Weekly Liturgy : September 15-21
- John
- Sep 14
- 5 min read
Luke 16 : 1-13
The Message
1-2 Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You’re fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.’
3-4 “The manager said to himself, ‘What am I going to do? I’ve lost my job as manager. I’m not strong enough for a laboring job, and I’m too proud to beg. . . . Ah, I’ve got a plan. Here’s what I’ll do . . . then when I’m turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.’
5 “Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “He replied, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’
“The manager said, ‘Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now—write fifty.’
7 “To the next he said, ‘And you, what do you owe?’
“He answered, ‘A hundred sacks of wheat.’
“He said, ‘Take your bill, write in eighty.’
8-9 “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”
10-13 Jesus went on to make these comments:
If you’re honest in small things,
you’ll be honest in big things;
If you’re a crook in small things,
you’ll be a crook in big things.
If you’re not honest in small jobs,
who will put you in charge of the store?
No worker can serve two bosses:
He’ll either hate the first and love the second
Or adore the first and despise the second.
You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
REFLECTION
from John
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says our struggle is not against “flesh and blood,” but “against principalities and powers.”
I think Paul is right.
We live in a world dominated by systems and “-isms.” And at the end of the day, despite the best intentions and the kindest people stewarding their shape, all programs and ideologies and politics draw lines in the sand that demand the loyalties of our hearts and minds and bodies. We can’t escape it, and we can’t avoid participating.
But those of us who follow Christ know that we are called to love more than we are called to be right. Called to love more than we are called to be correct. Called to love more than we are called to be safe. Called to love more than we are called to win.
So how do we love in a world that constantly asks us to compromise our love?
Be shrewd, Jesus says, as if your life depends on it… because it does. Be conniving the way a crooked manager is conniving… but be conniving for love.
Or, in our context, perhaps Jesus might say this:
Pretend you are in constant survival mode, the way your unsheltered neighbor is in constant survival mode. So watch how they navigate the streets, how they find the little things and make the most out of them. How they piece together full outfits of clothing from trash bins and charity closets for warmth in the winter nights. How they make feasts out of scraps, and earn their wages from discarded cans. How they demand that the world pay attention to them on the street corners and use the tiniest morsels of generosity to keep themselves fed. Go and do likewise… but do it for love.
These days, it can sure feel like love and goodness are in survival mode. So may we resist complacency and comfort and get on with the work of love.
And may we know our guides when we see them.
This week, our nation experienced another iteration of political violence.
In the video below, James Kimmel (a Christian lawyer and neurological researcher) how violence and forgiveness operate within our brains. The whole interview is worth a watch, but the conversation specifically turns toward forgiveness at the 34-minute mark.
May we all find courage to forgive our perceived enemies.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
Are you annoyed with anyone right now? The next time their behavior bugs you, consider when you also have acted similarly.
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week
Who is someone in the world who represents “the other side,” to you? Can you imagine what sort of needs they are seeking to fulfill for themselves through their behaviors and worldview? Are those needs any different from your own?
What might a world look like that meets both your needs and their needs?
Pathways toward Centeredness
Sensation (Loving God with our senses and imagination):
The news cycle is bleak this week. So find sometime to sit in a quiet, dim space. Light a candle. Allow the light and the heat of the flame to remind you that goodness hasn’t been extinguished. The Spirit of God is still near.
What picture of a world-made-right begins to take shape in your imagination?
Questions for Reflection
Who do you know who is creative and resourceful in an inspiring way? Which of their strengths or behaviors might you start emulating for the sake of love?
Where do you struggle to resist comfort and complacency in the world? What is one step you can enact to keep your mind, body, and heart attentive to the challenge of love?
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
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