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Amos 8:4-7
1 Timothy 2:1-15
Luke 16:1-15
I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home…
Many Bible passages point out this basic fact. Once we know Jesus, we no longer fit in with this
world. Something is fundamentally different about us. Jesus said to his disciples (and to us) in
John 15:19 “As it is, you do not belong to this world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”
This different thing about us… this “un-belonging”… doesn’t mean we cease to live in the
world. If only that were true! Wouldn’t it be great if once a person became a believer, he or she
would die? Then we would be in heaven forever with God, enjoying eternal pleasure at his right
hand. But we’re still here. We have something to do before we spend eternity with God. What
is it? Jesus says it very plainly in Matthew 28:19-20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age.”
But being a Christian in a non-Christian world isn’t easy. God gives us good instructions to help
us have the best life possible, but the world contradicts God. Our human reason is flawed by sin,
so the world’s arguments sound pretty good.
Taking the world’s view of things may sometimes seem like a good idea, but it never works out
well. God urges us in Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We know this renewing of our minds comes from
God himself. He’s so good to us – he gives us good instructions, then gives us the ability to
follow them! And listen to what life is like when we listen.
This is also Romans 12. Verses 9-18:
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one
another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal,
but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in
need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who
rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not
be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be
conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
What if we Christians all always lived like this? It really would be transformative… not just
transformative of us, but of the whole world.
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The Bible readings for today address this tension we experience. They speak of the world’s view
working against God’s perfect perspective.
AMOS:8-4-7
When we hear the reading from Amos, we might think: “Wow! God is saying some pretty
strong things to those rich people. I’m glad I’m not rich!” But “rich” is relative, isn’t it? And
the temptation to dwell too much on money is not unique to rich people.
The sinful world pushes itself into our minds and attitudes all the time. We hear the constant call
of materialism: “New and Improved!” “Larger and better!” “Now with red trim!”
If only we had more money!
Of course this temptation not new. Amos talks of people being willing to do anything to increase
their profit: disregarding the Sabbath, trampling the needy, even buying someone for the cost of
some sandals. These sins sound extreme to us, and indeed they are. But we should be careful
not to dismiss a passage like this and say that it doesn’t apply to us.
Money is an important thing in our culture. You can’t get along without it here. The blessing of
money can bring joy into our lives. But it’s really about attitude, isn’t it? In today’s gospel
reading, Jesus warns against making money so important that it displaces God.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or
you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God
and money.” (Luke 16:13)
Money itself isn’t the problem. There are many believers in the Bible with great material wealth:
Abraham, who had many herds, flocks, and servants.
Joseph, who was second in command of Egypt
David, King of Israel
Esther, Queen of Persia
Lydia, who sold expensive purple cloth
Once again, it’s not that God wants to keep anything from us. He always only wants to help. In
1 Timothy 6:6-10, God tells us why he warns against the love of money:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the
world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we
will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a
trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people,
eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs.
It should be no surprise that God’s way of looking at money and possessions is better than the
world’s way. It would be good to listen to him.
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1 TIMOTHY 2:1-15
In today’s epistle reading, God warns us against another way that the world’s view pushes itself
into our thinking. The topic here is how we view other people. Paul writes first about how much
God wants all people to know him. 1 Timothy 2:4-6
[God] wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For
there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ
Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.
We are all worth the same to God – we are worth everything! The problem is that sometimes we
forget that God feels that way about all people. Hear this reminder from Romans 12:3-5:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more
highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in
accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of
us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same
function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs
to all the others.
That’s a great picture of God’s world view. And it leads us to the second part of today’s reading
from Timothy – a part that talks about differences. Simply stated: “Men and women are
different”. The specifics of this passage are sometimes difficult for Christians to work through,
and not all Christians agree about how to understand them. Our wise creator made us male and
female, blessing us with different gifts. These different gifts lead to different kinds of service for
men and women.
The world often preaches a different message than God. How often we hear that men and
women are the same. This notion is misguided. Clearly from the first part of today’s Timothy
reading, men and women are of equal value. But clearly from the second part of today’s
Timothy reading, men and women are not the same. Equal, but not the same.
It’s a good thing that men and women are not the same! Why do we mess with something that is
clearly a blessing? As with many things, the world sounds like it’s putting forward a reasonable
argument. But as with everything, God knows exactly what he’s doing. As those who have been
called out of this world, let us not ignore the wonderful differences between men and women.
Let us use those differences in service to God. And let us not allow those differences to bring
division among us, but let us ever grow stronger as the body of Christ. Galatians 3:26-28
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who
were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither
Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are
all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and
heirs according to the promise.
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LUKE 16:1-15
In today’s gospel reading from Luke, Jesus talks about how those who belong to this world deal
with each other. In Jesus’ story, dishonesty and manipulation is praised by a worldly master.
When we conform to this world and decide to act according to the world’s rules, we end up
hurting ourselves or others. Even if such actions weren’t harmful, we would have trouble being
successful living by the world’s rules anyway. As the reading says, the “sons of this world are
more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8)
But Jesus calls us to something higher. Living side-by-side with unbelievers in this world, Jesus
calls us into relationship with them so that we can share with them the true Light of the Word.
As a citizen of heaven, use your knowledge of this world to reach out to those who belong to it.
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful
desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the
pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good
deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:11-12
Let your life be your witness. The “sons of this world” will notice there is something different
about you. It will give you an opportunity to say why. Paul understood this method of
witnessing. 1 Corinthians 9:19-22
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to
everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the
Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am
not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law
I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am
under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became
weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all
possible means I might save some.
It’s exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 28, when he said “make disciples of all
nations”.
We live in this world, but we are not of this world. We are citizens of heaven. With God’s help
we see the world as he does, and we share that shining vision with anyone who will listen. As
visitors from Another Country, and with a deep sense of honor, we can say the words of
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 along with Paul:
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal
through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made
him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
Live in this world, Christian, but don’t be of this world. You’re but a stranger here. Heaven is
your home.