This week, the Gospel message is challenging. I will probably start with some breath work. Or maybe a body scan. My Thursday morning chair yogis at the senior center love this practice.
I will need to introduce myself, because they do not know me from Eve. And then I will attempt to share the good news from perhaps the most baffling of all of Jesus' parables, the one affectionately known as the dishonest, unjust, or shrewd steward or manager.
Of course, back in the first century, there were no titles. This came much later. These days, we have so many translations of the Bible that we can pick and choose until the cows come home.
As it turns out, cows are part of the inspiration for this sermon. Which I plan to try preaching sans script. It's time.
Another first.
Here's the plan. See what you think.
Embodiment Body Scan or hand on heart. We need this for this parable; otherwise, our brains might overheat. I'll introduce myself. Then I will use a method of preaching I picked up at the EPF Preaching Excellence Program last summer. It's a preaching-in-a-pinch method that asks three questions of the scripture: what, now what, and so what...
What's it all about? Only the most confusing of all Jesus’ parables. And it's only in Luke. Recap.
So what? Luke's audience likely understood the system of wealth in the first century in in which the steward would have been unpaid (aka slave) labor. Managing the accounts for his wealthy master, the steward would have been solely responsible for certain billing decisions, likely using what little power he had to his advantage.
Now what? Is Jesus endorsing dishonesty? Where is God in this parable? What is the good news? Certainly, there is the message that we cannot serve God and money. In this parable, two worlds are addressed. In the world of the parable, there is fear. Therefore, the inclination is that to survive, one must be clever and scheme for safety and security.
We live in a world that is often unfair. The hamster wheel is real, and sometimes we feel we need to bend the rules just to survive. Is it possible to get off of it? Is it possible to live in this world and not be impacted by it? It takes courage to step out of the system.
In the small town of Waterbury, Vermont is an ice cream factory built by two childhood friends with a dream of making the world a better place. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream there in 1986 to support local dairies and raise awareness about environmental and social justice issues. For $6, you can take a tour and sample the freshest ice cream you’ve ever tasted!
The business grew, and they stayed true to their values for decades. However, as our current system tends to operate, in 2020, Ben & Jerry's was acquired by a large corporation, reportedly for a little over 300 million. Doesn't sound like enough to me. I mean, how do you put a price tag on Chunky Monkey
Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, stepped out of the system this week. He walked away because the parent company refused to uphold the values the original owners were committed to.
So, Jerry walked away from the world he and his childhood buddy helped create.
There is another world addressed by Jesus in this parable. Did you catch it? When Jesus speaks of the eternal homes that the disciples will be welcomed into, he refers to another world altogether. In Greek, the word Jesus uses for home this second time translates to 'tent'. Tents are portable. Easy to put up, take down, and move (mostly).
Jesus came to teach us how to gracefully move out of this world and into God's. In the eternal world, into which we are all invited, there is fairness and justice. There is more collaboration than competition. There is abundant joy, peace, and unconditional love. It is a world where there are no divisions or class systems. We are all simply the beloveds of God.
And, we don't have to wait for this life to be over. We can choose this now.
Amen.💛
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