Whom Will You Serve? A Call to Action

Devotional

Day 1: Faithfulness in Little, Faithfulness in Much

Jesus calls us to be wise and faithful stewards, reminding us that how we handle even the smallest responsibilities reflects our trustworthiness with greater things. When we are faithful with what is entrusted to us—our time, talents, and resources—we demonstrate our readiness for deeper partnership in God’s work. This faithfulness is not just about money or possessions, but about living with integrity and purpose in every area of life, using what we have to serve others and build God’s community. Consider how your daily choices, even the seemingly insignificant ones, reveal your heart and priorities. [17:45]

Luke 16:10-13 (ESV)
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Reflection: What is one “small” area of your life where you can practice greater faithfulness today, knowing it prepares you for greater things God may entrust to you?

Day 2: God’s Judgment Against Injustice

God’s heart is stirred to anger when the powerful exploit the vulnerable, and the prophet Amos warns that greed and manipulation bring about divine judgment. The call is clear: God does not overlook systems or individuals who trample the needy or treat people as commodities. In a world where injustice persists, we are challenged to examine our own complicity and to raise our voices for those who are oppressed, ensuring that our actions align with God’s justice and compassion. [20:30]

Amos 8:4-7 (ESV)
Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.”

Reflection: Where do you see injustice in your community, and what is one concrete step you can take this week to stand with the vulnerable?

Day 3: Lament and the Longing for Healing

The cry of Jeremiah and the psalmist is a raw, honest lament for a world in pain, asking, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” This lament does not minimize suffering but brings it before God, trusting that healing is possible even in the midst of devastation. When we allow ourselves to grieve fully and honestly, we open the way for God’s compassion to meet us, and for our prayers to become hope and action. In our own lives and communities, we are invited to bring our wounds and the world’s wounds to God, trusting in the promise of healing. [22:10]

Jeremiah 8:18-22 (ESV)
My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me. Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people from the length and breadth of the land: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” “Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images and with their foreign idols?” “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?

Reflection: What pain or grief are you carrying that you need to bring honestly before God today, trusting Him for healing?

Day 4: Turning Lament into Hope and Action

Even in the midst of ruin and despair, the psalmist models a pivot from lament to prayer, and from prayer to hope and action. When we face devastation—whether in our lives, our communities, or our world—we are invited to cry out to God for deliverance and forgiveness, and then to let that hope move us to act for justice and healing. God’s deliverance is not just for our comfort, but to empower us to be agents of change and compassion in the world. [25:15]

Psalm 79:5-9 (ESV)
How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!

Reflection: In what area of your life or community can you turn your prayers into a specific act of hope or service this week?

Day 5: Choosing Whom You Will Serve

At the heart of all these teachings is the urgent question: Whom will you serve? We cannot serve both God and wealth, and our choice is not just personal but communal, shaping the future of our neighborhoods and world. Serving God means choosing compassion, justice, and love over indifference and self-interest, and it calls us to act with urgency and courage for the sake of others. This choice is renewed daily, in both small and large ways, as we seek to be the balm of Christ’s love in a hurting world. [34:59]

Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV)
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Reflection: What is one practical way you can choose to serve God—rather than comfort, wealth, or indifference—today in your relationships or decisions?

Sermon Summary

Today’s gathering centers on the urgent question: Whom will you serve? Drawing from the voices of Amos, Jeremiah, the psalmist, and Jesus, we are confronted with the reality of injustice, suffering, and the temptation to serve wealth over God. Amos thunders against those who exploit the vulnerable, reminding us that God’s judgment is stirred when greed tramples the poor. Jeremiah’s lament echoes the pain of a people crushed by their own failings, crying out for healing and asking, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” The psalmist, too, turns devastation into prayer, seeking deliverance and forgiveness even amid ruin.

Jesus’ parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16 challenges us to act with wisdom and urgency in stewarding what God has entrusted to us. The manager, though shrewd and self-serving, is commended for his decisive action. If even those with questionable motives can act with such resolve, how much more should those who follow Christ act with integrity and compassion? The call is not to serve wealth, but to use our resources—time, talents, and treasure—for the sake of others and the building of God’s community.

This is a communal calling. The prophets and Jesus do not let us sit on the fence. Our choice to serve God or wealth is not just personal but shapes the world around us. To serve God is to turn lament into prayer, prayer into hope, and hope into action. It is to become the balm of Gilead for a hurting world, to rise up in compassion, justice, and love, and to refuse to be silent in the face of injustice. Even when the world seems broken and the forces of greed and indifference are strong, we are called to be agents of healing, to embody the compassion of Christ, and to make a difference for our neighbors and the world. Whom will you serve? This is the question that demands our answer, not just in word, but in the way we live, give, and love.

Key Takeaways

1. The Prophetic Call to Justice Amos’ ancient cry against those who manipulate systems for personal gain remains painfully relevant. God’s heart is stirred to anger when the vulnerable are trampled, and we are called to examine how our own lives and communities may participate in or resist such injustice. True faith is inseparable from the pursuit of justice for the poor and marginalized. [20:03]
2. Lament as a Pathway to Healing Jeremiah’s raw honesty in lamenting the pain and failures of his people teaches us that God welcomes our deepest sorrows and questions. Lament is not weakness; it is a courageous act that brings our wounds before God and opens the door to transformation. In naming our grief, we make space for God’s healing balm to work in us and through us. [22:10]
3. Stewardship with Urgency and Integrity The parable of the dishonest manager is a challenge to act decisively with what we have been given. While the manager’s motives were self-serving, his urgency and creativity are commended. As followers of Christ, we are called to steward our resources with wisdom and integrity, using them not for self-preservation but for the good of others and the building of God’s kingdom. [28:23]
4. Choosing Whom to Serve Shapes Our World The choice between serving God or wealth is not merely a private matter; it has communal and even global consequences. When we serve wealth, we perpetuate systems of exploitation and exclusion. When we serve God, we become agents of compassion, justice, and healing, transforming lament into action and hope for our communities. [32:44]
5. Becoming the Balm of Gilead The call is not just to seek healing but to become healing for others. As we receive God’s compassion, we are sent to share it, turning our prayers and faith into tangible acts of love and justice. In a world aching for wholeness, we are invited to be the balm that brings hope and restoration to those in need.

** [33:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:01] - Opening Prayer and Call to Worship
[09:47] - Hymn: There’s a Whiteness in God’s Mercy
[10:53] - Announcements and Community Life
[15:50] - Gospel Reading: Luke 16:1-13
[19:11] - Voices of the Prophets: Amos and Jeremiah
[20:03] - Amos’ Condemnation of Injustice
[21:50] - Jeremiah’s Lament and the Balm in Gilead
[23:09] - The Church’s Call to Compassion
[24:21] - Desecration and the Call to Rise Up
[25:39] - Stewardship and the Parable of the Manager
[28:23] - Urgency and Wisdom in Stewardship
[30:06] - Serving God vs. Serving Wealth
[32:44] - Turning Lament into Action
[33:03] - Becoming the Balm: Our Communal Calling
[36:05] - Prayer for Transformation
[43:23] - Offering and Dedication
[46:00] - Closing Hymn: We’ll Build a Land
[46:21] - Benediction and Sending Forth

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1. Luke 16:1-13 (ESV) — > He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

2. Amos 8:4-7 (ESV) — > Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?” The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.”

3. Jeremiah 8:18-22 (ESV) — > My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me. Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people from the length and breadth of the land: “Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” ... For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?

Observation Questions

In the parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-13), what actions does the manager take after he learns he will lose his job? What is surprising about the master’s response? [16:26]
According to Amos, what specific injustices are the powerful committing against the poor? [20:03]
What is Jeremiah’s emotional response to the suffering of his people, and what question does he famously ask? [21:50]
In the sermon, what does the psalmist do in the midst of devastation and ruin? [24:21]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus commends the dishonest manager’s shrewdness, even though his actions were self-serving? What lesson is Jesus drawing for his followers? [28:23]
The sermon says, “If we serve wealth and wealth alone, then Amos’ condemnation will land right on us.” What does it mean for us today to “serve wealth,” and how might that look in our lives or communities? [30:50]
The preacher describes lament as a courageous act that opens the door to healing. How can bringing our grief and questions before God lead to transformation, both personally and as a community? [22:10]
The sermon claims that our choice to serve God or wealth is not just personal but communal. How does the way we use our resources affect those around us? [33:51]

Application Questions

The sermon challenges us to examine how our lives or communities might participate in or resist injustice. Are there ways you have seen yourself, your workplace, or your church either ignore or address the needs of the vulnerable? What is one step you could take to resist injustice this week? [20:56]
Jeremiah’s question, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” is a cry for healing. When have you felt like asking God, “Where is the healing?” How did you respond, and what would it look like to bring that lament honestly to God now? [22:24]
The dishonest manager acted with urgency and creativity. Are there resources (time, talents, money, influence) you have that you could use more intentionally for the good of others or the building of God’s community? What is one practical way you could do this in the coming month? [28:23]
The sermon says, “To serve God is to turn lament into prayer, prayer into hope, and hope into action.” Can you think of a time when your grief or frustration led you to take action for someone else’s good? What did you learn from that experience? [25:15]
The preacher calls us to “become the balm of Gilead” for a hurting world. Who in your life or community is in need of compassion or healing right now? What is one tangible thing you could do to be a source of hope or restoration for them this week? [33:03]
The sermon warns against “sitting on the fence” when it comes to injustice. Is there an issue in your community or world where you have been silent or passive? What would it look like to raise your voice or take a stand, even in a small way? [33:22]
The preacher says, “We’re entrusted with time and with talents and with treasure, and they’re not ours to hoard.” Is there an area of your life where you tend to hold back rather than share? What is one step you could take to be more generous or open-handed this week? [29:50]

Sermon Clips

The church acknowledges the cries of others in distress and makes them their own. That church processes collective trauma, which I think we're dealing with right now, and prays for the capacity to grieve fully and to heal in order to be released as agents of healing. That church has no fear of the lamenting question, is there no balm in Gilead? Because that one responds saying, we have the balm, when we bring the balm, we are the balm. [00:23:19] (40 seconds) #AgentsOfHealing

Amid the despair, the psalmist turns and says, help us, oh God of our salvation, deliver us and forgive our sins. And that's the pivot point in that. Even in ruin, God is the source of deliverance. Lament becomes prayer, and prayer becomes hope. And hope becomes action. [00:25:05] (22 seconds) #LamentToAction

We're entrusted with time and with talents and with treasure, and they're not ours to hoard. We're not supposed to keep those to ourselves. We're supposed to be sharing them and using them for the sake of others and using them to build God's community here. [00:29:46] (17 seconds) #SharingGodsGifts

Then we come to the heart of the whole matter, where Jesus says, no one can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and wealth. Does that mean you should just not work and you shouldn't try to save for your retirement? No, that's not what that means. It means that wealth cannot be your God, your idol. Means that you're not supposed to worship that golden calf. [00:30:03] (29 seconds) #NoIdolsAllowed

If we serve wealth and wealth alone, then Amos' condemnation will land right on us. Because greed leads inevitably to trampling the poor. [00:30:44] (17 seconds) #BalmOfGilead

``But if we serve God, if we serve that compassionate spirit, if we serve that loving and welcoming entirety, then we'll be turning our lament into prayer and our prayer into action. And then we will find and we will be the balm. Then we will be wise stewards of what God has placed in our hands. Then we will be part of God's healing for the nations. We will be that balm of Gilead. [00:32:24] (39 seconds) #NoFenceSitting

So our calling today, that these texts, they don't let us sit on the fence. They don't let us be quiet. Oh, I didn't endorse any of this. Yeah, well, did you stand up to it? can't sit on the fence. The disciples couldn't sit on the fence. The civil rights marchers couldn't sit on the fence. The original Antifa in World War II couldn't sit on the fence. And neither can we. [00:33:03] (41 seconds) #CommunalChoice

If even a dishonest steward can act with urgency, can we not act with urgency? With wisdom and compassion to ease the plight of others? If Amos, little Amos, if he can speak truth to corrupt power, can we not raise our voices against injustice today? And if Jeremiah can cry out for healing, can we not embody the balm of Christ's love in our communities? If the psalmist turned lament into prayer, can we not turn our prayers into faithful action? [00:34:15] (37 seconds) #ServeGraceAndLove

Friends, the prophets and the psalmist cry out. Jesus teaches and challenges, and together they ask us this urgent question. I bet you know what I'm going to say. Whom will you serve? There's but one true master. And choosing to serve God, choosing to serve grace and compassion and love, in faith, in stewardship, in justice and in love, will make all the difference. [00:34:52] (35 seconds) #FaithInAction

It's hard. Because there's a lot of people doing a lot of bad things. There are a lot of things in our way. But we can still have the faith, and we can still be true to who we are. Taking those actions will make all the difference for us, for our neighbors, for the world. So, whom will you serve? [00:35:27] (28 seconds)

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