September 18, 2016 (full size gallery)
The word this Sunday, Sept 18, 2016 was "transition". Fall begins this week. It is evident in the pictures with leaves turning, acorns falling and weather changing and it was part of the sermon and the readings this week with the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. Despite this change, life abounds in the fall which the pictures also show with wild flowers blossoming and the beauty of the Rappahannock River.
Catherine was away this week with her family. Marilyn was the officiant, Eunice the lector and Helmut the preacher. We had 40 in church with several visitors – Dave Fannon’s other son John and Ruth was still here. It was Morning Prayer.
The day began cloudy and foggy and by 10am it had cleared. Much of Helmut’s sermon was on transition, appropriately. Leaves have begun to turn though not fall off.
Helmut sermon was on autumn and in general transitions. (This week is the first week of fall). He then touched on the Gospel , Luke 16:1-13 about the Shrewd Manager which shows the Manager undergoing a transition.
Helmut took time to provide examples of the gifts that Autumn holds. Autumn is the slow transition during the year that creeps up on you and does not come in with a bang. Life is mellower. Days are shorter, colder, leaves turn color and pass away, and children go back to school. It is dominated by families coming together for feasts as well as banquets
While falls goes away we don’t go away from God. We are never dead though we die. God is much alive in God’s love for us. We are gathered in the harvest of God’s desire. God seeks a communion of the earth.
We focus in fall on transition and direction of where we are going . Helmut remembered the movie ET with one finger raise – “HOME!” Home is not necessarily where we dwell but is where we are really loved. Fall is a time of a homing instinct – a desire of company, acceptance and relationship. He quoted Barbara Streisand from “People” from “Funny Girl” – “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world”. We need to seek God who will provide our eternal home. God’s love is relationship, it never ends – it is eternal. He advised to take time this fall to listen for God’s homecoming.
He turned to Luke 16 subtitled the “Parable of the Shrewd Manager”, and as he said one of the most difficult of the parables of Jesus. It seems like dishonesty is being rewarded – the manager was commended by the master because he acted shrewdly in reducing people’s bills. However, another view is that the manager was only giving away the interest that he should not have charged. In this commodities based market , charging interest was illegal. So he was only giving away his share and trading away what won’t last for the good will of the people. He may be seen to be reforming and actually trying to address his sins.
The famous phrase “you cannot serve God and wealth”. The question that Helmut posed do we own money or does not money own us.
All of our reading options for this Sunday address the reversal of the fortune of the poor or leveling of the playing field in one way or another, holding up the ideal of the vision of God’s Kingdom to the Church and the world. They call us to use our resources—financial and otherwise—for justice and compassion. They reflect on the social consequences of turning away from God and the possibility that prayer and God-centered values can be a source of health in our personal and corporate lives. A transformed mind may lead over the long haul to transformed social systems.
Amos condemns the callousness of those who observe rituals but set their hearts on greed and dishonesty. Paul urges prayers for peace, godliness and dignity, made possible by Christ, who bridges the gap between God and humanity. In Jesus’ story, the master appreciates the shrewdness of an unfaithful servant.
The parable from the Gospel also presents most congregations with serious challenges in terms of values, ethics, and priorities. You cannot serve God and money. One has to come first; one has to be the lens through which you make your personal and corporate decisions. The idea of using wealth honestly to alleviate the plight of the poor and oppressed is held up as a virtue and characteristic of those who follow Christ. Jesus’ point is that establishing the Kingdom of God for all should take precedence in our lives over the accumulation of wealth for one’s own gain. In keeping these priorities straight in our lives we will "make friends" honestly being responsive to the needs of others not neglecting the needs of the poor and others.
Studies suggest that great wealth does not lead to greater happiness. In light of the Hebraic prophetic scriptures, wealth without justice and compassion leads to personal and corporate destruction. Wealth without consideration of God’s Shalom and purposes beyond our self-interest leads to poverty and pain.