Trust, lost and found

Jesus, help me prove I can be trusted! Amen.

Jesus told this story: "A man heard his servant was wasting his money and said he'd be fired. 'What will I do?' the servant worried. He figured people would help him if he helped them, so he called those who owed his master money. 'Whatever you owe, now you only owe half,' he told them. The master praised his servant for being smart. Like that servant," Jesus finished, "you won't be trusted with big things like going to heaven, if you can't be trusted with small things like money now."

Being trusted more and more is part of growing up. When you were little, you drank out of a sippy-cup, because your parents couldn't trust that you wouldn't spill juice everywhere! Now, that's "baby stuff," because you're trusted to use real glasses -- and more.

This week's Gospel (Luke 16:1-13) is about trust. A servant wastes money, proving he can't be trusted, so he's about to lose his job. The only way he can think of to save himself is to do favors for people who owe his master money, so they'll help him out later.

As you get older, you're trusted more and more. Maybe you get on a school bus by yourself; maybe you get an allowance. Little kids aren't trusted like that -- they might run into the road instead of onto the bus, or eat the money instead of saving or spending it!

Even grownups like the servant in the Gospel story sometimes make mistakes and have to earn back the trust they lost. The master trusted his servant again when the servant proved he was smart by doing favors for people; over time, he was probably trusted even more again.

It's like that for kids, too: If you want more trust, so you can feel more grown up, show how much you can be trusted with the things you already do!