[Kara Slade] This sermon is not (only) about money
ALH asked me to post this sermon, so here it is. – Kara
Proper 20 – Luke 16:1-13; 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Goodson Chapel, Duke Divinity School, September 25, 2013
The Rev. Kara N. Slade
O, Thou far off and here, whole and broken, Who in necessity and in bounty wait, Whose truth is light and dark, mute though spoken, By Thy wide Grace show me Thy narrow gate. Amen.[1]
Let me be frank. The parable we just heard from Luke’s gospel offends my sense of propriety. I suspect I’m not alone in that assessment. All the commentaries I consulted – and I consulted quite a few – contained the Biblical Studies equivalent of the warning on ancient maps: Here be dragons. This passage is hard to interpret. It’s a parable that reminds us of the importance of rightly interpreting these stories, of resisting the urge to turn them into universal moral imperatives. And, while a lot of people seem to think this morning’s parable is about money, or about networking your way into heaven, I’d like to suggest it’s about something else entirely. Read more
