Pastor’s Corner – September 21, 2025
Serving God or Wealth – Luke 16:1-13
“For the children of this age are shrewder in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”
In an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News on September 14 titled “Dallas is crying for faith leaders to stand tall,” Peter Johnson, a civil rights leader in Dallas since 1969 writes, “I look at Dallas and our nation, and I must ask, where are the prophets of justice? Dallas is one of the most church-saturated cities in America. On almost every corner stands a sanctuary, cathedral, mosque or synagogue. So, with all this faith presence, why have so many pulpits gone silent and moved away from the great moral issues of our time?”
As confusing as this parable of dishonest manager is in our first reading, the key to understanding the story is found in verse 8, as quoted above. I don’t think Jesus is teaching us to be unethical in business management. Rather the point is taken how even folks in our world will do anything to take care of oneself in the long run, shrewd in self-preservation by dishonest means to secure wealth for oneself. The lesson is clear, have the same kind of shrewdness when pursuing God’s kingdom. Those who pursue wealth to secure themselves seem to have a greater ambition and motivation. In other words, stand tall in pursuit of justice. It’s more than political but spiritual.
“To the pastors, priests, rabbis and imams of Dallas: Your city is crying out for you to stand tall, speak sermons that create discomfort, and not just comfort. Help your congregations see that following God means standing up to injustice and not overlooking it. And do not let fear of politics deter you from speaking truth, for the Bible has its own historical calls for justice that existed long before any political party.”
This article gave me pause to reflect where we are today, specifically here in the Dallas Metro area. We do what we can as a faith community, and the parable seems to challenge us. Nonetheless, telling us we can do better. We can be better stewards of our faith like the shrewd manager to preserve our future and be better witnesses of the gospel, to stand tall before injustice of our time and be faithful to our call as disciples of Jesus.
“I have seen God’s people climb mountains together when they are inspired to act by faith and courage. The question is no longer whether injustice exists. It does. The question is whether the latest iteration of faith leaders is willing to respond the same way as their predecessors. Faith leaders, Dallas is looking, our children are looking. God is looking.”
Pastor Dae