We are Accountable as Managers for God
Luke 12:42-48 tells us that We are Accountable as Managers for God. Jesus has come. He has closed the books of last year's account with God by stamping it "Paid in full," and he opens the door for the New Year, giving us new opportunities to do some earthly good as managers for God. January 1, 2009
Here’s a line you may well have heard before, “Christians are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.” I don’t know who said that first, but obviously that statement was intended to make fun of Christians. We really are looking forward to living in heaven, and we make no apologies for that. But if that line is true, then we have fallen short of what the Scriptures teach about our living on earth. Living there is a gift from God, but living here is also a gift from God which he does not want us to ignore, fritter away, or take lightly. That comes into focus in a special way as we end one year and enter another. Is there any better time to ponder Jesus’ message in the gospel lesson today that We are Accountable as Managers for God.
Our role
What exactly is a “manager,” how do you get the job, and what is a manager supposed to do? Well, the dictionary defines a manager as “one who directs operations.” In our culture you typically get the job manager by submitting your resume or by being promoted from within the company. A manager obviously does not own the company or the business but directs and coordinates the people and things entrusted to his or her care.
In this story Jesus talks about a manager whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time. The man who is called a manager is also identified in the next verse as one of the master’s servants. The word used in the original language indicates that this guy was really no different from any other servant. There was nothing about him that earned or deserved this role of manager. It was a gift. He obviously did not own the business or the home of the master, but he was supposed to direct and coordinate the people and possessions entrusted to his care.
I don’t believe anyone here would dispute the fact that God owns all things. The Bible says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). God’s ownership of all reminds us of two important points. First, we don’t deserve to be managers for God. We have not earned that role. It is a gift of God’s favor. Secondly, everything we have – our time, our abilities, our income, our investments – all of that is really not ours. It is God’s. We look back on the past year and see failings. Those are ours. We see accomplishments. Those came from talents on loan from God. We see weaknesses. Those are ours. We see strength to overcome. That came from God. We see a trail of hurt. We did that. We see healing. God did that. We see sin. That is ours. We see forgiveness. That comes from God alone. So, if you got a better job last year, kept the same job, bought a house, sold a house, did well in school, received a paycheck, had a baby, bought groceries – thank God! He has graciously placed us in the role of manager, given us the gifts and skills to be managers, and given us relationships and things to manage.
And there is no option as though you or I could say, “No thanks, Lord. I don’t want to be a manager for you.” But don’t think of our role as managers for God as a burden. It is an honor bestowed upon us by the Chairman of the Board of the Universe. He could have left us scratching helplessly to pick the locks on the chains that bound us to Satan. He could have left us scrambling to dig our nails into the greased walls of the devil’s pit, futilely clawing to get out, and always slipping back. He could have left us alone. But he freed us, wiped us clean, and dressed us in the fine robes of Jesus’ picture perfect life. That would have been enough to elicit our cheers and adulation. But he has also elevated us to the status of being managers while we live in his world. He could get things done on earth by snapping his fingers or by using angels, but he has chosen to use us. As we leave one year and enter another, this story from the Lord Jesus reminds us that, whether we have a little or a lot, we are all managers for God.
Our responsibilities
What kind of responsibilities does a manager have? That person is expected to be alert each day and not ignore the feelings and production of the staff. A manager is expected to know the business, set a tone for hard work and dedication, and, in general, carry out his or her duties faithfully.
The manager in this parable had similar responsibilities. The faithful and wise servant [is the one] whom the master finds doing [his duty] when he returns. The responsibilities of the manager can be summed up in just one word – faithfulness.
God wants us to be faithful managers. But how does that play out? I saw it in action ten times over on Monday night. After playing for three services on Sunday, Jim drove in from Mequon to play the organ again on Monday night. Our staff minister had company and asked Ron to assist with communion. “No problem,” Ron said. Erika was asked if she could fill in and open the coffee shop. “Sure,” she said and came right from work to do that. Charlie noticed that we were short an usher and pitched in. Then, after the service he and Claudia stuck around to pull the top sheet from all the friendship registers, straighten up the hymnals, put the offerings into the safe, turn out the lights, and lock up. Andy had been here for the eight o’clock service on Sunday but came back on Monday night to assist Ben with set up in order to show the WELS Connection dvd. Nancy had been in church on Sunday with the family but came from work to put away the communion ware. Chris brought his brother to the coffee shop and stayed to chat with a visitor. If you put any one of them on the spot and asked, “How are you a manager for God?” I’m quite certain none of them could come up with a quick response. Yet, each one of those people was serving as a manager for God, faithfully using gifts and skills given by God to the glory of God and for the good of God’s people.
Serving as a manager for God is not limited to church work. No matter how mundane or grandiose my station in life may be, I need to ask, “Am I bringing glory to God?” That’s a simple yet profound question. Think about it. When we answer that question, “Oops! I did not bring glory to God with the thought that just passed through my mind or with the word that just slipped off my tongue,” then we are unfaithful managers. As 2008 draws to a close, we look back and have to admit that has happened way too often, and, just as property taxes are due at year’s end, so the end of a year causes us to look back and remember that we are accountable to God. That makes our knees knock together in fear.
In Jesus’ day unfaithful managers did not get fired, nor did they receive unemployment compensation. Their fate was a little more drastic. “Suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming.’ And he then begins to beat the men-servants and women-servants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. Jesus lowers the boom on unfaithful managers, “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.” If you lived in an apartment with the rent paid for by your rich aunt and watched the apartment building burn in a fire, you’d be sad at the loss of your belongings. But if you personally built a house on your own, hand-carved the stairway spindles, painted every square inch, laid every Pergo tile, sanded, stained, and put three coats of varnish on every cabinet door, window sash, length of baseboard and quarter-round, and every piece of crown molding, lined the shelves of the fruit cellar with hand-made jellies and hand-crafted dill pickles, and then watched the whole thing go up in flames, you’d be extra sad. Those who don’t know about God’s love and die as unbelievers will be lost in eternal doom. That’s very sad. But those who heard the good news about Jesus, knew it to be true, and still rejected God’s love will find the pain of hell all the more horrible because they will realize what they had lost. Yikes! We don’t want to be unfaithful managers.
That’s why we rejoice this accountability stuff, which we think of at the end of each year, falls in the Christmas season. Jesus has come. He has closed the books of last year’s account with God by stamping it “Paid in full,” and he opens the door for the New Year, giving us new opportunities to do some earthly good as managers for God. I.T. professionals, medical professionals, accountants, attorneys, bankers, office managers, office workers, receptionists, educators, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, painters, roofers, students, retirees, moms, dads, and everyone in between – we all need to ask, “Am I bringing glory to God this day?” When, out of thanks for what Jesus has done for us the answer to that question is “Yes,” then we are simply being faithful managers for God.
The rewards
God also promises an added bonus for faithful managers. In this story told by Jesus, what a shock and surprise when the master returned and said to the manager, “I will put you in charge of all my possessions!” The master really didn’t have to do this. But, as an added, unexpected bonus the faithful manager was entrusted with more.
We know that heaven is not earned. When it comes to receiving good things from our God, the word “earn” is not in our vocabulary. But God does surprise us with added bonuses. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” We get to enter the new year not only with the guarantee that heaven’s doors have been unlocked for us by Jesus but also with the promise from God that he is going to give us more opportunities to serve as his managers. If you have enjoyed offering seven percent of your income to God in the past year, don’t be surprised if in the New Year God will plant in your heart the desire to give him ten percent. If you have managed a home well in the past years, don’t be surprised if in the New Year your children ask for advice (once they get past age eighteen). If you have served in some capacity at church this past year, don’t be surprised if in the New Year you are asked to serve in another capacity. Jesus himself said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”(Luke 6:38).
For Christians like you and me, being accountable to God is not scary because Jesus is never out of the picture. He has erased mismanagement off of our resume on file with God, and he promises to empower us toward more faithful management. Because of Jesus we will be heavenly minded, and we will do earthly good in 2009! Amen.
Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on January 1, 2009
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