Service Sunday September 21, 2025
HIGHLAND HILLS UNITED CHURCH
Minden, Ontario
All are Welcome!
Worship Leader: Rev. Max Ward
Music Director: Melissa Stephens
Watch a video recording of the whole service using YouTube below.
(For a Printer Friendly PDF version click this link)
The Gathering
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
FOCUSING ON THE LIGHT OF CHRIST:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LAND:
Many Thousands of years ago, Indigenous people lived, worked, played, and worshipped on this land. Over time, settlers from other lands came, sometimes sharing, often destroying, the relationship Indigenous peoples had with the water, land, and skies, with their Elders, families, culture, and faith. Today, as settlers, we are repenting and relearning how to care tenderly and respectfully for all that God has given both Indigenous people and Settlers. We give thanks to the Anishnaabeg nation for their faithful stewardship of the land and lessons they continue to teach.
Written by Laura J. Turnbull, Penticton, B.C.
Gathering, Pentecost 2 2025, p.30. Used with permission
THE APPROACH
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: This is the day that the Lord has made.
ALL: Let us rejoice and be glad.
One: After six days of work, God rested.
ALL: Therefore, today shall remain holy.
One: You are invited to take part in the Sabbath.
ALL: We come into the sanctuary seeking refuge.
One: God offers this sacred space for all people.
ALL: Here we find a seat at Christ’s table prepared for us. Let us join together as the body of Christ.
One: And let us be refreshed and rejuvenated by the Holy Spirit as we worship together.
Written by Aaron Palmer, St Paul’s U.C., New Liskeard, Ont.
Gathering, Pentecost 2 2025, p.32. Used with permission
HYMN: “For the Beauty of the Earth” VU #226
1 For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies,
Refrain God of all, to you we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.
2 For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light, Refrain
3 For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild, Refrain
4 For each perfect gift sublime
to our race so freely given,
graces human and divine,
flowers of earth and buds of heaven, Refrain
OPENING PRAYER: Spoken in Unison
God before us, God around us, God beside us, God within us… open our spirits so that we may notice you. Open our hears so that we may notice each other. Open our spirits so that we may truly notice ourselves. In our noticing, help us to believe. In our believing, help us to act. In our acting, help us to love! By our grace, in your love, through the power of the Spirit.
Amen!
Written by Richard Bott, Grace U.C., Burlington, Ont.
Gathering, Pentecost 2 2025, p.34. Used with permission
MINISTRY OF MUSIC:
LEARNING TOGETHER:
HYMN: “Called by Earth and Sky” MV #135
Refrain
Called by earth and sky,
promise of hope held high.
This is our sacred living trust,
treasure of life sanctified,
called by earth and sky.
1. Precious these waters, endless seas,
deep ocean’s dream,
waters of healing, rivers of rain,
the wash of love again. Refrain
2. Precious this gift, the air we breathe;
wind born and free.
Breath of the Spirit, blow through this place,
our gathering and our grace. Refrain
3. Precious these mountains, ancient sands;
vast fragile land.
Seeds of our wakening, rooted and strong,
Creation’s faithful song. Refrain
4. Precious the fire that lights our way,
bright dawning day.
Fire of passion, sorrows undone,
our faith and justice one. Refrain
After the last verse, repeat the last called by earth and sky.
THE WORD
Scripture: : Luke 16:1-13
Leader: Hear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
MESSAGE:
“One Parable; Two Perspectives”
Listen to an audio recording of the whole service below or read it at the bottom of this page.
OUR RESPONSE
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and
THE LORD’S PRAYER spoken
HYMN “Live into Hope” VU #699
1 Live into hope of captives freed,
of sight regained, the end of greed.
The oppressed shall be the first to see
the year of God's own jubilee!
2 Live into hope the blind shall see
with insight and with clarity,
removing shades of pride and fear,
a vision of our God brought near.
3 Live into hope of liberty,
the right to speak, the right to be,
the right to have one's daily bread,
to hear God's word and thus be fed.
4 Live into hope of captives freed
from chains of fear or want or greed.
God now proclaims our full release
to faith and hope and joy and peace.
YOUR GENEROSITY MATTERS:
PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY PRAYER: In Unison
We bring the first the first fruits of our labour and love for the support of our spiritual home and work. Bless and multiply these outer symbols of our generosity so that many more may share in the bountiful experience of Christ in renewal, restoration, and resurrection. Amen.
Written by Jani Francis, St. Andrew’s U.C., Indian Head, Sask.
Gathering, Pentecost 2 2025, p.38. Used with permission
SUNG BLESSING “God Be with You till We Meet Again” VU #422 v3
God be with you till we meet again;
when life's perils thick confound you,
put unfailing arms around you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet,
till we meet at Jesus' feet;
till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
SENDING FORTH:
A Time of Fellowship
© Music Reproduced with permission under License number A-605748, Valid for: 26/10/2024 - 25/10/2025; One License - Copyright Cleared Music for Churches
Sermon 2025 09 21
“One Parable; Two Perspectives”
Luke 16:1-13
Gracious God, be with us today in this place, in the Scriptures and in our words.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts praise your Holy name. Amen.
The parable of the shrewd, dishonest manager may present a somewhat confusing message to us.
Certainly, it is open to several different interpretations.
Many of the parables which we find in the gospels have more than one interpretation.
Each person sees the world through different lens.
Even the same person reading the same passage at different times, may get varying messages from it.
That is one of the reasons why the Bible is such a profound book.
Each time we open it up, there is something new for us.
In the story we read today, we begin with a rich master who suspects his manager of mismanagement.
So he confronts the man, who begins to worry about his future.
The manager then cuts the debtors payments.
Instead of firing him, the master commends his skill.
Jesus concludes the story by urging those around him to be just as shrewd to really live for all the right reasons.
Maybe Jesus told this message because of his audience.
He was talking with the Pharisees who had gathered around him.
Who were the Pharisees?
They were a group of highly religious men, sometimes called high priests.
They were also referred to as lovers of money, urban businessmen.
They would make their money during the week, and worship on the Sabbath.
They would do whatever they could to ensure their own security on earth, while still following God’s laws to ensure their security in the afterlife.
But these Pharisees also made fun of Jesus.
Perhaps Jesus was giving them a taste of their own medicine.
Perhaps he was making fun of them with this parable.
In the very least he was appealing to their desire for money and security.
The parable begins like any other.
A quick description of the characters and background of the story.
We get drawn in to the parable with the detailed description of the incident.
Finally the punch line: “I want you to be smart in the same way - but for what is right - using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behaviour.”
From a practical perspective it makes sense to look after oneself and make friends to be secure.
Surely this parable appeals to us as well as to the people in Jesus’ day.
The manager was shrewd, practical and intelligent.
These are characteristics that our society values, and so this story appeals to our senses.
It is easy to get drawn into this story.
However, this parable is followed by a warning, which puts a twist on the story.
First of all, whoever is dishonest in a little, is dishonest in much.
Secondly, you cannot serve two masters; you cannot serve both God and the bank.
Dishonesty is wrong, no matter how much or how little we are dishonest.
It covers the truth and impedes justice.
When we are dishonest, we are blind to the truth.
The manager from the story was dishonest and built his life by way of “dishonest wealth.”
This story may serve as a warning to the Pharisees and to us, to avoid dishonest wealth and instead serve God.
Thanks be to God…
This is one way to look at this parable.
Now I invite you to look at it in another light.
A businessman has a fair bit of money owed to him.
People have been buying on credit and aren’t paying the bills.
He suspects, based on rumor, that his manager is not managing the business well.
So the businessman confronts the manager.
The manager begins to worry, understandably, because he knows that these customers aren’t likely to pay; after all, they haven’t got much money, and the goods are quite overpriced.
The manager knows that if this continues he will be out of a job, the boss won’t get paid, and the people will still be in debt.
So he cuts a deal and offers a discount.
For all involved it is a win-win situation.
The customers are able to save face by paying a portion of what they owe; the rest of the debt is forgiven.
The manager gets to keep his job.
And the boss is paid, at least in part, what he is owed.
Everyone is happy.
The boss praises the manager’s skill.
All is well that ends well.
When the story is read this way, the manager is not only shrewd, but also insightful and compassionate.
This is another way to read the parable.
One of my Bible commentaries offers three different ways of interpreting the story.
The truth is, there are many ways to approach the same text.
How we read something depends not only on what is written, but on who we are, our lens, our past experiences, and how those experiences have shaped our lives.
Some people claim that there is only one true, “proper” way to interpret something.
I disagree.
Our understanding is enriched by reading and rereading important texts, by trying to look at something from different perspectives.
There may be wrong ways to see something, but there is no one, single “right” way.
No matter how one person interprets this parable, the important thing is what we can learn from Jesus.
What good can we take from this parable?
How can we use it in our lives today?
One of the things that I get out of this story is the importance of being insightful, intelligent, and practical.
It is necessary to make a place for ourselves, just like the manager did.
However, unlike the manager, we also need to make a place for ourselves in God’s “eternal home”.
This sentiment is reiterated in other places in the Bible.
In Matthew 6:19-21, it says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The parable also emphasizes the importance of stewardship; that is, taking care of what we have been entrusted with.
One Message; two perspectives.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
