“No servant can serve two masters”.
That is what Jesus said to the disciples in today’s Gospel lesson. The servant will either hate the one and love the other. He will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

The example used by Jesus as a master is “mammon”, or money, the pursuit of wealth. Wealth does not have to be the only thing that seeks to master us men and women. There are other interests that fight for our attention, our devotion, love, and worship. It could be family, our jobs, sporting activities. It could be pornography, alcohol, or legal marijuana. It could be social media, other forms of entertainment. It doesn’t matter what it is, if it becomes a priority above and beyond your faith, your witness, and your time with God and His Word, it/they/whatever has become your master over and above God.

For example, if you are afraid to rebuke someone in sin because you cherish their opinion of you more than the love of them and the love of God and the hope that they may repent, then that person and your pride, has become more important than God and His Word. If you are more willing to spend family time on a Sunday morning at home rather than bring that same family to the truth and treasures of God’s Word, then who are you devoted to? Who are you despising?

The passages for today are warnings against serving our selfish desires and against making friends with the world. Endearing ourselves with the world. More and more people in this country are abandoning the truth of God’s Word for their own version of God’s Word, editing out the parts that are uncomfortable for themselves or that might cause them scorn in the eyes of the world.

The steward in the Gospel lesson was using the treasures of his master to serve Himself, then when he was caught, he thought to make friends by buying off favors from those who owed his master other goods. Then, he thought they would welcome him into their homes.

What is this talking about? Well first, it is a summary of the Gospel lessons from the last three Sunday. These all speak of the role of pastors and teachers in the church. They are to be stewards of the mysteries of God. To be faithful in teaching. To be faithful in feeding the flock entrusted to them with the Word of God, with the right practice of the sacraments. But sadly, there are those wicked and false teachers who come in to twist God’s Word. They may relax parts of God’s Word, to soften God’s Word of Law or they may magnify the Law so that the Gospel is lost altogether. Perhaps they appeal only to emotion and sentiment or they despise the troubles and valid feelings of their charges. No, the false prophets appear in sheep’s clothing but inside are ravenous wolves who over the course destroy and lead astray.

So, the false prophets are like the steward in today’s text. They use God’s Word only to build themselves up, and then when the going gets hard and they are caught in misusing God’s Word, they make it worse. They try to make friends with the world. Instead of confessing their sin and admitting their failings to the master seeking mercy: they take advantage of their position one last time. They go to those who are in debt to the master and try to lessen the debt in their eyes so that they will think he is their kind of steward. So they can appreciate the favor he gave them. This is just like the false teachers of today, who seeing the winds of change in our society backtrack on a whole host of issues. The favorites of today: “so-called gay marriage” “transgender and other gender issues” in society and in the church. They will backtrack on anything, anything to make themselves seem like they are the buddy of the person they are talking to, to the community. They will back track on confirmation class instruction requirements, the liturgy, on the use of good hymns, on closed communion, on baptism. Oh, God’s Word says you are wrong? Let me take that away. No it’s ok, now, because I said so. Whatever it takes.

One who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If you make friends here on earth by giving up God and His Word, well expect to be received into their eternal dwellings. Those eternal dwellings are speaking about hell.

So what does that mean for you and for me? Well Jesus also said: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much”.

All the gifts that you and I have been given are from the Lord. Essentially, we are all called to be stewards. Stewards not entrusted with the public ministry, but stewards nonetheless. You who have been baptized are stewards of God’s Word and faith as you have been instructed and received from Him. You have been called to hand it over faithfully as much as you can to your children (who are also God’s gifts and treasures to be stewards of) but to hand over and witness to the Word of God to your brothers/sisters/classmates/family/friends/ coworkers/neighbors/fellow citizens/ all those whom you come across in your vocation. You are by God entrusted with time here on earth, with money to help build up God’s kingdom. With the beauty that surrounds us to be stewards of all things that God has given to His glory and for your good.

But have you been faithful in what you have been given? Whether it seems to be much or little. To those around you, what do you declare to be most important in the living of your life? Ah, but who of us, pastor or parishioner, who of us has been faithful in the much or the little that God has given us? None of us.

We like David in our Introit psalm for today must honestly declare:
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
We do deserve to receive the full bill of what we owe God for our debt and being poor stewards. We should be cast out into the eternal dwellings of damnation with all the world, all the idolaters, sexual immoral, and others who have and will receive God’s righteous judgment. We cannot pay God back what we owe Him.

But God in His mercy, has already prepared Your forgiveness in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the steward of God’s Grace who takes our bill which reads “condemned” and stamps “forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ crucified”. That is sign of the cross upon Your forehead and upon Your heart given you at your baptism. That Jesus Christ died for your sins, He has risen for you, taking away your sin. In baptism, He took you out of the world and has changed you and continues to change you. By the blood of Jesus Christ, you have been purged, made clean, washed, and your sins made whiter than snow. When you confess your sins and repent, you are again purged and renewed in Your baptismal grace as you hear the absolution from your pastor as from Christ himself.

Dear friends, though you have failed this week, and I have too. We are renewed. He creates a clean heart in us. By the purity of His Word, He instructs you and makes you whole by His Holy Spirit.

This world is fallen, our natures our fallen. That does not mean that all in this world is bad. It is not. Much of it is good and wonderful. But do not make it your all and your god. This world will fail. Our bodies will fail. Tragedies come upon us because of the brokenness of sin. When these happen; when you grow tired, weak, or tempted to sin or be a people pleaser, or tempted to give up hope… When the world, rejects you for speaking a language and living a life foreign to itself…. Remember God’s love and mercy for you. Repent and return to Him. He has prepared through His Son’s death and resurrection: true life, true riches. He will not fail you. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can bear. It may feel like more than we can bear, but look to the cross. Let Christ bear your troubles for you. In the midst of trouble see hope in that same cross of Jesus through which He has conquered your sin, your spiritual enemies, to redeem you and make you His own by the forgiveness of your sins and give you eternal life.

Now receive the body given for you and your salvation, your rest and refreshment. Drink the drink of His holy blood outpoured for you to be received in faith for the forgiveness of sins, for the strengthening of your faith and the faith of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Then take this Word of Law and Gospel, of life and hope, you who have received the Holy Spirit. Take it from this place with you, with boldness and joy and be faithful by His grace to speak of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are ever faithful to exhort you, forgive you, to comfort you, to feed you until you are brought safely to the heavenly eternal dwelling that He has prepared for you in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas