Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
Proper 20, Year C, RCL
September 23, 2007
All Saints’, Bentonville
Gospel:
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."
An elderly and very wealthy man told his wife that he wanted to carry all his money with him to his grave. He said that he didn’t want to leave any of it to charity, to the church, even to his family. “I insist that you follow my wishes,” he told his wife.
Shortly afterwards he died and despite the urgings of family, friends, even her priest, the faithful wife insisted on carrying out her late husband’s desire to be buried with his wealth. On the day of the funeral as the casket was being lowered into the grave, the priest turned to the grieving widow and said, “How can you possibly go through with this?”
“It’s easy,” she replied, I wrote him a check.”
Clearly, this wife was a shrewd manager of her husband’s property.
Over the past few months we have heard numerous gospel readings in which Jesus describes how we should use our money. He seems to have different answers for different people. He has told some that in order for them to follow him they must sell all their possessions, give all they have to the poor, and then they can be a disciple.
For Zaccheaus, the tax collector, it was sufficient that he repay fourfold those he had cheated and then give half of his wealth to the poor. Keeping faith with the tithe, giving 10% of your income to the synagogue, was the law, the standard in Jesus’ world. And here, in the parable we heard today, we have lessons to learn from dishonest managers, lessons about creative stewardship, and what it means to be a shrewd manager of what naturally belongs to God.
I think we can use this parable to make the point that we must be shrewd with our resources as well. In particular, what does it mean for us, at All Saints’ to be faithful stewards of the money that the Diocese of Arkansas has provided for us to start this mission? It is true that we are a small church. Our numbers are growing steadily and we only began having Sunday services seven months ago. Our future is bright and we can’t ignore the fact that we live in the wealthiest part of the state. Most of us are gainfully employed, and if we, like the dishonest steward, were to lose our jobs tomorrow – we would not be reduced to digging or begging to make a living. We could probably find another job – because jobs are relatively plentiful here.
The Diocese recognizes our success and encourages and supports our work here. Next year they propose to continue to financially support us as well, but at a reduced rate. This seems only proper.
What I am proposing is that we do much more. I recommend a bold move, but a move that I think is only right, if we are to be shrewd managers of what we have been entrusted. We, the mission of All Saints’ Bentonville, should be self supporting. There are other missions to be started around the diocese. There are other parts of the state where a gospel of inclusion and justice and peace must be told. There is work to be done elsewhere. It is time for All Saints’ to move from the position of receiving support, to one of giving support to other communities that need help more.
In a few moments we will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Baptism and welcome Alexis and Tyler and Tammy and Kathy and Neil and Bennett and McKinley and Angela into our community. At the same time we will renew our own Baptismal vows – promising, with God’s help, to continue in the apostles’ teaching, to resist evil, to proclaim the good news, to serve Christ in all persons, and to strive for justice and peace and to respect the dignity of every human being. It is quite a promise to make, but it is the mission statement of our church, of this parish. One that is made easier as we enter into community and make the promise together – supporting one another in a shared endeavor to live into the covenant as a people of God.
Seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself, requires that we be mutually supportive. Supporting one another and, I think, supporting ourselves. It’s time. It’s time that we support ourselves as a community and begin to reach out to the needs beyond these red brick walls. The first step in accomplishing that goal, is to eliminate our financial dependence on the Diocese. It is time to establish a budget for next year and I would like to present a budget to the Bishop that shows All Saints’ Bentonville, financially supporting the outreach programs of the Diocese rather than being a recipient of diocesan funds.
It is not such a stretch for us, but it does require a financial commitment from those of you who believe in the mission of All Saints’. I have asked, in the past, for the contribution of your talents and time in the building of this remarkable Christian community. You, as its founders, have responded generously. What I am asking now is that you prayerfully consider pledging a portion of your income to the mission of All Saints’ for the coming year. I would not presume to know of your ability to give. However, I am confident that collectively we have the capacity to be financially self-sustaining. I’ll be sending you an email this week letting you know how you can go about being a part of this endeavor.
We have so very much to be thankful for. My prayer is that you will consider this request, not only as a just and proper use of our resources, but as an opportunity to express our thankfulness for all that we have received. Thanks be to God. Amen.