The atheists who once lived next door used to say that Christianity is one of the poorest investments anyone can make. You awaken each morning to pore over an incomprehensible book and talk to an invisible friend, tie up hours a week in frivolous fellowship, and give away 10% of your income. Life is short, why waste so much on fairy tales and worthless investments?

For them, Sunday’s Gospel reading, and the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, holds great appeal. A corrupt caretaker learns he’s getting canned so he cuts deals with customers further shafting his boss, yet endearing this embezzler to his clients who, we gather, will return the favor down the road. Smart cookie. I guess there’s one Bible story worth reading.

While I share with my neighbors a great deal of their appreciation and interpretation, we would take different turns at the fork when we compare our notions of wealth and its purpose.

For Christians, our wealth lies in things not seen – love, relationships, honesty, reputation, community, peace, hope, and resurrection – we have nothing more valuable than these. We understand Jesus to be commending the proper use of money when it’s invested in these things, like the ones our dishonest manager chose; relationships, community building, and bolstering his master’s reputation (after all, how much would we love our credit card company if it cut our bill in half?).

Like fish in water, you and I are surrounded by notions that our wealth is really in something else; the things we can see, our cars, homes, IRAs, jewelry and pantries. All too often I fail to remember that this wealth is best used to build the other kind of wealth – the things I cannot see - and truly value. Yes we, like the dishonest manager, need to use all of our resources to secure our future. How can we invest the things we see in the things we don’t see? In what ways are we investing too much in this life, which is temporary and passing away, and not enough in the Kingdom of God, which is eternal and coming into being?

Reading
A Stroke of Insight – Jill Bolte Taylor
Radical – David Platt
Luke – N.T. Wright