September 21, 2025

Have you ever thought something was too small to
matter? Maybe it was taking a shortcut at work
because, “Who’s going to notice anyway?” Or skipping
a responsibility at home because, “It’s not that big a
deal.” Or telling a “white lie” to avoid awkwardness.
In some way or another, we’ve all made that mistake.
But then we come to this passage in Luke, and Jesus
says something that cuts through and exposes our
folly:
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in
much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is
dishonest also in much.”
Jesus is saying the little things do matter—more than
we might realize. How we handle the small things tells
the truth about who we are. If we’re faithful in the
unseen places, we can be trusted in the bigger ones.
But if we’re cutting corners when no one is watching, it
doesn’t magically get better when the stakes rise. It
often gets worse.
Now, I don’t think Jesus is trying to lay a guilt trip on
us. He’s not nitpicking like a strict schoolteacher
waiting to catch us messing up. He’s inviting us into a
life of integrity—where who we are in private matches
who we say we are in public. A life where
1 Pentecost 15 (21 Sept 2025)
trustworthiness in small things prepares us for the
deeper, richer things God wants to give us.
This reminds me of a conversation I overheard as a
teenager, back when I worked as a cart-shepherd at
Home Depot. We were all in training, and let’s just say
there were noticeably different attitudes about work.
Some of us helped customers; others tried their best
to avoid them. One day, a fellow attendant watched
two of us organizing and sweeping an aisle and said,
“Why do you guys work so hard? What kind of fool
breaks his back for 6 bucks an hour?”
I didn’t know what to say. But the other guy
responded, “I’m doing the little things to prepare to do
the big things.” In other words, by being a responsible
lot attendant, I’m preparing to be a responsible
manager. That young man quickly advanced to cashier
—not a common position for males at the time—and
before long, he was a front end manager. Not long
after, he moved even farther up the ranks. And I don’t
know if he had faith, but he clearly understood
something Jesus was talking about.
Jesus continues: “And if you have not been faithful
with what belongs to another, who will give you what is
your own?”
2 Pentecost 15 (21 Sept 2025)
That’s a humbling question. Whether you’re rich or
poor, are you using what you have in a way that
honours God? Are your resources contributing not only
to your comfort and security—soothing your fears of
never having enough—but also to the building up of
others?
If we have not only dollars but also sense, we will hear
God asking us: “Can I trust you to make something of
what I’ve given you?” We will know that we’ve been
entrusted with wealth—not simply to invest in stocks
for our own gain, but to invest in the enrichment of the
world.
“Can I trust you to make something of what I’ve given
you?” May we remember that question. It contains the
seed of our calling in Christ: to use our time, talents,
and treasures to honour God. To give back what we’ve
been handed, in our own unique way. In this way, it’s
not how much we receive but how much we transform
it. We are entrusted with gifts to shape for Christ’s
purposes. What will we build? Who will we help to
heal? Who will we inspire to know our Lord personally?
Our souls are written in the choices we make.
As Christians, we are stewards, not owners. That
knowledge inspires us to generosity, which is God’s
middle name. If you’re faithful with what doesn’t
3 Pentecost 15 (21 Sept 2025)
belong to you—a company car, a borrowed book, a
shared space—that reveals something essential: You
care.
Then Jesus says: “No slave can serve two masters…
You cannot serve God and wealth.” Notice: Jesus
doesn’t say you can’t have money and love God.
Money isn’t the issue. He says you cannot serve both.
If your primary goal is to make money, how can you
begin to “love God with all your heart”? You can’t build
your life around acquiring wealth and claim to follow
God fully. One will always win out.
So Jesus is asking us to examine our hearts. What do
you really serve? What drives your decisions? Are you
letting financial gain shape your priorities?
Let’s be honest: it’s not easy. Not because money is all
that attractive in itself, but because we live in an
uncertain world—and money gives us the illusion of
security. It buoys us up in the midst of our fears.
But Jesus invites us into a different kind of life. A life
where small acts of faithfulness add up to something
far greater. A life where we serve one Master—the One
who gave everything for us—and who rewards us daily
with the gift of His presence.
4 Pentecost 15 (21 Sept 2025)
In this way, we will not only “inherit the Kingdom”
when we die, but we will help contribute to it as we live
—doing our little part, adding to the Lord’s treasury
that never fades.
And so, let us be resolved to remember: the little
things matter. And may we live in light jof that
awareness—now, and to the end of our days. Amen.
5 Pentecost 15 (21 Sept 2025)