Patrick's poem from my daily prayer book

"I sing as I arise today!
I call on my creator's might;
the will of God to be my guide,
the eye of God to be my sight,
the Word of God to be my speech,
the hand of God to be my stay,
the shield of God to be my strength,
the path of God to be my way. Amen." ---St. Patrick

daily desert

I received a new devotional book in the mail. It's a compilation of wisdom from the desert fathers, monastics and ascetics from the early centuries of the church. I think the reading for today is appropriate given the last post from this morning:

Proverbs 25:6-7: "Do not put yourself forward in the king's preence or stand in th place of the great; for it is better to be told, "Come up here," than to be put lower in the presence of a noble."

"A brother asked Poemen, "How should I conduct myself in the place where I live?" Poemen answered, "Be as careful as a stranger, and wherever you are, do not expect the things you say to be taken seriously. Do this and you will discover peace."

I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

I am not comfortable entering an unfamiliar place and explaining myself. Yesterday, I stopped in to the pottery shop down the street to introduce myself. I felt like a fish out of water, like I wasn't wearing clothes. And all I wanted to do was meet them. Its hard to meet people, to face them with nothing to sell or buy. People want a good reason for you to come.
I did ask a couple of good questions. She and her family have lived in Akron for 40 years. She teaches ceramics, works with kids,and is open to working with small groups. I'd love to get more involved with throwing pottery. Actually, I'd love to commission a communion set---a chalice and small bread plate, maybe a pitcher too. Nice to use indigenous materials, local artists.
Apparently there is not much art happening locally. I wonder about plugging into her work as an event for young adults...
Often when we read that Jesus was a stranger that we welcomed, we are thinking about our hospitality toward others. But what if we, Jesus' sent ones, were meant to embody the way of the stranger. What I mean is, what if we are called to place ourselves in the position of the stranger in search of hospitality? What if we are supposed to be the one who feel uncomfortable in our own skin? Being incarnational means becoming a stranger. Only by becoming a stranger can you become a friend or a messenger or a servant. Missional life is initiated by our willingness to be a stranger in a strange land, a foreigner, a resident alien (as Stanley Hauerwas said). I hope to actively engage in this mission to be the stranger in the room. What might come of it? I believe there is great potential in doing so, in engaging people where they are. It is the stranger whose intent is love that reveals the resurrected Jesus. So, go and be a stranger somewhere. but be a stranger with compassion or with joy or with peace or with grace in your heart and speech and actions. See what that feels like and how God is present to you through it.

Derek Webb and "One Zero"

I bought a CD the other day at a Christian bookstore. I rarely go in there. And I hardly ever listen to "Christian" music. I prefer to listen to excellent music and, if the people making it happen to be influenced by their faith in Jesus, even better. Nonetheless, I bought "One Zero" an acoustic set by Derek Webb of the band "Caedmon's call". I love his blend of chords and thoughtful lyrics.
"Take to the World" strikes me as the perfect missional anthem. These are the lyrics:

"Go in peace to love and to serve
And let your ears ring long with what you have heard
And may the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place that you are from

And take to the world this love, this hope and faith
Take to the world this rare relentless grace
And like the three in one
Know you must become what you want to save
'Cause that's still the way
He takes to the world

Go and go far take light deep in the dark
Believe what's true use it as all, even you
May the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place you are from

missio dei

What is God up to? I believe its a bigger project than keeping small, self-serving congregations afloat. Call it the in-breaking of the Kingdom, or the righteousness of God received by faith, or the dream/vision of a new creation--God has begun a global project to reach humanity and invite us to participate with Jesus in the reclamation of all that belongs to God. Big project. Likely not through one denomination or expression of Christianity. Likely carried out in subtle, hidden, incarnational expressions of love. Like a man starting a neigbor's lawnmower because her husband is gone and she can't start it. Like an hour on the phone with a woman sobbing because of the nastiness of the custody hearing. Like an hour with 3rd graders doing math and a half-day moving a friend from the old house to the new one. Like a simple gift brought to the new young family, less than 24-hours after the baby is born.
The missio dei is a way of life. It is how we live together, how we respond to God's love and grace and how we show that same love and grace to our neighbors. It is forgiveness, praying for enemies, non-violent truth-telling, patient endurance in suffering, rejoicing and mourning, comforting and encouraging. It is to have a deep hope in the God who raised Jesus from the dead--that life is eternal, and God's love is stronger than death.
I hear and read alot about the mission of God. But I wonder how many of us are trying to practice living in it, being a part of it.
May God's ways consume you and become your ways. May you have the mind of Christ. May you live with Jesus and become like Him in his death and resurrection. May you declare in word and deed that the Kingdom of God is at hand!

ONE Campaign

On Sunday, Nov. 11 at 9:15 we will watch a presentation on the ONE campaign and the Millenium deveopment goals. We will write an offering of letters to send to our U.S. senators. We will sign the declaration and distribute wrist bands. For more information on the ONE campaign to make poverty history, click on the link to the right.

theology

"Theology is the study of God and his ways. For all we know, dung beetles may study man and his ways and call it humanology. If so, we would probably be more touched and amused than irritated. One hopes that God feels likewise." --Frederick Buechner

3 year-old questions

How can we hear Jesus? Where is God? How is Jesus God? Is David good or bad? Why does he hurt people? Why do wolves eat sheep? can I have a yogurt drink? Why not? But I didn't have one today. Can I have a yogurt drink? Why not? What time is it? Is this the last meal of the day? Why? Why is it getting dark so soon? Why is the moon only a sliver moon tonight? Can I stay up late and watch a movie? can I watch Diego? Can I play Geo Trax? Can I have a yogurt drink? Can I have a snack? is it a bath night? Is it a hair night? can I watch a show? Are we going somewhere today? Can we go to the park? is this breakfast or...? Can we snuggle in your bed? Can I just play with my friends in my room? can we go see Andrew? Why not? Can we go see if Katrina and Amy can play? Can I have a yogurt drink? Or a drink of water? Can I have PB & J? can I have a yogurt drink?

Apple gleaning and CROP walk

Saturday is Apple gleaning day. We leave Zion at 8:00 am for Sycamore Spring orchard in Lebanon. We pick apples for a few hours, which are donated to local food banks. Join us by showing up at Zion by 7:45 am.
Sunday at 1:15 pm we will enjoy the annual CROP walk. We leave from Ephrata Church of the brethren. It's a 3 mile walk around Ephrata neighborhoods. Join us by emailing me. Bring donations to add to the team envelope.

God's Word in Worship October 21, 2007

These are the four Scripture passages for Pentecost 21 2007:
Genesis 32:22-31; "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel for you have strive with God and with humand and have prevailed." God's people struggle to be faithful.

Psalm 121: "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."

2 timothy 3:14-4:5 We bear God's message, even when that message is unpopular.

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8 Being faithful means to persist in our quest for justice on behalf of those without a voice. Prayer is our cry to God for justice and mercy. We are called to pray without ceasing, to pray constantly. What happens when we pray? Whose will is changed? How does God hear and respond? Does prayer change God?

Joel

Joel Osteen is the leader of Lakewood church, the largest megachurch in the country. he became "pastor" 8 years ago when his father died. He has no seminary training, no theological education outside of his own internal learning, mainly from his father. He writes and sells books. He spends four days a week preparing his message for the weekend. He does 20 or so large venue speaking engagements in a year. He is on television weekly reaching a huge audience. He makes people feel good about themselves. He teaches people that God is good and is on their side, desiring for them the best life has to offer--prosperity, joy, health. His wife is co-pastor and the rest of his family also benefit from the 70 million dollars in income the church receives annually, not to mention his book royalties. But since his book sales have gone so well, he has not taken his $170,000 annual salary from Lakewood. Wow. I wonder how his annual salary stacks up to that of an average parishioner? Is he a celebrity? Absolutely. He is a religious celebrity who confirms the great American sins of wealth,pride, and self-focus.

Joel: "If Jesus were here today, he wouldn't be riding around on a donkey. He'd be taking a plane, he'd be using the media."

My Response: One: Jesus is here today. Unless you don't accept the word of Jesus, "I am with you always, to the close of the age," from Matthew 28 as somehow true. Jesus is present in the Word and Sacraments. For 2,000 years Christians have believed and affirmed this spiritual reality. Why can megachurch leaders reject this claim and get away with it? Two: Wasn't Jesus poor? Wasn't His life that of a servant who suffers? How do poor, back country folk get to "use the media?" Jesus told stories to poor 1st century, oppressed Jews and gentiles.

Joel: "You may make some mistakes-but that doesn't make you a sinner. You've got the very nature of God on the inside of you."

My response: Didn't St. Paul deal with this self-righteous talk that denied sin? "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3) If we are unable to call a thing what it is, to be straight about the hunman condition, then we are not following Jesus. The full affect of Jesus' death on the cross cannot be received by self-righteous people who need no forgiveness. To deny sin is to deny the power of the cross. "At the right time Christ died for the ungodly." According to Joel, no one is ungodly enough to need Jesus. You have what you need to be the kind of eprson God made you to be is a denial of the basic tenets of biblical faith. We are not God. We think we are. Original sin is not 'making mistakes". It is a rejection of the one true GOD in favor of the god of the self or self-made gods--like wealth or personal happiness. To rejec the power of sin is to deny the power of the cross. To do so is not Christian. It is anti-Christian and heresy. But in our culture it isn't fair to judge the "good guys", is it?

Joel: "To me, we're marketing hope."
My response: Ah, yes. I agree that people need a true sense of hope in which to cling. "My hope comes from the Lord,the maker of heaven and earth," says the psalmist. Joel's hope comes from some shiny happy place in which you convince yourself everyday that today is better than yesterday. His hope is an internal mechanism that we need to access or turn on like a light switch. He sas that our words, our declarations have the power of move God. Again, making God in our own image with outr own thoughts. Is that hope or a private wish? Real Hope comes from outside ourselves. It comes from the Lord of the resurrection.
But he is marketing something. He is selling himself! Shouldn't he give it to people for free? Shouldn't his books be free? Shouldn't his speaking engagements be free? he's marketing himself in a free market that loves to buy crap
.
Joel:"I think Bible principles are principles for life."
My response: The Bible is not a how-to book for living a better life. How do evangelical fundamentalists get this wrong? The bible is not about me or you and how to behave. The bible is God's self revelation, in which we discover: 1. God is real. 2. we cannot live God's way. 3. Jesus lives God's way. 4. We join Jesus through Baptism into a community of faith. 5. We receive, by the power of the Holy Spirit, faith. 6. Faith invites us to live the way of Jesus. 7. This way is sacrificial, weak, and focused on the needs of the other. It is self-less. This way is the way of humility and poverty, not glory and riches. The Bible is about GOD, not about you. We depend on God for life, for rescue from ourselves, for faith, for strength, for the gifts to make the world better.
Joel: "God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us."
My response: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation." Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of heaven."--Jesus Christ. Luke 4: 24 and 20. God's justice regards the poor and the hungry as worthy. Rather than obtaining more for myself, God wants all people to have enough. We ought not to rest in our comforts until all are fed, clothed, housed, properly medicated, educated, treated fairly, etc... Again, if its all about you, how can you serve in God's kingdom to bring justice to bear for all God's children?

Joel Osteen has a large cult following. His is, like many megachurch cultures, a personality cult. It is all about Joel. Joel's message, Joel's book, Joel's smily charisma. Joel's charm.
A professor at Westminster seminary said that his messages basically are: "God is nice. You are nice. Be nice." The media has been interviewing him again this week in anticipation of his next book, "Becoming a better you." A follow-up to his bestseller, "Your best life now," it will be filled with more of the same simple platitudes for being a good person with a good attitude in life.
He can't respond to pain, suffering, crisis because he doesn't know Jesus.
You know, I'm tired of these evangelical preachers and their cult followings offering up a message that is NOT Christocentric. The theology of the self fits perfect in our self-focused culture. It reinforces the "me drive" that guides our culture. His books are self-help books,in the vain of Dr. Phil or any other self-help guru. (I prefer Dr. Phil. At least he's not selling his life-coaching as the Christian gospel).
I know that the theology of the cross, in which Jesus is the center of our knowing God and the lense by which we see ourselves, is unpopular in our culture. "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." To perish is to be so self-focused on your own life today that you see little beyond yourself. To perish is to expect that God is working for you, that God is on your side. Shouldn't we be on God's side? What if you hear that God is on your side, God is for you (Joel's message), and then you commit evil? Is God for evil, then?
Joel Osteen is teaching "good" news because the news he teaches is the news people want to hear. It sounds good, because we want our lives to be confirmed, justified, blessed by God. We don't want to have to change. We want to be content as we are. I'm okay, you're okay. Right?
What about: God is God. I am not. What I am not, Jesus is. What Jesus is, I am by faith. It is a gift of God that I am what I am. In response to this gift, I am set free to love the neigbor. I can only do this in a community of others living by faith. Therefore, the "I" of faith must become the "we" of church in order to live the way of the cross. This way is love. Love is always for the other. Love is the fulfillment of law. Perfect love casts out fear. Jesus affirmed these commands: Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. Love one another as Christ has loved you. Love your enemies. This love is sacrificial and involves humbly serving, laying down your life. That is the way of the cross. The way of the cross demonstrates God's love for the world. Undeservedly, God loves us. Why? Because love is the best way.

I long to get this message out. But I don't have a book deal or a multimedia center or a tv show. I have this blog and a few dozen people on Sundays in a little community in Akron, PA. And that will likely be all for me. I need to become content with that. I will not be on 20/20 or Larry king or some other show. I will not wear a nice suit and smile in front of 30,000 adoring fans. I will follow Jesus. Which means that I will figure less. "He must increase, I must decrease," said the first witness in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist. That is also the way of the cross. To point to Jesus is to point away from yourself. To direct others to Jesus' way is to send, not accumulate. To give, not receive. To serve, not to be served.

the grass

This is an excerpt from a book I'm reading about Benedictine monks and hospitality. The book is by Homan and Pratt, called "Radical Hospitality: Benedict's way of love." This kind of hospitality is exemplified in the story I want to share.

"Father Noel and Father Dan were taking a walk on the monastery grounds one day. It was the kind of day made for a walk with a friend. A group of eleven- and twelve-year olds from an institution for troubled children were on a tour of the monastery. They had arrived by hay wagon, pulled by horses with a couple of young drivers, probably in their late teens. Acres of rolling grass invite you to stretch out on a sultry summer day and enjoy the soft grass and warm earth. The monastery grounds are well groomed, but the place doesn't feel like an institution...The two monks were enjoying one of those warm days of late summer. Guests were not as common in those days, but when they showed up they were welcome. Occupied in conversation, Father Dan did not notice the hay wagon drivers until they came within a few yards. "I was stopped in my tracks," he remembers. "Right there on the yard in front of us, the two wagon drivers were passing a joint back and forth, looking completely at home, as if this was the most natural thing to do at a monastery. In case you're wondering, it isn't." Father Noel, born in Italy and a monk all of his adult life, had never seen marijuana. he was not a naive or stupid man; such a thing simply was not part of his experience. Father Dan was a street-smart kid raised in Detroit. Before he could demand an explanation, Father Noel spoke up.
"Young men," he exclaimed with wide-armed relish, "we are so glad that you are with us today to enjoy the grass."
What if Christian communities were like that? Can it not be transformative to receive grace, when you know full well you are doing something wrong? What the world needs is more grace. More grace. A generous welcome. An outstretched hand. Radical hospitality that crosses barriers. Grass.

its a boy, again

Yesterday, Cherie and I went to the Dr. for an ultrasound to determine, among other things, the sex of baby #3. We were hoping for a girl this time.
On my way to pick Cherie up I thought about changing my shirt, makng my id as pastor less conspicuous. I was wearing a black clerical shirt. Sometimes wearing it to the hospital makes you the local chaplain on call.
We arrived on time for the appointment. On the way in I was stopped by a woman in tears who asked me if I was a minister and if I could come immediately and pray with her daughter and son-in-law, who received bad news. In an ultrasound at 16 weeks, they were told the fetus died. They were devastated. They were there to find out the sex of the baby.
I told her that I was there with my wife for the same reasonand would find them after we were done.
When we came out, they were gone. For us, the perspective quickly evolved from caring about the sex of the baby to the health and vitality of our baby.
I don't know why encounters happen when and how they do. It was not a foregone conclusion that I would be called upon just because I was in uniform, but I was.
I took their names. I can pray for them, maybe I can find them...Are they believers? And what consolation can be offered parents of such a loss? We lost a baby at 16 weeks once. It was hard. Should I have left Cherie to minister to them? What if that experience opened them for a Word from God that they hadn't been open to before? What if I had missed our ultrasound to minister to them? Will God reach them, comfort them, love them in some other way? I have good guilt about this. It will motivate me to seek them out. How many others are facing this kind of crisis without a community of hope, faith, and love surrounding them? I suspect many.
We're having another boy.

via vita/way of life

What is the via vita? For the Christian it consists in a devotion to the ways of Jesus and His disciples. Christians are called to live a new life, a way of life consistent with the life of Jesus and His Spirit-filled followers. What does that life look like?
The Acts community, as it emerged in the 1st century, was a community of Baptized believers. They were converted by the gospel message through the bold proclamation of the Apostles.
The emergent community devoted themselves to the apostles' teachign and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers.
Today, in postmodernity, in a post-Christian or non-Christian context, how do we get apostolic? And how do we encourage devotion to these four spiritual habits?
We eat together, sharing what we have. We pray and listen.
Taking a benedictine approach to these habits, we will begin lectio continua. We will also pray a psalm, the Lord's prayer, and intercessory prayer. But the center of the fellowship will be a meal. Potluck. Or eat out.
The life of Jesus, as embodied by the community, is an inclusive, compassionate, mission-driven life focused on meeting the complete needs of the other. Healing, forgiving, walking with, loving, laughing with, sharing, inviting, encouraging, and giving are consistent with the ministry of Jesus. So is rebuking and rejecting evil, speaking truth to power, advocating for the child and the widow.
A Christian community seeks to embody this via vita in the midst of a host community largely unfamiliar with this way. It is often counter cultural, even as it understands and speaks the language of the culture.
How does one engage a community in the via vita? Personal invitation.
On that note, I have to go.

Wine of Joy

I have come to believe that the expressions or emotions of a worshiping community should revolve around joy. Joy and Awe. Joy and Awe. Somethig like mythree-year-old at the zoo or at the ocean for the first time. When something happens and you can't help but smile or even laugh, maybe even get a tear in the eye from it? That kind of joy. Like going down hill too fast on a bike sort of thing. Or a great party. Jesus uses the analogy of the wedding more than once to describe the presence of the kingdom of God. And the gospel of John offers up the weding at Cana as the first sign of resurrection life, long before Jesus' death and resurrection happen in the narrative. Old ritual is replaced by new wine! And the best wine at that! Shouldn't the Christian life reflect that kind of joy and awe? I'm not saying that false joy in the face of suffering is a virtue. I'm saying that Jesus reveals to us that joy is the way of life of the suffering one. Eternal life is full of joy. And I mean eternal meaning the fullest life in abundance possible now for those who follow and believe Jesus.
So why does so little of the Christian life in community seem like joy these days? I'm waiting for joy to break out here, Lord. Give us joy, Lord. Give us joy. In worship let our songs be joyful. IN serving, let our attituide be one of joy. Why? Because a joyful Christian is a sign of God's grace and life.
maybe if I drink a little more wine...

PM devotions

Saturday nights 5:00 pm

Everyone has a Spirit.
God is accesible to us.
Life seeks peace.
Love requires community.
Join us. We welcome everyone.
Come and be quiet with us.
Join the prayers, listen for God.
Eat a simple meal in community.
The Spirit needs exercise too.
There are four spiritual habits for life;
Study,pray, share, and eat.
See a devoted community live a spiritual life.
Become part of it.
Saturday nights at 5:00 pm.
Zion Lutheran
435 Main St.
Akron

Four habits

It strikes me that people's lives are so harried, including my own, that we often neglect the cultivation of good habits. I rarely exercise or take my vitamin. Why?

"They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers." Acts 2:41.

Megachurches around us have figured out how to attract people. And they do it well, put all their energy behind it. With relative success. But I wonder. Are people learning how to pray, how to listen, how to serve humbly? how does one experience family in a megachurch setting? Where does relationshipand community happen and when?

I believe that the 1st century church emerged in a culture that was generally religious in nature and that some of the religious were exclusive in their attitude toward non-adherents. Some greco-Romans were following secular philosophies. And many people were skeptical or even negative toward monotheistic religion.
The early church emerged when followers of Jesus, the crucified Rabbi, were inspired to share the story of His death and resurrection as a sign of God's reign over all of life that transcended the power of death.
In a single scene, people were inspired by the initial speech from Peter and the spiritual fervor of the small community. 3,000 were baptized. People were converted from whatever beliefs they espoused to belief in the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
Then, this fledgling community attended to four spiritual habits. Always together. This was not a private faith, but a community way of life. They listened to the story of Jesus and those who were called to interpret it for them, they prayed (Psalms, the prayer of Jesus, intecessory prayer). They shared (meeting each other's needs); and they broke bread (eating together, feeding others).
The results of their practicing these habits in community? Inspired lives, joyful worship, generous giving, and organic growth. (See Acts 2:44-47).

Cultivating these four habits is the church's main task. We are called to Study, pray, share, and eat in commuity. What might this look like today?

We gather weekly. We serve a meal. We read a New testament writing, like Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. We let it speak to us like Lectio Divina. Lectio is an ancient prayer practice where one dwells on the Word, letting it teach you. As you read, you simply pause at words or phrases or texts that strike you or engage you or challenge you and you identify them.
After lectio, we pray like this: We read a psalm in unison. We offer intecessory prayer. We pray the Lord's prayer in unison.
As we eat, we talk about what God has entrusted to us for His use in mission. We discern a better stewardship of our lives in community.

The important part of this for me is to cultivate a radically inclusive hospitality. Everyone eats. A lot of people pray. Many people seek spiritual guidance or a word of counsel from above. These practices are, like Benedictine spirituality, open and accessible. One might come and experience them without intimidation or fear. The idea is to let people become accustomed to a spirit-led way of life. I am reading "The Cloister Walk" by Kathleen Norris, which is a spiritual journal of her time among benedictines. A good read.

To make a spiritual oasis in which people can come in contact with the richest parts of Christian tradition without the baggage attached to church. I hope to invite people to become devoted to Jesus through the practice of these four habits.

the middle face?

Last night at bed time we told our 3 year old to follow his sleep rules. We have a chart for him. he is supposed to stay in bed, close his eyes, be quiet, and go to sleep. If he doesn't follow the rules, we put a sad face on the chart. If he does, he gets a happy face. When he gets a sad face he is denied PBS kids shows in the morning. Nobig loss, but he likes to watch "Clifford the Big Red Dog." Admittedly so do I. Its a funny show with dogs. John Ritter is the voice of Clifford.
Anyway, he hasn't been following the sleep rules.We were giving him a three strike deal, until we realized he knew that he could get to two strikes and still get a happy face. So we went to the one-strike rule or the one time tuck-in. We reminded him that obedience earns a happy face and disobedience a sad face. To which he replied, "What happens if I get a middle face?" A third option? Never mentioned before? Creative. I laughed. I immediately thought, "a middle face reminds me of ambivalence. maybe he's talking about Lutherans!" :I

pm prayers

When life is hard, people often pray. Some people pray more than others. Some people pray beter than others. Some people don't pray. But if you do, and you would like to experience a praying community join us on Saturday night at 5:00 pm for prayer, conversation, friendship, and dinner. We meet at Zion Lutheran, 435 Main St. , Akron, PA.(near Ephrata). Prayer is one of the four spiritual practices of the emerging Acts community in the New testament. I think it is because most humans pray. There's something almost natural to it. Almost.
But there is nothinglike praying in a community. We're trying. We're learning. We're not experts. We're not monks or nuns. We're just people who believe that God listens and that if we listen we might hear GOD. (Explain that to your three-year-old, who asks,"How can we hear Jesus' voice, daddy?)
So come and pray with us on Saturday at 5:00 pm.

Dishonesty, wealth, and Jesus

I'm not ready to comment on Luke 16:1-13. I don't know what Jesus is saying, except that maybe GOD doesn't punish people for shrewdly dealing with worldly matters by being more gracious than one is supposed to be. The bad manager decides to cook the books by offering borrowers a reduction in debt payments. He is commended by the boss for being shrewd. By being gracious toward customers, he put himself in good relations with debtors as he will likely become one himself in unemployment. And he kep the boss happy by collecting some of what was owed. Perhaps partial repayment is better than none? So he was gracious to clients and able to secure some liquid funds for the lender. What does that mena for us?
Being gracious is not a practice accepted by our culture. We expect to have to pay full price. One houses, cars, etc...there's no real discount or deal, is there? But Christians are supposed to give omre than they receive. Generosity, howver, doesn't have to mean becoming overly vulnerable. In fact, being generous can lead to a greater communal security. Quite the opposite of what we might think would happen.
Of course, the lender could have been angry with him for having reduced the debts, having expected to be repaid in full. But he wasn't. Perhaps God is that way with us. We don't get the job done. We aren't good trustees of what God has given us. But at least we can be foolishly gracious with what isn't really ours to be gracious with. God seems to like that in an odd twist.
I still don't know how this works into a message for others. Maybe somethig will stir in the next couple of days or in pryer on Saturday.