[RCL] Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 On some Sundays, it’s enticing to piece together a puzzle. It’s interesting to do interpretive gymnastics and sit in the presence of a bewildering word. On some Sundays, it’s a whole lot of fun to weave together an impossible text and sit in the heap…

There is a wonderful scene in C.S. Lewis’s famous novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where Lucy, the youngest the children to cross into the magical world of Narnia, converses with Mr. Beaver. In this magical land of talking animals and evil queens, Lucy feels both wonder and fear after hearing about Aslan, the original…

“Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth.” Jesus didn’t really say that, did he? Imagine the disciples hearing this story. They probably ask Jesus to repeat himself, clean the wax out of their ears, and look at each other for verification: did he really just say that? It seems he did. Someone remembered…

There’s a T-shirt that perhaps you’ve seen. It reads simply: “Love is for losers.” Now probably to the wearer, the phrase is only a humorous expression of teenage angst or rebellion. But set next to today’s gospel reading, it suggests a different view of love, friendship, success, competition, and worth. If what we value most…

Oh, the cleverness of this fellow in today’s Gospel! OK, so he wouldn’t have scored well in the honesty department, but you must admit he was quite clever. It seems that he was dishonest many times over. He worked for a rich man, managing his property. Probably he was well enough paid for this service,…

This is the time of the year when congregations begin to think about the annual stewardship Sunday, or, as one colleague calls it, “The Fall Begathon!” In most congregations, this season is dreaded by the leadership-but someone has to do it. If everything goes well, the budget is met by pledges and promises, and if…

All throughout scripture there is attention paid, and tension within, the relationship between money and piety. Money and possessions signal God’s blessing in many stories. God’s blessing follows those who live an upright and righteous life. There almost seems to be a quid pro quo equation between having money and possessions and the assumed goodness…