September 18
Jeremiah 8.18-9.1, *Luke 16.1-13 “When God is Your Manager”
Pastor
Jacqueline Hines
In today’s passage, Jesus talks about a
subject that is very near and dear to all of our hearts: MONEY! MONEY! [slide # 1 money bag]
He starts off
by telling a story to his disciples: ‘There
was a rich man…’. ‘There was a rich man
who had a manager, who was caught up in a scam. He was a fraud. He could no
longer be trusted. He was caught, called on the carpet and about to be fired
for fraudulent actions. [slide # 2 Fraud]
So why does
Jesus tell this story to the disciples? Jesus tells
them the story because they confirmed that they were interested in following
the ways of Jesus. They made a choice to be inundated, baptized, and
intoxicated in the Spirit that would enable them to follow Jesus’ lead. [slide # 3 Jesus and
disciples] So, because of their stated
intentions they received these wise and penetrating and puzzling examples,
these case studies so that they could learn and develop their expertise in the
faith.
Jesus’ story
is an old and universal story. We hear such stories in the local and national
news all the time. One internet source lists the top ten fraud cases in recent
history. To name a couple:
In 2009 Ramalinga
Raju chairman of Satyam Computers the fourth largest IT company of India with
53,000 employees was charged with illegally manipulating the balance
sheets. He claimed a balance of over a billion dollars when in reality he had
less than 80 million with a 3% margin, not the 24% he claimed.
In 2005 the
Daewoo Group the second largest conglomerate in South Korea with interests in
about 100 countries, went bankrupt, with debts of about 80 billion won ($84.3
million). In 2005, chairman Kim Woo Choong was charged with masterminding accounting
fraud worth 41 trillion won ($43.4 billion), illegally borrowing 9.8 trillion
won ($10.3 billion) and smuggling $3.2 billion out of the country.
In the USA
Wall Street is still reeling after the 2008 FBI investigation of Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac, causing many retirement accounts to collapse, even after they were
fined $400 million in 2006. They did not learn their lesson. We know more than
we want to know about AIG insurance fraud and folks like Bernie Madoff running
off with billions in order to live a life of inconceivable luxury. Trying to
outdo the Jones’s.
There is also
a lot to be said about great
philanthropists in this world. There seems to be no end to the generosity and
kindness displayed by people like Melinda and Bill Gates, Rockefeller, Alicia
Kehs, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Dale Carnegie, Warren Buffett, and the good
folks of Bethel United Methodist Church who’ve given and given and given since
the church’s inception 172 years ago. [Slide # 4 Bethel]
When we act
in philanthropic ways our world is a better and safer place for everyone. When
we are fraudulent, the Holy Spirit is grieved and somebody suffers. Jesus is
all about our being there to prevent and alleviate suffering!
The man in
Jesus’ story was fired for squandering God’s property. God is not pleased with
squandering. A Christian young adult sister told me that God blessed her with a
beautiful new car that she needed to get back and forth to work. From time to
time, one of her co-workers asked to borrow the car. It was evident that he was
using the car to go see a woman who was not his wife. At first this
good-hearted and generous sister just thought she would mind her own business,
but one morning she said God spoke to her and rebuked her for allowing the gift
of her new car to be misused. She
then stopped allowing the person to borrow the car.
Her
obedience was a blessing. [slide # 5 butterfly obedience] It
may not have been easy because there are times when it is not easy to take back
something that you have given to someone. Sometimes people give you a hard time
when you change your mind. Sometimes people are quick to retaliate when you say
“no.” But at all times it is worth it in the end to go with God.
The fired
manager came up with a brilliant plan – give away money. But, his was a
dishonest plan. That is, he made a dirty deal giving discounts, stealing, and giving
away his master’s money hoping the
recipients would like him and help him when he was down and out. Hoping as
verse 9 says, “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.” [slide # 6 verse 9 make friends…]
We are to
use whatever comes our way, even filthy lucre. When I worked as a social worker
for United Methodist Neighborhood Services in South Philadelphia, I was
surrounded by the influence of mobters and their money. One of my
superintendents said he was offered a nice chunk of money that was clearly
connected to corruption for a community project but he refused it. That was the
right thing to do. All money is dirty. That is why we do not put it in our
mouths. It has been said that most money has traces of cocaine dust on it. When
it reaches our innocent hands we are to use it according to God’s will. What a
genius of an idea!
We are to
keep our hearts and hands open to provide as well as receive God’s eternal
blessings. The manager, though dishonest was smart enough to see that giving
was an investment into his eternal home, his long-lasting lifestyle, not just a
one-time opportunity, not just a temporary handout, but a long-term agreement
that would last forever and make him feel secure and confident like BFF’s.
So, we too
as Christians ought to think about the lasting effects of our finances, by
giving to the poor and living within our means and becoming debt free and
making a will. If it had not
been for the Bethel saints that gave generously to Bethel, this church would be
a different place if a place at all.
What a
genius of a plan this manager had: Giving money to those who need it and
appreciate it. [slide
# 7 no one has ever become poor…] Accept
it was not his money to give. He was making friends dishonestly. Giving money
is a perfect plan but he had putrid motives. What God expects is for us to use
God’s resources in the right way and make friends with holy motives so that our
eternal homes, our life-long lifestyles and generational legacies will not only
be pleasing and acceptable to others who have grown to love and appreciate us,
but will be acceptable to God who sees all and knows all.
Sociologist
Tony Campolo [slide
# 8 Campolo] had an audience with a group
of young thugs who were known for robbing other people’s homes. He asked them
flat out, ‘Why do you steal? Why don’t you just get a job and go to work? ‘They
answered, ‘Robbing is hard work. You
have to do research and scope out your targets. You have to be able to maneuver
in the dark in strange places. You have to run like crazy to keep from getting
caught, jumping over fences and turning corners like lightening. Stealing is
really, really hard work.’ Thugs have creative genius, perfect plans with
ungodly motives.
I heard a
fourth generation Christian talk about how her children and her children’s
children were very nice, bright, and successful people but they had no interest
in going to church and worshipping God. They were surrounded by good examples,
but they were yet to be inspired to go to church Sunday after Sunday and look to
God for answers in life, like the generations of disciples before them.
Often when I
hear these stories I remember the song we have sung many times in the 8:30
service:
Come, now is the time to worship.
Come, now is
the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are, to worship….
One day every tongue will confess
You are God.
One day every
knee will bow.
Still the
greatest treasure remains for those
Who gladly
choose you now.
Come, now is
the time to worship.
Come, now is
the time to give your heart.
Last week I
told you about my friend and prayer partner for 7 years. She kept telling us
how the Lord spoke to her over and over again about going for a physical. She
heard God’s voice for two years. When she finally went for that physical, it
was too late. It was not easy to watch her die. I knew in my heart that she was
dying even though we kept up our faith talk. We were prompted by the Spirit to
read the story of Lazarus over and over again for week and months. This made me
believe that God was about to perform a miracle and she would recover.
After my
prayer partner’s funeral I asked God why he prompted us to read the Lazarus
story raising false hopes. Then I began to realize that I had raised my own
false hopes and I had forgotten that God’s world is so far beyond me that I do
well to follow and listen and learn so I won’t get lost.
Her death
has inspired me to listen to my doctors’ pleas to take a multi vitamin, drink
plenty of water, fruit and veggies, supplement with vitamin D and do regular
exercise.
The sun does
rise and it will set. But, now is the time to worship God, and obey God and
serve God and be a disciple. [ slide 9 Still the greatest treasure…] Now is the time to study and learn the ways of Jesus.
If we delay, God will direct us through
every detour, but the greatest blessings belong to those who choose God now.
Amen. [Slide #
10 I love worship]
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