Setting the Table

In November 2019, I wrote an article for the Rupert's Land News about the importance of the deacon’s role of preparing the table for Eucharist. You can find it on their website by clicking here. I’ve also included the text below:

As seen in Acts 6:1–6, the diaconal ministry has been deeply involved in the church since its earliest days. One of a deacon’s many roles was to help the bishop with distributing communion elements, with the bishop sharing the bread and the deacon sharing the wine. In the examination at a deacon’s ordination, one of the duties stated in the Book of Alternative Services is: “You are to assist the bishop and priests in public worship, and in the ministration of God’s word and sacraments.”

Originally, the bishop presided over all Eucharistic services. As communities grew and spread out, it become harder for the bishop to reach all of the people. Therefore, deacons were called to attend a service. The bishop would bless the elements and then divide them up among the deacons for distribution to the people. These services would happen on a weekly basis, especially in major cities such as Rome. On feast days, it was expected that everyone would make pilgrimage to the martyr’s church and take Eucharist together with the bishop. Those deacons would subsequently return to their congregations to hold mass and distribute communion on behalf of the bishops.

According to Louis Weil in Liturgical Sense: The Logic of Rite, at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., the roles of presider and distributor of communion were delegated to the presbyters, as the council deemed the deacons already had enough pastoral responsibilities , such as organizing ministry and tending to the needs of the world.

While the deacon’s purpose during the service has changed over time, they have kept the vital role within the Eucharistic liturgy as the one who sets the table and distributes the wine.

Sara Miles, author of Take this Bread, quotes Bishop Bill Swing in saying that, “there’s a hunger beyond food that’s expressed in food, and that’s why feeding is always a kind of miracle… the disciples took the bread and did what they were told, got up and started feeding.”  That quote explains a piece of the deacon’s role quite eloquently.

Andrew Rampton, in his article “The Deacon’s Role in the Eucharist,” also says that an important ministry of the deacon is one of assistance and hospitality, such as visiting the sick and feeding the hungry. This ministry is reflected in the traditional liturgy as the one who cares for the elements before and after the Eucharistic prayer. 

In my opinion, setting the table for the Eucharist is one of the most sacred parts of the liturgy, next to the receiving communion itself. As you lay out each item on the table, you create a bubble of sanctity that contains the spirit of Christ.

There are all sorts of things going on at this point of the service: music, money gathering, and people preparing themselves. But as you put yourself fully into preparing the table, all of that outside noise disappears. While others may be singing joyous songs of offering, you become part of a solemn event that will be the starting point of the most important part of the liturgy.

One theology that lies behind the Anglican Eucharist, one that sits well with me personally, is that of consubstantiation, meaning the substance of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine, which also remain present. When you prepare the table for the Eucharistic prayer, you can feel the power of what is about to happen at that table. It is humbling.

Holy Communion is both an encouragement to the journeying Christian and a celebration of the communion each Christian has with the Trinitarian God we worship, as well as with one another.

The prepared altar becomes the table of Christ. As it is prepared, it is made ready for those who love him, and for those who want to love him more. It is Christ's will that those who want to meet him, will meet him at the table.

The call to the table, the call that Christ will be there and waiting, is a reminder to us all that while not everyone is at the same point in their Christian journey, we are all welcome at God’s table. It is there where Christ will be found.

Communion then becomes a time where we gather together to share in the feast of the Lamb of God in memory of the communal Passover meal shared among Jesus and his disciples just before the his arrest.

The solemn preparation of the table becomes a joyous reunion with Christ.

The Sin of Indifference

Photo by Mart Production

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.

**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.

Introduction to the day

Consideration of and care for those in need (especially those “at our gate,” visible to us, of whom we are aware) is an essential component of good stewardship. It is in the sharing of wealth that we avoid the snare of wealth. It is the one whom death could not hold – who comes to us risen from the dead – who can free us from the death grip of greed.

Gathering Song – Abide with Me (ELW #629)

            Listen Here

Greeting

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

Prayer of the Day

Let us pray.

O God, rich in mercy, you look with compassion on this troubled world. Feed us with your grace, and grant us the treasure that comes only from you, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.

Amen.

Readings

A reading from the Book of Jeremiah. (32:1-3a, 6-15)

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, ‘Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land. 

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,

    who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;

    my God, in whom I trust.’

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

    and from the deadly pestilence;

he will cover you with his pinions,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

    or the arrow that flies by day,

or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

    or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Those who love me, I will deliver;

    I will protect those who know my name.

When they call to me, I will answer them;

    I will be with them in trouble,

    I will rescue them and honour them.

With long life I will satisfy them,

    and show them my salvation.

 

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to Timothy (6:6-19)

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel according to Luke. (16:19-31)

Glory to you, O Lord.

‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

May only truth be spoken, and truth heard. Amen.

A few years ago, I was out for dinner with a friend. We were seated at a table along the edge of an outdoor patio on Corydon. We were near the end of our dinner, nibbling at the food still on our plates and enjoy after-dinner drinks, when a man walked up to us and asked if he could have the food that was left on our plates.

            My immediate reaction was to say no and send him on his way, but my friend said she would give him food, but he had to tell her his story first. She genuinely wanted to know how he got to the point of needing to beg for food. She listened intently and then wrapped up some food in a napkin and gave it to him.

            By asking his story, she made him visible.

            Many of the intersections in Winnipeg have one or more people standing on the corner asking for change and food. When cars are lined up at a red light, you will see them walking up and down the rows with a cup in hand. Sometimes, if your window is down, they will try and engage you in conversation. I will admit that more often than not, I avoid making eye contact and make sure my window is closed.

            These people have become invisible to the world, blending into the background of city life.

            Two similar situations, two very different responses. I hate to assume, but I’m going to guess that most of us can see ourselves in the second situation more than the first. And as much as we want to deny it, when we hear today’s gospel, I feel that a lot of us can identify more with the rich man than with Lazarus.

            Now we do not ordinarily identify ourselves as being rich. By global standards, however, if you have more than one pair of shoes, more than one pair of underwear, and more than one meal a day, you are rich. By North American standards, if you live above the official poverty line, you are rich.

            Jesus doesn’t even bother to give the rich man a name in his story. He makes it clear that this man is living a lavish lifestyle at the expense of others. This man lived his life adorned in the finest clothes, including purple, which only the wealthiest could afford, and feasting daily.

            In starch contrast, there’s Lazarus. The only thing that adorned him was sores, and all he had to eat were scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Jesus even adds a detail that showed just how low this guy was, that dogs licked or snipped at his wounds.

            It is very likely that the rich man would have passed Lazarus as he travelled to and from home every day. He was sitting at the man’s gate. How could he not have passed him? But, undoubtedly, the rich man didn’t see Lazarus. Or if he did see him, chose to ignore him. He avoided eye contact and just went on with his life.

            What causes people to have someone in their line of sight and yet not really see them?

Indifference. The rich man was indifferent to Lazarus, likely telling himself that Lazarus was undeserving of his attention. The rich man felt nothing for the one over whom he literally had to step on his way about his business every morning, noon, and night. Did the Rich Man develop a sort of callus over his soul so that the plight of Lazarus would no longer affect him? Did he no longer even see Lazarus at the gate?

These two men’s lives could not have been more different. Their deaths were very different, as well.

The rest of the story centers on the reversal of fortunes that takes place after Lazarus and the rich man die. It links agony or comfort after death with how we treat the less fortunate around us, much like Matthew links eternal life and punishment with how we treat the hungry and thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, and those in prison.

Luke, in particular, stresses the way the status of the rich and the poor is reversed in the kingdom of God. When Jesus is conceived in Mary’s womb, she exults that the hungry have been filled and the rich sent away empty. In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus tells the poor that God favors them, and that the kingdom of God belongs to them, but he warns the rich of what is to come since they have already received their consolation in this life.

Luke makes clear that the poor are a focus of Jesus’ ministry. In his inaugural sermon, Jesus declares that he has been anointed by the Spirit of the Lord “to bring good news to the poor”. Jesus admonishes his followers not just to invite to their parties the friends and neighbors who can repay them, but to extend their invitations to “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind”. This is echoed when Jesus describes the kingdom of God as a wedding banquet where the invitation has been extended to “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind”.

Many people reading this story of the rich man and Lazarus assume the picture Jesus is painting is hell. But this parable isn’t primarily a teaching about hell. Rather a teaching on the consequences of our actions towards others.

In Jesus’ story, the rich man wasn’t thrown into hell because he didn’t believe. He found himself in a place of torment because of the way he treated others, specifically Lazarus.

But God isn’t the one locking the rich man away. The rich man locked himself away; he chose to go there. Even when there seemed to be an opportunity to repent and change his ways, he didn’t. Instead, he demanded that Lazarus come and serve him again.

Jesus ends his story with a rather sad statement, but one that will prove true. Even if someone were to be raised from the dead and provide a warning, the living would still not be convinced to change their ways. In a short time, Jesus will do just that, but still, that won't be enough for some to change their ways.

So, what do we do with the indifference that we have towards our Lazarus’?

We remind ourselves of the barriers that exist between us and those who are less fortunate, and that we have the power to rewrite the ending. We are those who have seen a man raised from the dead and that in his name we are both able and committed to sharing water, love, and good news with all those in need.

True followers of Christ will not be indifferent to the plight of the poor like the rich man in this story was. God loves the poor and is offended when they are neglected. In fact, those who show mercy to the poor are in effect ministering to Christ personally. The Holy Spirit’s residence in our hearts will most certainly impact how we live and what we do.

God’s eternal judgment has everything to do with how we use wealth in this life and whether we attend to those less fortunate in our midst.

As the letter to Timothy says, our true hope rests not on the uncertainty of riches, but on our God who richly provides for us all that we need for richness of life.

Amen.

Hymn of the Day – Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound (ELW #779)

            Listen Here

Apostles’ Creed

Let us declare the faith of our baptism as we say together the Apostles’ creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

As scattered grains of wheat are gathered together into one bread, so let us gather our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of God’s good creation.

Silence

O God, rich in mercy, fill your church with righteousness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Empower the baptized by your Spirit to be rich in good works and ready to share.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Protect the earth and its creatures. Provide water, food, shelter, and favorable habitats, especially for endangered species. Preserve threatened ice caps, glaciers, parks, and beaches.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Increase justice in nations, local governments, and courtrooms. Guide lawyers and those who hold public office to act with compassion and discernment.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Give food to the hungry. Set the captives free. Lift up those who are bowed down. Watch over the stranger. Tend to those who are ill. Stir us to act in the best interest of our neighbors.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Enliven our praise. Inspire musicians, artists, poets, and all who create beauty in this place.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Enfold the saints who have died in the arms of your loving care. Grant that the holy angels accompany us and bring us to eternal life with them in the light of your presence.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Gathered together in the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit, gracious God, we offer these and all our prayers to you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Amen.

Peace

The peace of Christ be with you always.

And also with you.

Offering Hymn – Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling (ELW #608)

            Listen Here

Offering Prayer

Let us pray.

Gracious God, in your great love you richly provide for our needs. Make of these gifts a banquet of blessing, and make us ready to share with all in need; through Jesus Christ, who sets a table for all.

Amen.

Dialogue

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Preface

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,

that we should at all times and in all places

give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,

through our Savior Jesus Christ;

who on this day overcame death and the grave,

and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.

And so, with all the choirs of angels,

with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, Holy, Holy

            Listen Here

Thanksgiving at the Table

Holy God,

our Bread of life, our Table, and our Food,

you created a world in which all might be satisfied by your abundance.

You dined with Abraham and Sarah, promising them life,

and fed your people Israel with manna from heaven.

You sent your Son to eat with sinners

and to become food for the world.

In the night in which he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,

and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood,

shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Remembering, therefore,

his life given for us

and his rising from the grave,

we await his coming again to share with us the everlasting feast.

By your Spirit nurture and sustain us with this meal:

strengthen us to serve all in hunger and want,

and by this bread and cup make of us the body of your Son.

Through him all glory and honor is yours,

Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit,

in your holy Church,

both now and forever.

Amen

Lord’s Prayer

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen.

Invitation to Communion

This is the table of Christ. It is made ready for those who love him, and for those who want to love him more. Come, whether you have much faith or little, have tried to follow, or are afraid that you have failed. Come. Because it is Christ's will that those who want to meet him, might meet him here.

Christ invites you to this table.

Come, taste and see.

Sharing of the Eucharist

Table Blessing

The body and blood of our Lord

Jesus Christ strengthen you

and keep you in his grace.

Amen.

Prayer After Communion

As we have feasted around the table, let us pray.

God of the abundant table, you have refreshed our hearts in this meal with bread for the journey.

Give us your grace on the road that we might serve our neighbors with joy; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Blessing

God, who gives life to all things

and frees us from despair,

bless you with truth and peace.

And may the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,

guide you always in faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

Sending Song – Alle, Alle, Alleluia

            Listen Here

Dismissal

Go in peace, with Christ beside you.

Thanks be to God.

The Dishonest Manager

Photo by Karolina Grabowska

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.

**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.

Introduction to the day

As we are invited today to consider what it means to be managers (rather than owners) of all that we have, it is crucial to recognize that we are bought with a price. “Christ Jesus, himself human, . . . gave himself a ransom for all.” Apart from the generosity of God we have nothing – we are nothing. By God’s gracious favor we have everything we need.

Gathering Song – Come, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove (ELW #404)

            Listen Here

Greeting

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

Prayer of the Day

Let us pray.

God among us, we gather in the name of your Son to learn love for one another. Keep our feet from evil paths. Turn our minds to your wisdom and our hearts to the grace revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

Readings

A reading from the Book of Jeremiah. (8:18-9:1)

My joy is gone, grief is upon me,

  my heart is sick.

Hark, the cry of my poor people

  from far and wide in the land:

“Is the LORD not in Zion?

  Is her King not in her?”

(“Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,

  with their foreign idols?”)

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended,

  and we are not saved.”

For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt,

  I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.

Is there no balm in Gilead?

  Is there no physician there?

Why then has the health of my poor people

  not been restored?

O that my head were a spring of water,

  and my eyes a fountain of tears,

so that I might weep day and night

  for the slain of my poor people!

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

 

Psalm 79:1-9

                Listen Here

O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;

    they have defiled your holy temple;

    they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

They have given the bodies of your servants

    to the birds of the air for food,

    the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.

They have poured out their blood like water

    all around Jerusalem,

    and there was no one to bury them.

We have become a taunt to our neighbours,

    mocked and derided by those around us.

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever?

    Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?

Pour out your anger on the nations

    that do not know you,

and on the kingdoms

    that do not call on your name.

For they have devoured Jacob

    and laid waste his habitation.

Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors;

    let your compassion come speedily to meet us,

    for we are brought very low.

Help us, O God of our salvation,

    for the glory of your name;

deliver us, and forgive our sins,

    for your name’s sake.

A reading from the Letter of Paul to Timothy (2:1-7)

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all – this was attested at the right time.For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel according to Luke. (16:1-13)

Glory to you, O Lord.

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 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.

 “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 then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

By Pastor Erik Parker

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord. Amen.

 

Jesus is not making a whole lot of sense in our gospel today.

 

We start with two characters: the rich man and his manager. Word on the street is that the manager has been embezzling funds and taking kickbacks, and the rich man summons him to his office for a dressing down.

 

In serious hot water, the manager realizes he’s not trained for any other type of job and he’d better lay some groundwork for his future. So, going to his master’s clients, he reduces their bills, thereby earning himself their gratitude and restoring his master’s reputation from someone who employs corrupt officials to someone who is generous with his clients.

 

We can follow up to this point. The manager is trying to make the best of a bad situation, and since he’s already defrauded his boss, he might as well go all the way and make himself look good by unethically reducing the amount of money the clients owe.

 

You might think that when the rich man found out that his manager had again cheated him out of money, he would call for the tar and feathers. But no. Jesus said that the “master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.”

 

Is the employer really commending the manager for getting himself out of trouble by breaking the rules?

 

In telling this story, is Jesus affirming the manager’s dishonesty or shady business dealings?

The explanation that follows the story doesn’t seem to help much either but out of it comes the famous phrase, “You cannot serve God and money.”

But is that the point of this story? To be honest, I am not sure that the point is obvious on first reading or hearing. This story takes some unpacking and pondering to sort out. 

The question begins early on, with some of the words and what they mean. 

The parable starts with a rich man whose manager is squandering. We hear the word squandering and many different images come to mind. The person who fails to take advantage of an opportunity, who doesn’t risk a little bit for a big gain. The one who waits and hesitates, rather than moving quickly and decisively. The person who doesn’t understand the potential of what they can do and be. The person who fails to take hold and earn every ounce of profit and reward of a situation. We hear of a squandering manager and we imagine a weak and feeble, hesitant and uncertain person taking the safe and  easy path. 

This parable from the gospel of Luke follows right after the three parables of the lost. The parable of lost sheep and lost coin which we heard last week, and the parable of the prodigal son which we know so very well. 

These parables come just in advance of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, to the waiting crowds, to the plotting religious authorities, to betrayal, arrest, trial, execution. 

And this parable is interesting because we are not quite sure what to do with it. The squandering manager seems to behave in an entirely self-interested manner throughout, and yet his master commends his shrewdness. 

As the story begins, the manager is accused of squandering his master’s property, yet how he squandered is not mentioned or defined. Remember that. 

Regardless, the master fires the manager. 

And so, the manager does something interesting. He doesn’t have other options for work before him, so he will forgive the debts of some of his master’s debtors in order to earn some favours. 

Now, as 21st century people, it is easy for us to get hung up on the fact that the manager uses his master’s wealth to earn himself some favours... yet, there is something about this curious situation that is easier for us to miss.

In the Hebrew world of 1st century Israel, the land held a central place in life. 

The land that the Israelites lived on was literally the promised land, the land promised to Moses when he led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. And the land was not just a resource to be exploited. It was a living thing, a gift from God to be cared for. The land held abundant resources meant to provide for the community. There were laws as to how the land was used to provide for all: 

·  A certain amount of the harvest was required to be left on the land so that the poor and widows could follow the workers and gather grain for themselves.

·  The land did not belong strictly to a single person or family, but rather to the entire tribe.

·  Every Jubilee year it was meant to revert to ownership by the tribe.

·  The land owner didn’t exploit the produce of the land for his own profit and gain, but cared for and tended in order to feed the community (his extended family). 

And yet in this parable, the manager had no favours in his pocket. His master’s debtors received no relief before this manger was fired. Maybe this manager was not the lazy, week, uncertain manager of our imagining, but the cold, hardened, profit focused, entrepreneur that we praise in our world. Someone who exploited the land for every ounce of profit, who squeezed every penny from debtors, who never paid too much and never accepted too little. 

So remember that squandering isn’t defined in the parable? 

Maybe this manager has been squandering the abundance of the land by hoarding it all for his master, by counting every penny away in his master’s store houses instead of caring for this community around him. 

Maybe the land manager is the fourth lost thing in this sequence of parables. Lost to himself, lost to hoarding and profiting from an exploited land and community. 

To squander in the parable today is to be lost and alone, to put profits before people, to forget that we live in community and what we do affects those around us and those who come after us.

This version of squandering is something we know. There are countless organizations and businesses, even individuals who live their lives squandering according to this definition, billionaires building space rockets comes to mind. 

Still, I cannot help but see the church and Christianity writ large described here too. Like the dishonest manager we have for decades maintained what we have been given, we have often dutifully served those in need, been mostly places of welcome, and fulfilled out duties to provide worship, learning and programs for people of faith and beyond. 

But the church has also been guilty of building walls with the communities around us, we have been hesitant to go out and make relationships, we have stuck to more practical service over forging deep relationships of trust where the gospel and God’s love and mercy can be shared. There has often been boundaries between what we think we are supposed to do for communities around us and what we could give and shared of ourselves with the world.

And as we now find ourselves increasingly on the outs with the world, we have few favours in our pockets, few deep relationships with our neighbours to fall back on. And we are scrambling, just like that dishonest manger with what to do next. 

Now, one of the important characteristics of parables is that the subject of a parable is usually the first person mentioned. This parable doesn’t start “There was a land manager.” It begins there was a rich man who had a manager. Just like the prodigal son begins with “There was a man who had two sons.”

It is the rich man who discovers that his manager had lost his way. And it is the rich man who sets out to find him. 

When the rich landowner fires his manager, he is pulling the manger out of the store houses and accounting rooms. He is forcing his manager to sit down face to face with his community.

The manager knows that he now will be in need. He admits his failures and shortcomings. You might say he confesses them. 

And there, seeing his neighbour face to face maybe the manager can also see the needs of his neighbour. Maybe his own neediness allowed him to truly see his community for the first time. 

So, he forgives debts trusting that he will be provided for in return. 

Like the shepherd to searches for the lost sheep, the woman who looks for the lost coin, like the father who runs out to meet his lost son on the road... the rich man joins his lost manager back to community. It is not dishonesty that the rich man commends, but connection and relationship, generosity and compassion. 

And like the rich man, the teller of this parable is the one who is about to search out humanity in our isolation of sin and death. Jesus is about to find us on the cross... So that we might know the generous abundance of resurrection and new life. 

Of course, this is what Jesus has been doing with us all along. 

While we are lost and isolated, Jesus does what it takes to joint us back to community, back to the body, back to God. Jesus is revealing our deep need of God’s grace, the church’s need of mercy. And finally, as our own need for the gospel is revealed to us again inside church walls, we might begin seeing the need for the good news outside too. 

And so Jesus has us practice being church. 

Jesus makes us practice being joined every week. 

Jesus gathers us here, and plunks us down with our siblings in Christ, beside friends and neighbours. Beside those who know our struggles and what it is like to live in this lost world. 

And Jesus joins our voices together with the praises of the community of faith, joining us to the choir of saints. 

And Jesus forgives us with all these other sinners, restoring the communion of saints to wholeness. 

And Jesus speaks in our ears a word of good news for us all, giving us hope in our seemingly hopeless world. 

And Jesus washes and feeds at font and table, the gathering places of the faithful. 

Shoulder to shoulder, with other washed and fed ones, reminding us that we belong to God, and that we belong to each other, no matter how lost we become, no matter how much try to squander the abundant community given to us in creation. Christ’s church is given for the sake of the world and the world belongs to God. 

And so today, as we hear the 4th parable of the lost, we discover that we can be lost and not even realize it... That we can hear a parable and understand the meaning as completely opposite of what seem after the first hearing 

But we also hear of the Christ, who will go to any length, even surprising ones, to find us and join us again, shoulder to shoulder, face to face, to the community we need - the Body of Christ. 

Amen.

Hymn of the Day – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (ELW #807)

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Apostles’ Creed

Let us declare the faith of our baptism as we say together the Apostles’ creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

As scattered grains of wheat are gathered together into one bread, so let us gather our prayers for the church, those in need, and all of God’s good creation.

Silence

Divine teacher, you instruct your children to be responsible stewards of your creation. Show us how best to care for the earth and its resources, and guide those who work to develop sustainable practices.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Ruler of the nations, you direct those in authority. Give leaders wisdom and compassion so that all may live in peace. Inspire public servants to follow the example of courageous leaders and safeguard the dignity of each person.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Helper of the needy, you lift up those who are oppressed. Breathe justice into economic and social systems that perpetuate poverty and hunger. Sustain food ministries, clothing banks, and emergency shelters.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Sustainer and giver of life, you bless this congregation with abundance. Instruct us in the proper and faithful use of wealth and resources, that we share generously.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

God of glory, you gather your saints around your throne. Keep us thankful for the witness of those who have gone before us and bring us with them to the heavenly feast that has no end.

God of grace,

hear our prayer.

Gathered together in the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit, gracious God, we offer these and all our prayers to you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Amen.

Peace

The peace of Christ be with you always.

And also with you.

Offering Hymn – Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart (ELW #800)

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Offering Prayer

Let us pray.

God of abundance, you have set before us a plentiful harvest. As we feast on your goodness, strengthen us to labor in your field, and equip us to bear fruit for the good of all, in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Dialogue

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Preface

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,

that we should at all times and in all places

give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,

through our Savior Jesus Christ;

who on this day overcame death and the grave,

and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.

And so, with all the choirs of angels,

with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, Holy, Holy

            Listen Here

Thanksgiving at the Table

Holy God,

our Maker, Redeemer, and Healer,

in the harmonious world of your creation,

the plants and animals,

the seas and stars

were whole and well in your praise.

When sin had scarred the world,

you sent your Son to heal our ills

and to form us again into one.

In the night in which he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,

and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood,

shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Remembering, therefore,

his acts of healing,

his body given up,

and his victory over death,

we await that day when all the peoples of the earth

will come to the river to enjoy the tree of life.

Send your Spirit upon us and this meal:

as grains scattered on the hillside become one bread,

so let your Church be gathered from the ends of the earth,

that all may be fed with the Bread of life, your Son.

Through him all glory and honor is yours,

Almighty God, with the Holy Spirit,

in your holy Church,

both now and forever.

Amen

Lord’s Prayer

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen.

Invitation to Communion

This is the table of Christ. It is made ready for those who love him, and for those who want to love him more. Come, whether you have much faith or little, have tried to follow, or are afraid that you have failed. Come. Because it is Christ's will that those who want to meet him, might meet him here.

In Christ’s presence there is fullness of joy.

Come to the banquet.

Sharing of the Eucharist

Table Blessing

The body and blood of our Lord

Jesus Christ strengthen you

and keep you in his grace.

Amen.

Prayer After Communion

As we have feasted around the table, let us pray.

Life-giving God, through this meal you have bandaged our wounds and fed us with your mercy. Now send us forth to live for others, both friend and stranger, that all may come to know your love. This we pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Blessing

The God of peace, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you, comfort you, and show you the path of life

this day and always.

Amen.

Sending Song – Come, We That Love the Lord (ELW #625)

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Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve your neighbor.

Thanks be to God.