Preached on Sunday, September 21, 2025, the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, at Trinity Cathedral, Little Rock.

“You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Luke 16:13)

A tough verse if there ever was one––but not first and foremost because of what it has to say about wealth! This verse is tough because of what it has to say about service. Before we say anything here about wealth, we have to get clear about what the Gospel says about service.

This verse makes the bold claim that we are servants. And I don’t just mean that we serve God, but that we simply serve. Serving is what we do. As Bob Dylan put it, “you’re gonna have to serve somebody”––and Dylan’s right [1]! That’s what we do. We align ourselves to our causes. We have our passions, our projects, our loyalties, our agendas––the things we really care about. That’s what we do. That’s how we’re wired. That’s how we’re made. We are servants.

And that’s not really a bad thing. Just consider how much good has been done in the world––right here in our community!––because of passionate people who serve their causes.

This morning, I’m especially thinking of the Interfaith Center, as of last November our neighbors here on our campus, over in Harrison House. The Interfaith Center’s mission is “to reduce the fear and prejudice among the people of the world’s religions.” Week before last, the Interfaith Center gathered people of good will from across this city over at St. Mark’s Church for “Love Thy Neighbor,” an annual celebration of peace through music, prayer, wisdom, and––of course!––food. I’ve also participated in the Center’s Interfaith Clergy Luncheons, a kind of interfaith clergy colleague group. They have an Interfaith Youth Group and they do Friendship Camp each summer––think an “Interfaith Vacation Bible School.” They offer workshops and classes. The build relationships across difference. And today, we partner with the Interfaith Center for a block party following the 10:30 am service, with games, music, fellowship, and––again, of course!––food. And all of this has been because of some passionate people with their projects, servants to noble causes, especially two good friends of this Cathedral, Susan Sims Smith and, now, Patricia Matthews, their current Executive Director. We need not look very far to see the fruits of our servant-nature as human beings, of giving ourselves in service to something.

But then comes the next part of this verse. This verse also makes the bold claim that service is exclusive. Service is undivided. Service is jealous––it doesn’t square well with other loyalties. When we align ourselves with something, we undermine our ability to align ourselves with something else. We can’t serve everything and everyone. It’s just not possible, because that’s what it means to serve. Service is exclusive.

So, when Christ says to His disciples and to each of us, “you cannot serve God and wealth,” He’s not saying we shouldn’t serve both, as if it’s ill-advised. No, we can’t do it. It’s just not possible. Service––true service!––is just too demanding.

Our reading today says “wealth,” but you King James reading Christians will remember how it reads in that text: “mamon,” which is a literal rendering of the underlying Greek. So, not just money, but all of these worldly things: our belongings, our livelihoods, our loyalties, our agendas, our projects––just about anything in our earthly lives. If we’re going to serve God, we cannot at the same time serve anything else––not first and foremost, anyway. It’s just not possible.

So, what do we do about it? How do we serve a God Whose service is that exclusive, that demanding? How do we serve a God when there are other things that need our attention and even our loyalty, without slipping into a life under two masters?

As you all know, striking that balance lies at the heart of the Christian life: saying our prayers here in Church and then going out into a world to serve in as many vocations as there are people in this room. How can we live lives of service in the world God has made while also being faithful to an exclusive service to God Himself?

Well, we have to keep our priorities in order. We have to find ways to keep God first and foremost in our lives.

There are lots of ways to do that: worshiping together on Sundays is a great one; finding time for conversation with God in prayer each day is a solid option; you can’t go wrong with Sunday school or Book Club; and serving in a ministry here is always a good idea.

But this season, we’re focusing on stewardship: giving to support this congregation. And this verse is excellent for this stewardship season, but not because it says “God, good; money, bad; pledgecards, please” (in fact, it doesn’t say any of that at all). No, what it does say is that a life with God––a life in service to God!––will require us to keep our priorities in order. How, then, can our habits of giving help keep God at the center of our lives?

Here’s a practical recommendation: “proportional giving.”

Proportional giving is when we make a pledge based on a percentage of our income. Maybe it’s a tithe––10%, a time-tested classic commended to us by Scripture––but whatever the number, the effect is the same: taking something off the top of what we receive and giving it back to God first, with gratitude for what God has done in our lives and with hope for what God will continue to do.

If you’re new to this congregation or new to giving, proportional giving is an excellent first step. Maybe it’s a tithe, but maybe a tithe is the goal. But the best way to start is just to start: picking a number that feels realistic, challenging, and joyful. If you’re looking for a starting place, the Episcopal Church’s average is about 4%––start there! After all, all habits begin with a first step.

And of course, in the end, that’s what we’re talking about: building habits of serving God, building habits of keeping our focus on God, keeping God first and foremost. It’s a lifelong journey––but always a lifegiving one, too. And how good it is to have a home like this one to encourage us on our way, to provide companionship on the road of discipleship, of serving God. For this and for every good gift, we give God thanks and praise, now and always. Amen.

[1] “Gotta Serve Somebody,” Bob Dylan, from Slow Train Coming, Columbia Records, 1979.