You Cannot Serve

Jesus said, “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 Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.

“The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.” Luke 16:10-17 

We can in the church can get so caught up in our financial needs and comfort that we forget why we are here. We are here for love and to serve others and yet we often lose our focus in this season of Stewardship. Clergy and vestries worry about making the budget, and rightly so. It can take our focus off love and service which is always dangerous. We can lose sight of the Creator right in front of us.

Jesus has told a parable about the wise manager and is explaining it. He is very emphatic that we cannot serve God and money, and that we need to be wise about the resources we have. And, our wisdom needs to be based in the wisdom and compassion that comes from our Creator. We are invited to imagine how God would best use the resources we have been given, rather than the grab and win mentality we see around us. We are called to be people who seek God at all times trusting that our needs and cares will be met.

Today I ask God to help me seek the Creator in all moments and all things. May our sight not be clouded by financial concerns so that we can see the divine image in the people around us, who we are called to serve.