All Saints Episcopal Church of Greensboro· The

All Saints Episcopal Church of Greensboro· The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 18, 2016 A sermon by The Rev. C. Paula Rachal Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. This is the oddest of all Jesus’ parables. No matter how many times you read it, it remains a mystery to be unraveled. The heart of the problem is that our “hero” of this parable – the figure Jesus holds up as somehow or another having something to teach “the children of light”– is ultimately not a hero at all. No matter how we read it, he’s still a crook, a swindler, a cheat. There are several ways to interpret this parable, but today we’re going to go with its straightforward reading. The manager of a wealthy man’s estate is about to get fired. He’s either dishonest or inept, we really don’t know how he has squandered the master’s property, just that he has and he’s about to lose his position because of it. So the owner calls in him, and tells him to prepare one final accounting. He’s panicked. What is he to do now?! Physical labor is out of the question; he’s either too lazy or just not capable. And can’t bring himself to beg. But he can, with this last accounting, at least “adjust” the books, so those indebted to his master might also be indebted to him. He calls in those who owe his master and reduces the balance from their full account payable. The motivation behind it is obvious: to ingratiate the manager with these folks so they will look favorably on him when he needs their help in a job, a loan, or a place to sleep. He shrewdly used money to create relationships to further his future. Amazingly, when the owner hears of these swindles, he isn’t angry! He approves. He commends the manager saying, “You’ve done well for yourself.” This rich man could recognize a shrewd businessman like himself when he saw one! In the dog-eat-dog world of business this kind of story isn’t uncommon. What is uncommon about this story is what Jesus says, or doesn’t say, about it. You expect Jesus to say something like, “This is what not to do!” But he doesn’t. Instead Jesus finishes this tale of corruption, takes a breath, and then says to the disciples, “You see! There’s something to that approach. Folks like this are far shrewder at dealing with this world than you children of light are!” Whoa, wait a minute! Did I miss something here? Okay, so let’s assume the point here is not that any form of theft, cheating, swindling, or dishonesty is a good thing. “Business as usual”-type practices are not being recommended. So what’s up? What is being recommended is taking care of one’s future. The manager has taken steps to assure the future for himself and his family in accordance with his values. His focus is on the temporal. His values are to secure his future in whatever way he can, honestly or not. And how are the “children of light” doing on this score, on securing their future in accordance with their values? Jesus indicates not very well. So who are the Children of Light? and what are their values? From the context of our Gospel one would suppose they are the Children of God, the followers of Jesus. You, and me. Our values are to be placed on the eternal, the Kingdom of God, belonging to it, and expanding it by bringing others into it. Our priority for life is to be on following Jesus’ way of expanding the circle of acceptance at God’s table, caring for those in need without regard for their worthiness in the eyes of the world. When we act in these ways the heavens rejoice! Amen. 1