Pentecost +17 Sunday – C4

Pentecost +17 Sunday – C4

Years C
Luke 16:1-13

Sounds like the rich man was the head of his Enron equivalent. He seems to have claimed plausible deniability about not know what was going on under him. Until someone else brings it up, he is satisfied with whatever it takes to keep the dough rolling in. Shrewdly turning a blind eye is an old story. Question: to what has it been to your advantage to turn a blind eye?

How different this story would be if the one asked for an accounting of their practices was able to hearken back to their original blessing rather than to their supposed fall. Instead of trying to make up for a little graft under the table with a little gratuity passed back, the manager (one who has dominion, not domination) might have worried less about their strength or shame. So much less might they have worried that this story might not be told about them as manager, but remain a story of the rich man.

It may be that we are called to so live that less stories will be told for we know we are already welcomed into eternity and don't have to connive to either make up for not knowing our welcome or not believing it.

A punch line of faithfulness in much or little might better flow from a lack of story than this all to familiar one. And a conclusion about G*D and wealth might be better demonstrated: "See, wealth wasn't needed to be able to participate in life."

At issue is what one step would move us in the direction of honorable living at every level - even at your level.

= = = = = = =

oh what charges
could be brought
against any of us

squandering might be
a charge we could wiggle
out from under most easily

having lived by our wits
we will also die by them
but not yet

we will have just enough friends
to keep us living in a style
to which we are accustomed

to have us lose our style
would impact their style
so they enable our style

we collude with one another
and yet we might learn
to openly play with G*D