“Money: A Means, Not A Master”

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Passage: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

Pastor Nate Walther

September 21, 2025

            Which financial gurus do you trust?  Maybe you have a particular financial podcast or personal financial guy you always listen to. Perhaps it’s someone like Dave Ramsey – He’s a popular one, and he has some good things to say.  Myself, I thank God for my dad – who learned these lessons from his dad, a banker – so also, he taught me life lessons about saving money, living within my means, and giving richly with my offerings and trusting that God will provide. 

            Today God gives us an even better financial guru to listen to: King Solomon.  I say that because Solomon spoke from experience; he was the wealthiest man of his times!  But even more importantly, Solomon spoke from God; he wrote the words of our sermon text under inspiration of the Holy Spirit!  And today he (God!) shows us that we should think of MONEY AS A MEANS, NOT AS A MASTER.

            As we go back to what we heard earlier in our first reading in Ecclesiastes, Solomon clears up a misconception we can easily get as Christians.  Namely, is money a bad thing?  Solomon’s answer definitively is, “no!”  While Solomon speaks poorly about money at the beginning of our sermon text, he speaks highly of it by the end…  which goes to show, money is neither good nor bad in itself; rather, it’s a question of how we look at it.  And verse 19 hints at how we can properly look at money: “Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.” Just like Jesus warned in our Gospel reading today, money is not to be our master… God is!  As Solomon says here, God is the one who “gives wealth and possessions” in the first place. 

            That builds on a second important point.  We need it to be this way because money is a really poor master.  Solomon explains that for us too.  Verse 15 gives us the most significant proof “Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes so they depart.  They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.  Finally, what good is a master who leaves you with nothing in the end?  Spiritually speaking, then, money does nothing for us…  And Physically speaking, it’s not much different!  Verses 10 & 11, “Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income…  As goods increase, so do those who consume them.”  That’s true!  With more money comes more stress, it doesn’t just fix everything!  Or, how about verses 13 & 14, which talks about how “wealth (can be) hoarded… (then) lost.” It’s not just when we die that we lose money, there are many ways we can lose it here as well!   Likewise, verses 16 & 17, “what do they gain, since they toil for the wind? All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.”  Money can truly affect your ability to enjoy life, such as when you’re up late slaving for it instead of letting it serve you.  Then it’s no longer a means to enjoy God’s other blessings, like Solomon describes in verse 18 & following…

            As Christians we don’t need statistics to prove what the Bible says… but those exist too.  They once did a study of which social class was happiest, and do you know what they found?  If you run a chart with one axis being how happy people are, and the other axis being how much money people make, what does the graph look like?  You might think that the more money you make the happier you will be, and that’s true!… to an extent.  However, they found that once you make enough money to get by comfortably – i.e. you’re not worried about where your next meal is coming from or how you’ll pay your bills; and you have a little money saved up and you’re sort of in that middle class region – after that it’s all downhill.  Of course, that’s speaking generally. There are exceptions to these statistics, and maybe you are an exception to this.  But there’s a lot of truth in this also!  As they say, “Mo money, mo problems.” No, I’m not talking about the rappers who popularized that phrase in the 90s.  Rather, as we just heard in our sermon text, 3,000 years ago Solomon knew this was true by virtue of his experiences – God knew it was true too by his omniscience.  

            Money is not the answer our world thinks it is.  I imagine we’d all agree with that sentiment.  But would the amount we spend on vacations, or restaurants, or clothes tell a different story?  Or what about the story our offerings would tell, or lack thereof?  As Solomon talked about in our sermon text, do concerns about money rob you of sleep, and prevent you from enjoying the blessings God has given to you? Or, as Paul said in our epistle reading, are we truly content with what we have, or do we feel like we need more – only then can I gave more in offerings, only then can I stop worrying, only then can I serve the Lord!  Finally, as Jesus himself said in today’s Gospel, do we primarily see money as something to use to gain friends for eternity, or do we primarily see it as something to waste on the breath of this life? 

            Too often – far too often! – money has instead become our master.  In our affluent society – in some way or another! – Satan has ensnared every one of us with this.  Yet again, God’s law reveals our sin.  And it will only purchase for us the wind, as Solomon vividly pictured it in Ecclesiastes: an emptiness & nothingness.  In fact, when Solomon talks about this as “meaningless” (a phrase he famously repeats throughout the book), literally translated that means, “vapor.” It’s like the breath of your mouth that you see on a cold Wisconsin morning, which disappears in an instant and never comes back.  So also, that’s what our sin leaves us with.

            There’s a better way.  A way to sleep well at night without any worry.  A way to enjoy labor & work, and to find some satisfaction & meaning in it; at least, more than you ever thought you could in a fallen world.  A way to “eat, drink, and be merry,” but not because – as it’s been said before in our world – “tomorrow we die!”; rather, it’s because we no longer fear death and being left with nothing… that way is found by having the Lord God of the Bible as our master.  And I know you know that.  But let God speak that truth to your soul this morning.  Whether it’s through money or not, God will provide.  Whether you have lots of wealth or very little, God has already provided for you his Son, Jesus, who became poor for our sake so that we through his poverty become rich. Christ purchased for us eternity through his death on the cross for our sins, regardless of what we can or cannot purpose for ourselves here on this earth.  Now, when all is said and done, through faith in Jesus as our Savior from sin, the only emptiness Christ will leave us with is an empty tomb on earth, and our cups will overflow with everything in heaven.  It’s why we no longer have to squeeze everything out of this life.  This world is not all there is.  We can simply enjoy this world for what it is, then we can enjoy so much more in the life to come. 

            Dear friends in Christ, if you & I are willing listen to other financial gurus when it comes to our money, listen to God more: money is not our master, God is; and that means we must think of money as a means to accomplish His purposes.  Finally, that’s why Jesus talked about money like he did in our Gospel reading.  He wants us to use our possessions in a way that ties into his work as the master of all.  And think about this now: what an amazing thing that we can put money in a box at the back of church, or we can press a button on our phones to conduct a financial transaction… and more people wind up in heaven forever through the work it supports, since it leads to them hearing about Jesus.  That’s incredible! Our ministry here at Eastside needs your offerings and mine – that’s the way ministry in our affluent world works! – and God has given us the ability to support it.  So, support the work of the Church as God has enabled you to.  It will be a blessing for others… and it will be a blessing for you. 

First of all, God wants you and me to have the joy of contributing to something more meaningful than the “stuff” of our homes, or the “stuff” that lasts for day.  That’s what we get in our offerings.  Secondly, that’s also how we can truly enjoy the lesser things that money purchases us.  Think of it: since money it no longer has to purchase what it could never afford – salvation, eternity, things that last forever; you already have that in Jesus! – now you can enjoy that Badgers game, you can enjoy that vacation home, you can enjoy that well-earned break, you can enjoy those nice clothes, you can enjoy that good food and drink… not because these things are your master; but because they are gifts from your master who loves you, whom you’re even more invested in, who has already given you everything in his son Jesus… In other words, these things are just the “frosting”, but who doesn’t like a little frosting, especially when you’ve already got the whole cake?… In other words, through faith in Jesus, we can have our cake and eat it too!  God is too good to us!!!  It was more than we could ever ask that God would pay the price to sacrifice his only beloved Son to save us from our sins.  But not only does he give us that, he gives us these other things we can enjoy with our money as well.  Thank God!  And give back generously to him with your offerings. Amen.

“The Gift of Empty Hands”

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Philemon 1,7-21

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Pastor Nate Walther

            When you think of a good gift, what comes to mind?  Maybe there’s that person in your life who is a gift-giving maestro – they always have the right thing picked out, and you just can’t wait to open their gifts!  Or, maybe you feel like nobody understands what you want – they never have the right thing picked out, and you always wish they got you something else instead.

            Regardless of what we think of as a good gift, I bet none of us pictures this: “the gift of empty hands”, of lacking something!  But that’s the gift God describes today in our sermon text from Philemon.  Here the Apostle Paul is writing to a man named Philemon about his servant, Onesmius, who had run away from him and come to Paul.  I’ll read the whole text since we didn’t hear it earlier with our readings, and I’ll add some commentary along the way.

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, which was literally the case. Paul wrote this from house arrest in Rome, he was imprisoned for sharing the Gospel.  And (also) Timothy, our brother, who was with Paul at the time.  To Philemon, our dear friend and coworker…  That makes it sound like Philemon was a faithful man and a good Christian… and he was!  7 For I have received great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. To put it in another way, Philemon was very much the last kind of person from whom you’d expect God to withhold a gift… but God had.  He had taken his servant from him, leaving him with empty hands!  Given how Paul describes Philemon, there’s no reason to think he had warranted that by mistreating Onesimus.  Being a slave or servant back in those days wasn’t necessarily what we may think of.  Still, Onesimus had run away.  So listen to what Paul says to Philemon:

8 For that reason, even though I have plenty of boldness in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 I am appealing to you, instead, on the basis of love, just as I, Paul, am an old man and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ…With these words, Paul hints at what a blessing Onesimus must have been to him while he was imprisoned.  He wouldn’t have wanted to give up Onesimus’s company!  And, if anything, Paul could have ordered Philemon what to do, including letting Onesimus stay!  As he will hint in a few verses, God had used Paul to bring Philemon to faith, which meant Philemon really owed Paul his soul!  However, 10 I am appealing to you on behalf of my child Onesimus. I became his father while I was in chains. 11 There was a time when he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him (who is my very heart) back to you. Welcome him. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might serve me in your place while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your kindness would not be the result of compulsion, but of willingness… 

Notice that, as Paul talks about all these things he wants Philemon to do, he models them himself.  Paul willingly lets go of Onesimus himself.  Paul models genuinely, Christian love himself.  Later, Paul will even offer to take on Onesimus’s debts… Why?  15 Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while: so that you would have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. He certainly is dear to me, but he is even more of a dear brother to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord…  Isn’t that interesting?  Before, it seems Onesimus had not been a believer, or a “brother”, as they called each other back then… now he was.  And that’s why Paul did this.  Paul was all about making more believers.     

17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 And if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, have written this with my own hand: I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 Yes, brother, I am asking for a favor from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask… The Word of the Lord. 

The lesson in our sermon text is a simple one.  By losing Onesimus, Philemon would get more back – not just a servant, but a brother in Christ & a willing servant.  Likewise, by willingly letting go of Onesimus, Paul would get more back – he would be able to preach the Gospel message of Christ’s love in a more effective and powerful way.  Finally, could it be that God does the same thing when our hands are empty?  He’s freeing them up so we may receive even more back from him? 

It’s hard to see it like that.  Take the question we started with: did any one of us picture the gift of empty hands?  No, we picture gifts only in terms of what we possess or what others can give us.  Conversely, when we don’t have those things or they are taken away from us, it only seems bad.  That classic question of, “why Lord, why did you let this happen?”  It almost always involves loss or lacking something.  But do we need such loss?  Since we cling to whatever is in our hands – “you’d have to pry it from my cold, dead hands!” – is that why God must sometimes force the issue?  Not “killing” us, mind you, but gently prying back our fingers from whatever thing, whatever possession, whatever relationship we think we cannot live without – but which will only exist for this life?  Is that why God does this – not because he hates us, but because he loves us, and he wants to fill our hands with something better?

It’s kind of like a small child clutching something tightly in their hand with white-knuckles!  To them it’s the most valuable thing in the world: maybe it’s stone they found on the ground with specks of their favorite color, or it’s a candy wrapper from their favorite candy, or It’s a really cool and interesting (but, also dead) bug.  Of course, as their parent or grandparent you see something entirely different: a dumb rock that will just add to the clutter in their room, a worthless scrap of paper, an unsanitary bug – and you know that you have something better for them: a toy they’d much prefer, or their favorite treat, or a gentle hug and a safe nap… so firmly you peel back your child’s fingers from their prized possession – despite their cries, despite protests, despite inevitable explosion that occurs! – and you replace their loss with something that quickly lights up their face, something they could not have received without empty hands.

The lesson for us is simple, but before we apply it to ourselves, do we realize this is exactly what God the Father experienced on a cosmic scale… and, willingly.  He loosened his grip on the most precious thing he had, without anyone forcing his fingers.  And in his case, it was no worthless trinket.  God experienced the pain of the loss of the closest family – his only begotten Son, with whom he had a relationship for all eternity; Jesus was more a part of the Father than you and I are one even with our spouses in marriage! – yet the Father forsook his Son & let him go on the cross, leaving him with empty hands… He did this so that his hands may be filled with something more.  Not just receiving his own Son back in the resurrection, but you and me now as Jesus’ dear brothers and sisters – as God’s dearly loved children, bought back with the blood of Christ from our sins of whatever we desperately cling to (but which can never save us), claimed by the Holy Spirit through the washing waters of baptism! 

That’s why God also asks us to accept empty hands: maybe it’s that we let go of some time, or talent or treasure; maybe it’s even that we would let go of the close relationship of a friend or family member, but one which is leading us away from Christ.  It’s all so that he can fill them with more: things that last, relationships that last, a relationship with him that lasts.  That will lead to blessing for you, personally.  But it’s not just for you. When we start owning this truth in our faith life, it impacts others as well.  Take Paul.  Onesimus (evidently not a believer!) went to Paul (clearly a believer), perhaps only because of how well Paul had lived out his faith (after all, that was Onesimus’s point of contact with Paul through his master Philemon)… and after spending time with Paul, Onesimus is ready and willing to return to his master (as a believer!).  That’s stunning.  When we model the gift of empty hands, it leaves a strong impression on others.  It might even be the way God places something in their hands for all eternity.

So what’s a good gift?  That may look different for each of us. I’m sure that in a few months when Christmas approaches, you kids will have tons of ideas & long lists!… In all of this, don’t forget about the gift of empty hands.   When you let go of everything else you might grab, and you simply receive what God puts there, he’ll give you even more back. Amen.

Heed the Donkey’s Wisdom

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Author: Pastor Walther

If someone refers to you as a donkey – and they probably don’t say it quite like that – it’s not a compliment!  What’s even worse is when you find yourself corrected by a donkey.

In Bible times a man named Balaam found himself in that position.  He had been hired by the Moabites to curse the nation of Israel when they came out of the wilderness to settle in the land of Cannan.  It probably started like any other job where Balaam thought he could outwit whatever god he found himself up against that day.  But this time he was not just up against sticks or stones. He was up against the only true God who has ever existed.

Perhaps you remember the story.  Balaam is trying to make his way to the Israelites, but his donkey continues to see the angel of the Lord standing in their way, whom Balaam cannot see.  Even this dumb animal knows it isn’t wise to press on, so it progressively seeks to avoid the Lord: first taking another path, then crushing Balaam’s foot against the wall to pass by the angel, and finally laying down in the road when there was no room to pass – each reaction prompting Balaam to beat this poor animal!

That’s when the Lord allows the donkey to speak, “What have I done to make you beat me these three times?”  Balaam is not about to be spoken down to by a donkey, so he threatens to kill it.  Then his donkey – a donkey, of all creatures! – tries to reason with him.  “Have I ever done this before?  Of course not!”, hinting there was something different going on… and the Lord used that to open Balaam’s eyes.  He saw the angel of the Lord, and he fell face down. 

I am ashamed to ask, how often is Balaam me?  Recklessly going before the Lord – against the Lord and what he wants! – yet I don’t see it as such.  Like Balaam I think I can bend the Lord to my will, and I miss entirely when he stands opposed to me.  It should be the end of me, especially when the behavior of others– let’s call them “donkeys” – puts me to shame!  I should know so much better as a pastor, as a Christian husband & dad, as a life-long Lutheran.  You should too. Yet it’s the unbelievers, the sinners, and the outcasts who show us up.  Only a merciful God could erase such ugly sin.

He does.  Consider Balaam.  It seems almost impossible that two chapters later God would speak through his mouth one of famous prophecies of the Christmas season, yet Balaam says,  “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.  A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17)  This prophecy reminds us that God forgives this same sin of ours through the star who rose from the nation of Jacob, the Christ child who shines light into our dark world, who reigns as a different kind of king.  Like he did with Balaam, God puts these same saving words in our ears and on our tongues.

The rest of the Bible hints that Balaam’s story ended tragically.  Though he spoke the very Word of God, he did not turn to the Lord in repentance and faith.  God prevent that from happening to us!  When God mercifully causes dumb donkeys – of all people – to speak reason and wisdom to us, wake up and see him in your path!  Then be humbled, repent of sin, find forgiveness in Christ, and live life differently. Amen.