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You cannot serve God and wealth
SERMON - 10.15am, Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Sunday 10th September 2004
Revd. Matthew Vernon
Luke 16.1-13.
"You cannot serve God and wealth."
If only it were so simple.
Perhaps it should be,
• even could be.
But in our lives money plays such a big role that we cannot avoid it. We need more help dealing with money and faith, than just the declaration "you cannot serve God and wealth".
Religion has written many stories about money.
Often they warn us of its dangers.
Often they don't actually help us very much.
For example.
Once there were 3 sisters who were kind and generous people.
One day they were digging in their garden and they discovered a large box.
They opened it and found it was full of gold.
All 3 sisters began to scream,
• "Beware the soul-taker! Whatever will we do? Do we bury it again, or move house?"
Next door were 4 men.
They overheard the commotion and they asked the 3 sisters what was going on.
"We are trying to decide how to get away from the soul-taker," they said.
"What is a soul-taker?" asked the men.
The sisters showed them the box of gold.
"This is the soul-taker," they said.
The men laughed to themselves.
One said, "Go into the town for a few hours and we'll take care of your problem."
The women agreed and left immediately.
The men decided to divide the gold equally.
2 of them went to get something to eat,
• whilst the other 2 finished recovering the box.
But the 2 who were digging decided they would keep themselves.
They would attack the other 2 and bury them in the hole where the box was found. Meanwhile the other 2 also decided to keep the money for themselves.
They poisoned the food and then bury the other 2 in the hole were the gold was found.
The men carried out their plans.
The 2 returned with the food and were attacked and killed by the others.
After they had done their worst, they ate the food that had been brought.
The poison took effect and they died too.
Later the 3 sisters returned to discover the 4 dead men.
"We warned them it was a soul-taker, they said, "but they didn't believe us."
And the sisters left their home and the gold in the garden.
It's a neat story.
It does contain truth,
• which is why it continues to be told.
But the problem with it is the problem that so often affects what religion says about money.
It's too black and white.
It's too clear cut.
"Money is bad, avoid it."
Unfortunately our lives and more complicated than that.
We need money to live:
• to buy food;
• to pay rent on our homes;
• to buy medicine if one of our family is unwell;
• to pay for schooling;
• to enjoy good things like concerts and films;
• to go on holiday.
For once, the gospel reading for today reflects this.
The intriguing parable of the dishonest manager,
• or is it the parable of the shrewd manager,
• or the parable of the merciful landlord,
• or the parable of the generous rich man?
It's a parable that has taxed theologians from the beginning,
• with its suggestion that dishonesty is o.k.
• Or at least it's praising of the manager's underhand dealings.
And verses like verse 9,
• "Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes."
Normally Luke's Gospel is sceptical about wealth and negative about the wealthy –
• more so than the other gospels.
The disciples renounce their possessions.
The rich fool stores up his goods, but suddenly dies.
The rich man ignores Lazarus at his gate and ends up in Hades.
Luke's version of the Beatitudes says,
• "Blessed are you who are poor or hungry … but woe to you who are rich."
It's quite a change then to get this morning's parable
• which is more pragmatic about wealth;
• more realistic about human dealings;
• and so more helpful to us.
In fact it's ideal for Hong Kong with money-making at its heart,
• and with plenty of rich people
• and shrewd, if not dishonest, managers.
This parable is not telling us to avoid money,
• but is encouraging us to be shrewd with money;
• to be discerning and wise.
To be faithful with dishonest wealth so that we will be given true, spiritual riches.
To use money for good,
• whilst not allowing it to dominate our lives or be the measure of all things –
• that is God's position.
This is all close to home for me.
Luke's Gospel's warnings about money often come to mind
• as I live with great material comfort.
I'm aware that I live a relatively extravagant life.
Not excessive,
• but compared to most people in the world, material heaven.
I thought seriously about being a monk,
• and the renunciation of possessions that entails.
So I hope I'm not fooling myself when I say that Luke's Gospel can be extreme about wealth,
• and in reality we need a more nuanced approach.
So here's another story about wealth that I like.
Once upon a time there was a fabulously wealthy lord who had great possessions a
• and lived in a mansion overlooking a beautiful valley;
• a valley that he owned.
But he felt an emptiness in his life.
He had no religious belief and he lived alone,
• possessed by his possessions.
One of his servants was called John.
John lived in a small lodge in the valley.
He was a man of simple faith and deep belief.
His family went to church
• and God's presence was a reality in his home.
Often at night when he welcomed his wealthy employer into his humble home,
• his lord noticed the family on their knees in prayer.
One morning the lord was standing in one of his ornate rooms
• looking out over the valley
• and thinking to himself, "it's all mine."
Just then there was a knock at the door
• and his servant John came in looking very worried.
"Sir," he said, "last night I had a dream.
• "God told me that the richest man in the valley would die tonight at midnight.
• "I felt I should tell you. I hope you don't mind."
"John, John," said the lord.
"Do not worry. I don't believe in dreams. Go back to your work and forget it."
"Yes, my lord," said John and left the room.
However John's words stuck in the lord's heart.
He decided to go to see the doctor.
The doctor examined him and declared him fit and well.
The lord was relieved, but as a precaution invited the doctor to dinner that night.
That evening the lord and the doctor enjoyed a wonderful meal.
John, the servant, served them until just before midnight when he went home.
Soon after midnight the doctor left too and the lord went to bed thinking,
"Dear old John and his silly dream."
But just then the doorbell rang.
The lord went to answer the door and found a grief-stricken girl at the door.
It was John's daughter. "Sir," she said, "my mother sent me to tell you that my father, John, died at midnight just after he got home."
The lord froze. Suddenly he realised who the richest man in the valley was.
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