master will end up receiving less.

For me, the key verse that opens up this parable for interpretation is when Jesus says in verse 9, “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.”

Jesus teaches that the proper use of mammon, dishonest wealth, is not to increase your own wealth or to hoard it or hide it, but rather to use mammon to build relationships. And to build relationships not just with anyone, but with those who cannot repay you in material worldly ways.

Perhaps, what Jesus is reminding his disciples then and now, is that we are to see that relationships and not wealth are the true treasure. 

And that when we have found ourselves with more than enough, and especially when that more-than-enough has come our way at the expense of others, through unjust labor practices, through systems that focus only on maximizing profit while disregarding people, there is something we can do with this more-than-enough. We can use it to build relationships not for worldly gain, but that we might better glimpse the reign of God which is the reconiciliation and right relationship of all people and all creation.

This looks like supporting a food kitchen and getting to know the people who come to eat there because they are hungry and do not have enough food. This looks like both sharing food with someone who is hungry and sharing a meal with them where you come to know who they are. This looks like providing a coat to someone who might not have a warm place to be in the winter and learning why it is that they do not have a warm place or a coat of their own. This means knowing the names of the people in need all around us and seeing them not as people in need but as beloved bearers of God’s own image who have something more precious than wealth to offer.

We cannot serve God and mammon. 
Serving God looks like building relationships.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Drew