Our worship last Sunday began with a great hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the king of
creation. Our preacher, Michael Shingler, continued with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for all
seasons. Neil Barnett read from Luke 16 – the shrewd manager.
Mike commented that this was an unfamiliar passage describing a manager who appeared to be
cheating his employer by overcharging his debtors and keeping the difference for himself; a difficult
parable to interpret as the meaning and analogies are not obvious. A helpful view is that the rich
man is God, the manager represents the disciples or ourselves. We are responsible for the care of
our world yet we abuse it. Followers of Jesus put less store by material wealth, more by serving
others. God provides all we need. We must use our time and gifts wisely especially with our young
people who learn from us.
Mike led prayers for peace through love in our sorely troubled world, relief for those suffering the
consequences of war or extreme weather and that we might be equipped to follow Jesus’ example.
After our final hymn, Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee, Mike gave his blessing.
Using Gifts and Responsibility Wisely
