“HE IS THE JUDGE”
Luke 18: 1-8 (NRSV)

A defendant in a lawsuit involving large sums of money was talking to his lawyer. "If I lose this case, I'll be ruined." "It's in the judge's hands now," said the lawyer.

"Would it help if I sent the judge a box of cigars?" "No, don’t do it! This judge is a stickler or ethical behavior. A stunt like that would prejudice him against you. He might even hold you in contempt of court. In fact, don’t even smile at the judge."

Within the course of time, the judge rendered a decision in favor of the defendant.

As the defendant left the courthouse, he said to his lawyer, "Thanks for the tip about the cigars. It worked!" "I'm sure we would have lost the case if you'd sent them." "But, I did send them." "What? You did?" said the lawyer, incredulously.

"Yes. That's how we won the case." "I don't understand," said the lawyer. "It's easy. I sent the cigars to the judge, but enclosed the plaintiff's business card."

Taking his seat in his chambers, the judge faced the opposing lawyers. “So,” he said, “I have been presented with a bribe by both of you.” Both lawyers squirmed uncomfortably. “You, attorney Leon, gave me $15,000. And you, attorney Campos, gave me $10,000.” The judge reached into his pocket and pulled out a check. He handed it to Leon. “Now then, I’m returning $5,000, and we’re going to decide this case solely on its merits.”

At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you accepted $ 5,000 dollars to compromise this case?" The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn't heard the question.

"Isn't it true that you accepted $ 5,000 dollars to compromise this case?" the lawyer repeated. The witness still did not respond. Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the question." "Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought he was talking to you."

No matter who is the judge human nature can’t be suppressed enough to make an unbiased decision. It is in our nature to make judgments based on what we see, what we know, who we know, and what we want. Listen to Jesus talk about judges:

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.

²He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. ³In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’

⁴For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’”

⁶And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? ⁸I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

There are three parts to this scripture passage I want to address.

First, there is the part about the perseverance of the widow that has been interpreted to mean how important persistence in prayer is. Second, Jesus tells us that we are His chosen ones if we develop an ongoing relationship with Him. Third, we need to be concerned that when Jesus returns He will find us faithful.

Jesus is the only judge we need worry about.

Let’s talk about the third part. Jesus will return and part of the reason He will be returning is to judge the world. He’s earned that right by overcoming sin.  

The Bible tells us very clearly, in words spoken by Christ himself in Matthew 24, that He will come again. There will be nothing secret about it; it will be the greatest event the world has ever seen. Revelation 1: 7 tells us "Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him."

 
1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17: "For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."

These are scary words for those who don’t know Jesus or are afraid that they haven’t done what they need to do to earn eternal salvation.

Jesus has told us to repent of our sins, become as little Children in learning a new way of life, and believe in Him. Jesus says if we do this persistently, like the widow, and honestly place Him in our heart, we are His people.

We don’t earn salvation by works, we receive it by asking for it! Yet many of us have a fear of possible rejection from God, it’s normal. But we will not suffer the same fate of the person in the following story:

3 men, a Rabbi, a Hindu, and a politician, were travelling and their car breaks down out on a lonely stretch of highway late at night.

They climb out and begin walking. Several miles down the road they see a dim light. They see that it is a farmhouse so they knock at the door. The farmer answers the door and the men ask for shelter for the night with the promise they’ll be on their way the next morning.

The farmer agrees but says he has enough room for 2 of them in the house, the other must sleep in the barn. They agree and the Hindu man agrees to sleep in the barn.

10 minutes later there’s a knock on the door and the Hindu man says he can not sleep in the barn out of respect for the cow he found there. The Rabbi then agrees to sleep in the barn.

10 minutes later, another knock. It’s the Rabbi who says he can not sleep in the barn either because there’s a pig in there. So the politician goes out to the barn to sleep.

Everyone is settling in to sleep when sure enough, another knock at the door. The farmer opens the door to find the cow and pig at the door claiming they can’t sleep with the politician.

Friends take heart and do not let the promise of Jesus’ return scare you. Remember the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John 14: 1-3:

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Yet in the waiting for His return it will be the hardest thing we have ever done, but we can take courage in Matthew 24: 13 “But he who endures to the end will be saved,” and Hebrews 13: 5, “For He Himself has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Also Matthew 28: 20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

Friends, take heart, take part, and do not depart from the way path to Heaven!

 Amen

“God is Crazy Generous”
Luke 17: 11-19

There was this world famous painter. In the prime of her career, she started losing her eyesight. Fearful that she might lose her talent as a painter, she went to see the best eye surgeon in the world.

After several weeks of delicate surgery and therapy, her eyesight was restored. The painter was so grateful that she decided to show her gratitude by repainting the doctor's office.

Part of her work included painting a gigantic eye on one wall. When she had finished her work, she held a press conference to unveil her latest work of art: the doctor's office.

During the press conference, one reporter noticed the eye on the wall, and asked the doctor, "What was your first reaction upon seeing your newly painted office, especially that large eye on the wall?"

To this, the eye doctor responded, "I said to myself' Thank God I'm not a gastro- entomologist.'"

How about another? The patient shook his doctor’s hand in gratitude and said, “Since we are the best of friends, I would not want to insult you by offering any payment. But I would like for you to know that I have mentioned you in my will.”

“That is very kind of you,” said the doctor emotionally, and then added, “May I see that prescription I just gave you? I’d like to make a little change…”

Or another? Two friends met in the street. One looked sad and almost on the verge of tears. The other man said, “Hey my friend, how come you look like the whole world has caved in?”

The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me 50-thousand dollars.” “That’s not bad at all…!”

“Hold on, I’m just getting started. Two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew kicked-the-bucket and left me $ 95,000, and it’s tax-free to boot.”

Then, last week, my grandfather passed away and. I inherited a million dollars.”

“So why are you so glum?” “This week – nothing!”

Wow, I’d like to have a month like that.

Luke 17: 11-19: On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, ¹³they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean.

¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? ¹⁸Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

I have a confession to make. My family knows this, and most of you who know me well probably sense it as well. I have a hard time being the most positive person in the room at times. This contrasts with my understanding that every day of my life IS a scene from the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

God has spoiled me rotten with His blessings. I get to work with His people, I get to see the many blessings he has given us, I have a wonderful wife, daughter, and family. I certainly haven’t gone to bed without supper for a long, long time.

Borrowing the marketing message of the phone company Vonage, God has been “crazy generous to me!”

What more could I want? What more could I need then to say that God has made me one of the “clouds of witnesses” who testify to His love and grace when all around me I see people living the secular life and sleeping in on Sundays?

What exactly is Jesus saying in this passage? Jesus has been crazy generous to these ten lepers. I think it sheds light on one of Christianity’s foundations.

How can we truly say the phrase “God loves the sinner, but hates the sin!”  

We are taught and told over and over again that we are called to do the same, “love the sinner, hate sin,” because God is love.

It is in passages such as this that we see the fleshing out of this kind of statement. I am convinced that He truly loves all people even the sinners (as stated in Romans 5: 8 which says, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!).

Stop and contemplate that for a minute. Because God knows everything and if there are people that God knows will never accept Him as Lord He still offers them the same blessings as those who will!

This is contrasted with other passages. Hear Psalm 5: 5 (The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all evildoers.) and Psalm 11: 5 (The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked. He hates the lover of violence.)  How do we reconcile this?

If we look closely the answer is readily apparent. The verses from the Book of Psalms are from the Old Testament, before the cross.  It is only from the crazy generous love of the cross do thes words seem to be contradictory.

In Colossians 1:19-20 Paul wrote:

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in (Jesus) and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.”

This doesn’t mean everyone will be saved because of the cross, but that all the sins of mankind were paid for there. You have to ask for the Grace of Christ yet even if you don’t you still are a child of God’s creation and receive the benefits of a generous Creator.

Remember, John the Baptist called Jesus, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29). 

And John wrote these words with authority:

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Those who believe in Him are not condemned: but those who do not believed are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.

But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have done in God.                                                          (John 3: 14-21)

I worked with a pastor who had married a lady who was from a country he had lived in when his parents were missionaries. The lady’s skin color was a lot darker than his. They have two children.

He had a problem with his congregation accepting his wife and children. I asked him how he dealt with it. He told me that Jesus had died for his congregation.

I realized that if each of us could understand that we were all sinners in need of Grace it would be a good place to start handling our problems and becoming the people God would like us to become.

Look around here today – each and everyone us are sinners in need of redemption, or are receiving it.

Because of Jesus God has offered us that redemption at no cost other than to acknowledge our need, confess our sins, and start living each day with Him in our hearts. It also means learning to do a lot of stuff differently than our human natures would have us do.

Now isn’t that “crazy generous?” I think it should make us “crazy thankful!” Amen.

The Price You Are Willing to Pay

Communion Meditation
“Price You Are Willing to Pay”
Luke 17: 5-10 (NRSV)

Did you know that that the Fairy Tale story of the Princess and the Frog has been rewritten?

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess lap and said: “Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in yon castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so.”

That night, as the princess dined on a lightly sautéed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled to herself and thought: “Not a chance.”

Some people will pay anything to accomplish goals, achieve fame, or attain happiness. They will chase these goals without thought of others or the cost paid.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed the 29,035-foot peak of Mount Everest. Thousands followed, thanks to Nepal’s lifting its tight restrictions on climbing the mountain. By 2006, more than 2,700 people had reached the top of the world’s tallest mountain, many paying more than $60,000 for the experience.

One result of this commercial successwas the end of the traditional moral code of mountaineering. In the rush to the top, amateurs who have paid a fortune will do anything it takes to get to the summit, including abandoning other climbers.

David Sharp became a casualty in March of 2006. The thirty-four-year-old engineer from Cleveland managed to reach the summit. However, he ran out of oxygen on the way back down. As he lay dying, forty climbers passed him by, too eager to achieve their own goals to take a chance on offering their oxygen to someone else. David Sharp froze to death.

Ed Viestrus, who has scaled fourteen of the world’s tallest peaks, says passing people who are dying is not uncommon. “Unfortunately, there are those who say, ‘It’s not my problem. I’ve spent all this money, and I’m going to the summit.’ ”

This attitude has produced disgust in many climbers, including Sir Edmund Hillary, “On my expedition, there was no way you’d have left a man under a rock to die.”

To some people the danger is worth the risk – it is the price they are willing to pay.

LUKE 17: 5-10:

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  

Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table?’

Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink?’Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

The Greek word used here for “slaves” is douloš (and means bond servants). Being a bond servant means you are legally, ethically, and morally obligated to do what is told to you by the person holding the bond over you. It is the price you are asked or willing to pay,in order to benefit or pay the condition of the bond.

A bond could come about out of war or it could be an agreement for training, or a place to live and protection. It could last a lifetime or be time limited. It meant that the master was always right and always the priority.

In this passage Jesus is pointing out that the disciples have just stepped on the master-servant relationship between them.

The Mulberry tree (also called a sycamore tree) was a very deep rooted tree and considered impossible to uproot and move – contrasted with the tiniest seed in God’s kingdom.

Jesus was saying that even the smallest amount of true faith could accomplish great things – and that the disciples, if pure in heart, wouldn’t need His help to do great things.

He also suggests, through His teachings and actions, that giving or sacrificing oneself for others is the greatest act of faith there is.

Jesus offers sacrifice and the disciples must have faith in that sacrifice. Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to be willing give time, talent, or wealth to others. That’s what learning to be a disciple is all about.

Did you know that people who help others are healthier and live longer lives than those who don’t?

That was one of the conclusions of a team headed by Stephen G. Post, professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which evaluated fifty scientific studies of volunteers.

One study, by Cornell University, spent thirty years following 427 women who were married and had children. Researchers found that only 36 percent of women who regularly volunteered had experienced a major illness, while 52 percent of those who never volunteered had a major illness.

Other studies indicated that those who volunteered their time lived longer than those who didn’t. Frequent volunteers had a 44 percent reduction in early death when compared to non-volunteers.

Scientists also identified precise areas of the brain that are highly active during empathic and compassionate emotions. “These brain studies show this profound state of joy and delight that comes from giving to others,” Post said.

He went on further to say, “It doesn’t come from any dry action — where the act is out of duty in the narrowest sense, like writing a check for a good cause. It comes from working to cultivate a generous quality — from interacting with people. There is the smile, the tone in the voice, the touch on the shoulder. We’re talking about altruistic love.”

Jesus told the disciples about the power of faith. He also suggested that you can’t get it out of a can, it can’t be bought or sold.. It must be real, genuine, and self-developed. No one else can give you faith. They can help you build it.

Faith is all about trust and risk. Trust that our heavenly Master Jesus knows what’s best for us. And taking a risk to step out in faith in the knowledge that He is always with us.

Receiving Communion is a good illustration of this, We receive God’s Grace knowing that it is given to those who ask for it. You must be receptive to this Grace for it to help you.  Amen.

I rarely give advice but because of the times we live I can't resist this one:

IF YOU ARE VISITING A NATIONAL PARK TODAY REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR WIRE CUTTERS!!!!!!!!!

pjohn

NOTE: This message presented to a combined congregation at St. Paul's Church on the occasion of an elevator dedication.

“DOES GOD ALLOW DO OVERS?”
Luke 16: 19-31 (NRSV)

I have the honor of preaching to our assembled community of faith today as we celebrate the dedication of an elevator. I am reminded of the many times such  services have been celebrated here at St. Paul’s Church as upgrades, modifications, and items have been added over the last 266 years.

One of the things churches with long histories have to consider is “what is the legacy that has been left to me” from these prior gifts and what is the legacy we here today desire to leave for those who come after?

Sometimes we recognize the need to rededicate or renew legacies and efforts.

Today we’re going to see how Jesus addresses the concept of a “do-over.” The desire to wish for or desire a “do over” is fairly common. There have been books written, TV shows presented, and any other type of message done to explore the concept of being able to go back and re-do something in our lives.

Most of the time the moral is always the same: It’s better to do something the right way the first time to the best of one’s ability than to try to restore it. And if you can’t restore then you need to repent, or turn from your not so successful ways to try again.

We could ask no better scripture than the actual Lectionary text for today in keeping with this line of questioning. It pertains to a man who is experiencing the afterlife and regretting the legacy, or lack of one, he has left. It should encourage each of us to ponder our lives and how we’re using the precious time and abundance God has provided:

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feastedsumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’

But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’

He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’

Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’

He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Today’s message presents some challenges for a Christian; superficially, this passage appears as if it’s about “life” after death and whether messages can be sent to the living from the dead so that behavior change happens.

But that’s not what Jesus is talking about. In today’s world anything about life-after-death can be controversial because of our human views, beliefs, and fears.

This story was a favorite one told to Jewish children about earthly rewards and heavenly punishments. But Jesus takes the known story and puts a new twist on it.

Jesus’ take on this story suggests that the real danger is that we will squander the blessings and opportunities that His abundant blessings give us, and that we will fail to use His teachings to share this blessing with others every chance we get.

The story’s moral is clear; it will be too late when we’re dead. Our lives here on earth will affect our lives after physical death. Or for you Si Robertson fans out there – I’m talking about the “meta-physical.”

Yet we are not to be people who are goaded into being good because we fear eternal punishment that others may have earned. God relates to us better in Love than he does in fear. Our relationship to God is in Love and respect, not fear.

The rich man makes a fundamental mistake in his request to Abraham. Too many Christians relate only to fear and punishment rather than the joy and love of grace.

The rich man asks for comfort from an earned punishment after already living a life of leisure. A life wasted in selfishness. He also asks that his brothers be warned.

We discover that this is not quite the way Jesus suggests His Kingdom works. “Do overs” are allowed while we are facing our first physical deaths, but no one will be able to repent from Hell or Hades. It will be impossible.

Jesus says that because the rich man has already ignored God’s word and warning,  his heart failed to develop compassion for people such as Lazarus. Since he has died a physical death he will now receive the reward he asked for and earned – a world separated from God.

As we dedicate this elevator this day let us remember its purpose and our respective church’s purpose: of increasing the access to this church’s building and programs for those who are elderly and physically challenged, and for those who are searching for God’s Word and Truth.

It is not built because we could afford it and now can boast. It was not built just to satisfy one or two influential people’s ego; it was built because of need. It was built to build up our community of faith.

Face it: Paying for the elevator wasn’t as difficult as it could have been, because the more difficult a thing is to achieve the more appreciated it is. Yet the sweat equity put into this elevator is priceless to this community of faith.

Wealth, both financially and physically, is nothing unless it serves a purpose just as life becomes meaningless if it isn’t lived the way God has commanded us to live.

The purpose a church and an individual gives to a community should be beyond any earthly accounting. Today our wealth as a faith community has increased.

Billy Graham wrote in his autobiography Just as I Am, that happiness is not determined by wealth or fame but by character. He writes about an encounter he and his wife had while on vacation.

One of the wealthiest men in the world asked them to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears.

“I am the most miserable man in the world,” he said. “I have everything in the world to make myself happy.  I can go anywhere. Yet I am as miserable as hell.”

They prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning to life, but didn’t seem successful in soothing the man in his lonliness and lack of vision for his life.

Later that afternoon they met with the pastor of the local Baptist church. He too was 75, a widower who spent most of his time taking care of his 2 elderly sisters.

Yet he was full of enthusiasm and love for Christ and others. “I don’t have two dollars  to my name,” he said with a smile, “but I am the happiest man on this island.”

Billy Graham would ask us, “Who do you think is the richer man?"

 

Churches who don't use their wealth for service in God's Kingdom can become lonely and desolate. Let us never fall into a Lazarus mindset.

It is in this spirit of Christian character that we dedicate this elevator.

Let us pray that this building will long continue to be a symbol and tool of God’s presence and that it will embody the Grace of Christ here on earth. May it ever be an outreach tool for Christ.

Let it be a shining example of the goodness of God and His people.

May the word affirming Christ as Savior be preached here, may the Holy Bible continue as our rule of Faith, and may our hands, minds, and hearts seek only His Will.

Amen.

“Human Resources Counseling”
Luke 16: 1-13 (NRSV)

Behavioral consistency is one measure we use to know our friends, family, acquaintances, teachers, neighbors, and just about anyone else we meet.

As we get to know others we begin to build our patterns of communication and interaction to and with them. Above all we assess our ability to trust and confide in them and come up with our expectations of their future actions regarding us.

We learn what they value, who they love, what they treasure, and what motivates them in their everyday lives.

Employers do the same thing with those they employ. The problem of course, is encountering those people who say or do one thing but have hidden motives, agendas, or beliefs. That’s why most employers have a “Human Resources Department” to deal with employees.

I've always thought that if Jesus is the CEO of Christianity then certainly the Apostle Paul must be in charge of Human Resources and Counseling. Jesus set the standard and Paul interprets them for us.

Today let's look at Jesus' words as advice to employees. 

There is a famous joke that suggests that Frenchmen are smarter than Englishmen. It goes like this: A French Taxi cab driver once played a trick on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The man had driven Conan Doyle from the station to a hotel, and when he had received the fare, he said, “Merci, Monsieur Conan Doyle.”

“Why, how do you know my name?” asked Sir Arthur.

“Well sir,” replied the cabbie, “I read in the papers you were coming from the south of France to Paris. Your general appearance told me you were English. Your hair has been clearly cut by a barber from the south of France. I put these indicators together and guessed at once that it was you.”

“That is very remarkable,” replied Sir Arthur while giving the man a large tip, “you have no other evidence to go on?”

“Well,” hesitated the man, “since you’ve given me a good tip - I will point out to you that your name appears on your luggage!”

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.

So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’

Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’

So summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’

Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’

And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly;

For the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.

And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.

If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?

No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and weath.”

A young preacher had just begun serving his first congregation. It was the only church in a small logging town on the edge of the Maine woods. Everyone who lived in the town and attended church worked at the local lumber mill, which was the town’s only business and in fierce competition with a neighboring mill just downstream.

The preacher wasn’t in town long before he had an experience that shook him to the core.

He was taking a walk in the woods when he discovered by chance workers for the town mill pulling logs branded for the neighboring mill out of the stream, cutting off their branded ends, and re-branding them for their own mill.

The preacher became very upset and went home and worked on a powerful sermon.

That Sunday he got up and preached a sermon entitled, “Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Property.” The sermon seemed to go over very well. Everyone told him, as they left church how much they loved his preaching.

“You really moved me, Preacher,” and “Best Sermon I ever heard,” were some of the remarks.

But that next Monday it was the same business as usual at the mill. They were still stealing logs.

So the next Sunday the preacher delivered a real pulpit pounder called, “Thou Shall Not Steal.”

“Fantastic,” the people told him. “Wonderful,” they cried. But on Monday morning the other mill’s logs were still being swiped by the town’s mill.

The preacher told himself, “Enough.”  A preacher can only take so much, and then he must act. This time he wasn’t going to hold anything back.

On Sunday he got up and preached a sermon he called, “Thou Shall Not Cut Off the Branded ends of Someone Else’s Logs.”

Someone fire bombed his car after church and the congregation asked him to leave at 8 AM on Monday morning.  

Unfortunately even churches and communities can get into habits and practices that no one wants to admit, much less be confronted by. When this unwritten law is broken, it causes the messenger great grief.

You see, we all want to benefit from the grace of Jesus and the honestly and generosity of Christians, but sometimes we don’t want that same standard applied to us.

Jesus’ parable of the dishonest manager is all too real to us in our time. We have corrupt politicians, pastors, storeowners, stockbrokers, lawyers, policemen, and just about every type of worker you can imagine who wants to be viewed as good and honest and ethical, but who are rotten at their core.

Jesus’ question of trust is one we need to study long and hard. Are we consistent and committed Christians, loyal and true? If not how must we change?

A young woman was soaking up the rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked, “Do you believe in God?” She was somewhat surprised by the question but replied, “Why yes, I do.”

Then he asked her, “Do you go to church every Sunday?” Again, her answer was, “Yes, I do.” Then he asked, “Do you read from the Bible and pray every day?”

Again she said, “Yes,” but now her curiosity was aroused. At last the boy sighed and said with obvious relief, “Will you hold my dollar while I go in swimming?”

A school teacher was trying to impress her students with the importance of honesty.

She asked her class, “Suppose you found a briefcase with a half million dollars in it. What would you do?”

Little Johnny raised his hand immediately and replied, “If it belonged to a poor family, I’d return it.”

Jesus taught that ethics and codes of conduct are not negotiable, changeable, or different based on who you are. What you honor and esteem is what you will earn.

Start with faith and trust in Jesus and follow through to eternity. We can’t be rooted to the world’s values and see clearly to Heaven. Amen.

“World’s Worst Bet”
Luke 15: 1-10 (NRSV)

Two men from Alabama loved to fish. They went on a trip to Canada and decided to try ice-fishing.

They traveled to a Lake that was famous for its ice-fishing and went in to the bait shop to get the very latest ice-fishing tackle and bait. The owner explained that they would need an ice auger. It was very expensive but the men did not hesitate, they bought the auger to drill holes in the ice.

In a short while they had gathered the equipment they would need and arrived on the ice. They began to prepare for a great day of ice-fishing.

About 2 hours later they returned to the bait shop and asked for another auger. The store owner was confused and asked, “What’s wrong with the auger I sold you?”

“Nothing,” the men answered, “it works fine.” “Then why do you need another one?” the store owner asked.

“It’s cold out there. The holes keep freezing after a while, and we haven’t been able to fish yet. At the rate we’re going, we’re not even going to get the boat in the water before dark.”

A man who was never known for his intelligence returned home after a night out with his friends. He seemed slightly upset. His wife asked him what was bothering him. “Oh, I lost a hundred dollars,” the man answered. His surprised wife asked, “How did you lose that much money?”

“We watching the football game at the Firehouse,” he told her, “and I thought the Redskins were going to win the game with a field goal on the final play of the game. I was so sure I bet Bill fifty dollars that they would score. They didn’t score.”

His wife thought for a moment and asked, “But that’s only 50 dollars; I thought you said you lost one hundred dollars?”

“Yeah I know. I was so disgusted that I lost, I made a second, double or nothing, wager with Bill.” “I thought you said it was the last play of the game?” his wife responded.

“It was,” said the man, “so we bet on the instant replay.”

Hear our Gospel Lesson from Luke 15: 1-10:

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?

When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’

Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Two novice carpenters were trying to build a garage, and one was attaching the siding. He would pick up a nail, look at it, then hammer it in. Then he would pick up another nail, look at it, and throw it away.

His friend watched, as over and over his friend looked at each nail, and either hammered it in or tossed it over his shoulder. Finally the friend walked over and asked, “Hey, why are you throwing away half our nails?”

“The points were on the wrong end,” the man explained. “You bozo,” bellowed the friend, “Those nails are for the other side of the garage!”

Sometimes we all get caught doing something pretty dumb and realize all of us has a high “bozo” factor, but we usually hope no one’s watching. Notice how Jesus’ reply really didn’t respond to the accusation? Why do you think he didn’t??

The answer was given by the late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen when he said, “To create the world cost God nothing; to save it from sin cost His Life Blood.”

Friends, everyone Jesus encountered during His earthly ministry was a sinner and a total bozo in His eyes. When we are confronted with the perfection of Christ how can we ever be anything other than what we are.

I have a comedy album from the 1970’s by a group called the Firesign Theater  about living on planet earth that’s called, “We’re all bozos on this bus.”

Please realize I am not using this derogatorily but as a way to laugh at the futility of humanity’s failure to do and see things the right way, God’s way.

The story is all about how politics and government are going to grow and develop into a faceless machine that will treat us all as “bozos” who are incapable of making decisions and who will all need to be taken care of. Not a bad summary of our times in some ways is it?

Friends look around, are we making progress toward peace? Are we making progress toward solving world hunger? Are we making progress in upholding the concept of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” Isn’t that what was promised by the utopian “Great Society” ideals of the sixties and in today’s Liberal party promises?

Certainly there may be a reduced chance of a nuclear Armageddon but what are the chances we are heading for a social one? Human ideology is at war in our world and will not rest until there is a winner that mimics or fulfills biblical prophecy.

Yet those of us who are Christians and have faith in our Creator know that human schemes and ideology will fail because the outcome was already played out on that cross 2,000 years ago.

But the bozos on the earth bus are like our friend who lost the money because he bet on the instant replay. You know, I know, God knows, Jesus knows. But they are just willing to bet that God will be wrong somehow or someway.

There is only one thing that makes this good news!

I’ve always heard the phrase “God loves the sinner, but hates the sin” and we are called to do the same. Because God is love, I am convinced that He truly loves all his creation, even the sinners (as stated in Romans 5: 8). But we also read in Psalm 5: 5 and Psalm 11: 5 that he hates the workers of iniquity, and those that love violence. How do we reconcile this?

In Colossians 1:19-20 Paul wrote,

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in (Jesus) and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.”

This doesn’t mean everyone will be saved because of the cross, but that all the sins of mankind were paid for there. Not everyone will accept the Grace offered by God through Jesus Christ. Refusing this grace certainly will be a fatal act that requires God to give that person what they ask for – a world without God.

Remember, John the Baptist called Jesus,

“The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29). 

That’s why whosoever believes in what the Lord did for us there will not perish but have eternal life.

That’s why all of Heaven rejoices when even one sinner repents and reconciles with God.

Not accepting that grace from God is just about the worst bet in the history of humanity.

We Christians know the outcome won’t ever change. God does love sinners and bozos, everyone. Amen.