Freelton Strabane United Church
To live our discipleship with integrity and grace.
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Fifteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Sunday, September 21 2025
Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div. 905-659-3380 E-mail: [email protected]
Music Director Joan Simpson
Gathering Blessed is the one who comes in the Name of Lord.
Call to Worship
One: God calls us from whatever oppression we face cry out to God in your time of trouble. .
All: God loves us in all the times of our life. Searches us out when we have wondered away.
One: The compassion of God is warm and tender God heals us again and again beyond our knowing
All: God satisfies the thirst with living water and fills the hungry with good things.
Prayer of Approach
Prayer: Lord Jesus, We find it difficult to look inward at ourselves. We at times avoid the truth that lies within. We escape from it by busying ourselves in the world. We claim our heritage as your servants but then become frightened by the task. And yet you will not let us go. We seek us out gently guide us in the direction that we need to move. Yours is the hand that will never let us go. Amen
All: (sung) In God we live and move and have our story.
In love God lives in us and makes us whole
O Jesus may we hear the Word that calls us near;
Your story makes a home within our soul.
Your story makes a home within our soul
Our Lesson is from 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Let us listen to the Gospel of our Lord our Gospel Luke 16:1-13
One: The Word of God for the People of God
All Thanks be to God
Prayer
Lord as we ponder your words open our hearts that we may understand and know you. Amen
Sermon
As most know I fancy my self a budding Miniaturist. Of late I have been following an artist Fernando Yumul. He is amazing. He can take a part of a pen, a small wire, glue and the next thing he has created a spray paint can. What this person accomplishes with the ordinary of the everyday and makes in miniature is jus amazing. I know that one of the learnings of being a miniaturist is to see beyond the ordinary to imagine what it could be in miniature. My biggest inspiration was the cover off an old fan that became dome for a conservatory. It worked beyond my wildest dreams and really has become one of the principal rooms that I have built.
The ability to see beyond what is there has led to some rather amazing discoveries.
Using new scanning techniques, Multi Spectral Imaging is revealing wondrous new insights in art and archeology not only in new discoveries but artifacts that have been known of for some time. In an article by Sarah Bond in Forbes Magazine she states In a new paper studying a Hebrew ostracon from 600 BCE, the promise of MSI is exemplified. In antiquity, ceramic pot sherds were often used as a kind of scrap paper; however, the ink used on these ceramics can often fade, blur and become illegible. Professors at Tel-Aviv University led by mathematician and imaging specialist Shira Faigenbaum-Golovin used MSI on a number of ostraca predominantly from the southern Beer Sheba Valley and Jerusalem. Most dated to the time of the Kingdom of Judah (ca. 600 BCE) and one in particular revealed an amusing if familiar request of the writer: "If there is any wine, send [quantity]."
When used on paintings often changes in the painting are seen.
The Blue Boy, painted in 1770 by renowned English artist Thomas Gainsborough is a very well-known painting. The painting was not always the way it is today. Among the technical processes being utilized in Project Blue Boy are normal light photography, digital x-radiography, and infrared reflectography. In 1939, an X-ray revealed that there was a dog originally to the right of blue boy. Some historians believe that the artist decided to paint over it due to the fact that, between the dog and the hat, there was simply too much fluff!
Several years ago. Art researchers in Italy announced that they had found traces of a Leonardo da Vinci work hidden under a fresco at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
After decades searching for The Battle of Anghiari, a fresco by Leonardo depicting a 15th century battle between soldiers from Florence and Milan it was thought to be found.
It’s known that da Vinci began the artwork in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio in 1505, but never finished it. Another painter, Giorgio Vasari, is believed to have placed a wall in front of it around 1550 and painted a new mural over top.
Researchers have drilled tiny holes in Vasari's The Battle of Marciano and retrieved paint from a work discovered beneath. Their analysis concluded that the black pigment found is the same paint used in the Mona Lisa.
Leonardo's The Battle of Anghiari was praised by his contemporaries as a fine work. Flemish baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens drew a famous copy of it that shows a bloody scene of terrified men and horses.
Seracini said he believes Vasari recognized the quality of the work and arranged to build a new wall before creating his own painting. Vasari's mural includes a soldier holding a small flag bearing the words: "He who seeks, finds."
What is behind Vasari’s work, is still unknown there might be something there might not. Some would argue now that Di Vinci actually never painted the mural to begin with. But, the potential for something to be there is still real.
Today’s Scripture carried the very real potential of me saying “and what will I say about this? I will just pick another one and claim clergy privilege on choosing scripture.
What can we say about this gospel? What a head scratcher. If you ever wondered what a true authentic Jesus story that all the scholars agree that Jesus said that, it is the first part of this Scripture.
This reads more like a pitch for a new Netflix series. I would imagine that in today’s business world which can be a tad on the ruthless side of things this unsavory story is not uncommon. The big twist for us is what comes as a huge surprise didn’t see that coming is how Jesus response. Really a good Jesus response should have been “Verily I tell you, cheats such as this will one day find themselves in a place of much weeping and gnashing of teeth!”
But What we get is the master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. There ain’t no justice there.
What the theologian Scott Hoezee of The center for the excellence in preaching suggest is that The setting in this one is important . This story really starts back a chapter Jesus is hanging with tax collectors and the not so respected people. Jesus is being criticized for this by the Pharisees who really where white collar then they would ever admit.
Not wanting to miss the moment Jesus tells them a parable.
This is actually the fourth of a four parables that Jesus shares around the table. The first one we all love, the prodigal son. The next two are from last week. Searching for what is lost and then this one.
The Prodigal son, lost son is found. Rejoice and let’s have BBQ
The Lost sheep is found, Rejoice, let’s have BBQ not the sheep.
The coin is found and might I say at great expense of lighting all the lights in the house. Rejoice Let’s have BBQ still not the sheep.
Then this. The rather dishonest steward. Shrewd and rather dishonest and somewhat of a scoundrel. (at least he knows himself I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ) back rooms deals himself a new hand.
We would see this person of questionable morals deserving his
Come- up-pance.
Hoezee would say
Jesus, on the other hand, sees them as potential sources for heavenly delight, and he wants us to see them through that lens, too. He sees them as valuable lost objects, the re-finding of which could bring joy. So Jesus suggests we enjoy their company now in the hopes that we might enjoy one another’s company forever and ever as well. The potential for eschatological joy among such people in the future of God’s coming kingdom is great enough for us even now to do whatever we can to welcome them into the church.
So what is it about the shrewd manager’s attitude that Jesus finds useful us? It is this: he gave thought to the future and it shaped his actions in the present. Now that is an important observation.
He goes on to say This may be the point (at least in part): The church likewise has a strong vision of the future called the kingdom of God. What’s more, that future vision should include the potential joy that will rock the cosmos in celebration when more, and not fewer, people end up attending God’s big party. That vision of the future should influence us mightily in also the present moment.
Needless to say, Jesus’ challenge is a large and difficult one. The church often lacks such a consistently clear focus on God’s kingdom. If that bright vision of our future really did inform and animate our present moment in the church, maybe lots of things would change.
What we do now today will shape who we are to come.
The future also depends on how we view and learn from the past and accept that some times the past will have set the stage for the now. It is how we take the now and interpret it for the future.
More so then ever before in our modern times do we need to hold onto the Vision of what it is to be a community of faith.
Last Sunday I spent the afternoon with St Ignatious consecration of the Church and Sanctuary. As one of the presenters said that “this is the place that we prayed for, for so long a home where our traditions may continue and our young people may learn and honour our traditions. I did bring greetings on behalf our Freelton Strabane and presented them with an Icon of St. John the Baptist. I said as John was the voice in the wilderness that in these changing times we are called to be that voice in the wilderness.
Challenge for us is not to lose sight of what our Vision and Mission as a community of faith is. To hear Jesus’ words. I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
And when have we or when do we do this? Each time we welcome someone threw our doors. To say, Welcome home…this is your home with us.
We Must continually ask ourselves:
What does it mean to live our discipleship with integrity and grace.
What does it mean to take a forward vision of the future.
What does it mean to be a “safe” place and be a spiritual home.
How are we going to be a place that will promote spiritual growth?
How are we welcoming. When we gather around tables having coffee, do we take the visitor and invite them to sit at our table? When someone walks in the back door do say the WC is that way?
We must act with integrity and grace but we must also be shrewd in our thinking lest we cut our nose off to spite our face.
Let’s not fool ourselves, the manager is not a good person. But least had a lesson to teach us.
“Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.” (2 Corinthians 3:12) Now in this present time we must act with great boldness to firmly set our course to being all that we hope to live out in our mission. To see beyond what is there what something is to what it could be. There is yet a masterpiece by the hand of the creator beyond this moment that is waiting to be revealed and we are a part of that journey, a journey we do not make a long for the Masters hand is guiding us and we are not alone
Prayers of the people
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God.
Prayers
Dear God. We confess that at times we can become very short sited we only see what is on the surface, we only see what is there and not what is beyond. As we hope to live out in our mission to be a community of faith help us to see beyond what is there or what something is to what it could be. Open us to new ideas and possibilities. Open us to the creative hand of your Holy Spirit that we may see that there is yet a masterpiece to be created by your loving hand that will inspire your people to come to know you. It is your hand that creates in our lives, but is also your hand that comforts and assures us in all of the challenges of this life. It is your hand that touches the fevered brow and whispers words of Healing. We pray that your hand be with all those that need to know your presence. We ask for the courage to walk with those that are a part of our lives and that we remember all those who are in need in our prayers Lord hear our own prayers spoken in the silence of our hearts. We offer you the prayer that binds us as one saying…our Father… Amen
Offering
We give thee but thy own. The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work. Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse. Let us make our offering and give thanks.
One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow
Prayer Accept, we pray, this expression of our stewardship. By this offering we would renew our pledge to acknowledge you in all things and serve you with all we have. May we handle faithfully the wealth you have given us. So we may also relate with integrity to people whose lives touch our own and to unseen sisters and brothers who need our help. In Christ. Amen
Yesterdaywe honour our heritage.
Todaywe know that we are not alone,that we live in God's world.
Tomorrowwith God,we will discoverthe undiscovered country.
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