What Put the "Dead" in the Dead Sea?

Our rector Fr. Roger Allen elaborated the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus by making another parable from the Dead Sea. He detailed just how lifeless it is, even though a huge quantity of fresh water pours into the lake every day. "Life-giving water pours in," he explained, "but just evaporates away, leaving behind mineral residue -- because the lake has no outlet." Perfect image for anyone who takes without giving, whether it's the material wealth that we all have -- "if you have more than one pair of shoes and you eat more than once a day, you're rich by the world's standards" -- or it's love given to us, we're the Dead Sea if we don't get out of ourselves on behalf of others.

This sermon was a companion to last week's exploration of the difficult parable of the Crooked Manager. Though the manager in the story is fired for skimming his employer's funds, the employer ends the story commending the manager for shrewdness in reducing what debtors owe to his ex-employer. "Using what he had at his disposal," Fr. Roger said, "he was creative: he made friends and ensured a future for himself." Fr. Roger also cited the creativity of the men in Luke 5 who lowered their paralyzed friend through the roof of a crowded home to reach Jesus. Likewise, Fr. Roger advised us all, "Use what you have, use it now, and use it for something eternal."