Clever & Prudent

Luke 16: 1-13

This scripture is not easy for many Christians.  First of all how can Jesus use a dishonest person as an illustration?  And if the point is to be clever and shrewd is that usually for one’s “own skin” as it is in this parable?  It is difficult to grasp, and Luke does record an interpretation that clearly states we are to serve one master and to be honest in everything, yet it does not answer the questions posed above.  We should not be surprised to see someone that is not perfect at the center of an illustration, for only one person was truly perfect.  We all come to church with positive and negative attributes yet we are all used by God.  Why shouldn’t Jesus use someone who happens to be dishonest but is shrewd?  Another thing we must appreciate is that parables are to make a specific point, and thus we should not think we should act like the individuals contained in the story.  Such it is with the parable with the forgiving father (better known as the prodigal son), we are not to go out and live a prodigal lifestyle to be forgiven rather the point is the forgiveness not the wastefulness.  Here the point is being shrewd and clever with your domain.  The assumption is that if one is being shrewd and clever, they are doing it to save their own skin.  Certainly that is what the dishonest manager is doing in this parable.  However, the commentary that follows the parable makes it clear that the point is being clever, and specifically clever with the resources one has available.  This reminds me of Jesus charge to his disciples, in Matthew 10:16, “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”  Jesus makes it clear that we must be like serpents, wise, clever, shrewd, AND innocent as doves.  The innocent as doves can be equated with serving only Jesus; not serving alterative motives, only innocent love.  Yet being clever and shrewd, with what you is available to you.  Most of us are not heads of state but rather have each our own sphere of influence.  We are to serve only Jesus and that includes being clever and prudent.

Thinking about this scripture I was having a hard time finding an illustration, until I was in the dentist’s chair the past week.  It then came to me, when I was a baker I knew a woman that worked as a cashier part-time and as a veterinarian technician part-time.  She loved animals.  Her husband was going to graduate school and they had what they needed but there was currently not a lot to spare.  Her young dog got in a freak accident in which his lost three canine teeth.  These are like fingers to dogs, hence the name, and it was important that the dog get implants.  It would have been a very difficult life without at least two of those teeth.  She did research on getting a dog orthodontic surgeon and the cost was simply prohibitive.  The cost of the implants themselves was expensive enough without the specialist’s fee.  Well she had her sphere of influence.  She was very well liked by the vet and by the whole bakery customer community.  And thus she got the dentist and the veterinarian to do the surgery pro-bono.  The dentist borrowed books from the vet and did some studying as the implants were shipped.  Then late Saturday afternoon, the vet sedated the dog and the dentist went to work.  I recall the vet being impressed with the lighting and the dentist loved having the patient out for the procedure.  This is a prime example of being clever and prudent with what you have, while following only love.

At the office that Saturday, was a dental assistant and her elementary age girl, who watched the procedure with amazement.  That Monday the little girl’s teacher asked everyone what they did that weekend, and as you know the girl shared the story I shared, from her perspective.  The teacher did not believe her and told her not to lie.  The girl held to her story and was even sent to time-out crying.  The teacher was upset as well since the girl did not typically lie and called her mother late in the afternoon to discover the truth.  Thus I believe that we, the church, does live among wolves, and even when we are wise as serpents and innocent as doves, the world will not always believe that the resurrection happens.  We must continue to serve only Jesus, with the conviction of that innocent elementary school girl!

Amen. 

Finding Joy

Luke 15:1-10

I felt called to ministry as a young child.  However, my parents were not active church people and thus it was not encouraged.  During my teenage years I even rebelled some from the church, being someone that was concerned about the abuses of the historical church.  I did have a friend named David that would remind me that I did still have faith in God, sometimes he was very gentle and nice about it, but I do remember one time that he pushed my pendant of the Holy Spirit into my chest, that I always wore, and said, “remember.”  I did finally start going back to church, because as David reminded me, I remember how God had “spoke” to me as a child.  It was after living in Belfast, Ireland, I observed how even young people went to church, and I realized that if I wanted to answer questions about the Divine, I needed the history, practice, and fellowship of the church to explore.  I started going back to church in Manhattan, and I never felt welcomed into the congregation and thus not engaged.  I must admit I continued to feel lost among all those that worshipped around me.  I then moved to my dad’s home to help take care of him and to simply get out of the city.  I found a church in town and when I started going I felt welcomed by most, probably because I had befriended the associate pastor in the dog park.  I know that there were some wary of a man in his 20’s who had no children or wife going to church in this town.  I was different, and I certainly felt lost as someone that had ignored my calling for so long.  If it was not for the handful of people who were simply overjoyed to learn with me, work with me, and incorporate me into the fellowship I would not be here.  I would not have felt engaged without that welcome, that radical hospitality. 

A year or so later we all experienced the terrible trauma of September 11, 2001.  I was devastated, but glad I had a church home.  I found myself on September 12 acting as an usher for the ecumenical prayer service.  Many of the new people who showed up did not fit the “norm” of the church.  That is of course interesting, but what I truly observed was the open welcome that came from those established in the pews.  It could have been because of the greater number and the excitement of that instead of one or two new visitors that did not fit the mold.  However, I believe the welcome came from that fact everyone was dealing with this tragic event.  Not only were the new members looking for answers those in the church also were looking for answers from the seekers. 

Today’s scriptures do show us that God is always looking for us, and will not stop until we are found, and will celebrate!  That is great news.  Jesus shares these parables, because some religious leaders (Pharisees and scribes) were grumbling because Jesus welcomed sinners to table fellowship.  Not only did the shepherd look for the one lost, he left the 99 in the wilderness to find the lost.  Is not the church still in the wilderness awaiting the Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven?  The woman burns precious oil to look for the lost coin, does not the church use resources to share the gospel with the lost?  And in these two cases and the one following the Forgiving Father (often referred to as the Prodigal Son) there is a celebration.  Thus when people do come to use to eat at this communion table we should in our hearts see the celebration and celebrate with God for those found.  To insure this we most practice radical hospitality.  It is not about finding joy, God does the finding, it is about enjoying the joy and love of being found.  These parables remind me that I was also lost but by the grace of God was found.  I remember this joy at the table and at times remember David prodding, so that I can celebrate all of us who are found.

Useful Freedom

Philemon

Did you hear about baby Jamie? His parents and twin sister were on the news and the internet last week. Jamie was pronounced dead at birth, while his twin sister was healthy and thriving. His parents wanted to say good-bye by loving him. His mother got him on her chest skin-to-skin and they held and talked to him. They wanted to love him for the last minutes of his life. The doctor warned them that he would make involuntary movements and not to get their "hope up." The minutes turned into tens of minutes, and they were simply overjoyed to have more time with their dying son. Even when he opened his eyes they were just happy to have seen his eyes before he would die. They were loving him onto heaven. They time continued with more movements one would not believe a clinically dead baby would make, and while they were still in the mindset of loving him to God, they were starting to have some hope and asked for the doctor to visit. The doctor kept reporting back through the nurses that it was natural for a baby to move etc. Well when it was about two hours later and the Jamie tried to move his head and grasp with his fingers, the father reported he said a little white lie to the doctor. He told the nurse to tell the doctor, "We have come to grips with our son's death, and we wanted to talk to him about how it happened." The doctor arrived and today Jamie is five months old.

When I heard what the father did to compel the doctor to check out his son I thought about the letter of Philemon. No, Paul does not utilize any white lies, but he does carefully craft this letter to influence Philemon's actions. Paul is writing this letter to Philemon so Onesimus will be accepted back into the home not just as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Paul starts this personal letter by also naming others in the household, knowing it would be read not just to the head of the house, Philemon. Paul also ends the letter by saying prepare a room for me, which is his way of saying he would check up on Philemon's action. Some believe that Onesimus was a slave that ran away and found his way to Paul, which may be the case if he was compelled to hear about Christ from Paul, but if he truly wanted to escape he would not have gone to a friend of the household. It seems that Onesimus was actually sent to Paul by Philemon, but was greatly delayed in returning. He was delayed perhaps because Paul needed his services and because Onesimus was accepting Christ as his savior through his work with Paul and the others who were imprisoned. In those days, if someone delayed a slave or helped him escape, they would owe the owner for the work, hence Paul's offer to put anything owed on his account.

Paul wants not to simply have Onesimus accepted back into the household but to be an example about how the church should operate. Paul uses Onesimus' name to make a point for it means "useful," but Paul states that Onesimus was not previously useful. This must not be true in the literal sense, for why would Philemon be concerned about a runaway slave or delayed slave if he was not useful, and if he was sent to work with Paul would he not choose a useful servant to work with Paul, who planted the church in Philemon's own household? So when Paul is saying Onesimus was not useful, he was playing with his name to make a point that how he accepts him into the household, into the church, will be a useful example. Onesimus will be able to do the same useful work, but now he will also be a brother, not a slave. And even though Philemon owes his very self to Paul (which Paul will mention he will not bring to bear) Philemon must accept Onesimus on the basis of love. This rhetoric that Paul uses, does seem to our contemporary selves, to be "passive-aggressive," however I believe Paul's point is that he is not trying to tell Philemon what to do, but that his freedom from sin and evil through Christ Jesus, must be the authority.

When Jamie's parents were loving him into death, they were intent to listen to that love. Love was their authority and a resurrection happened.

God is love and thus Love is the authority and if you follow Love, resurrection happens!!!