Any Lazaruses On Your Front Porch?
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
This week's Immediate Word uses Luke 16:19-31 to tell how easy it is for most of us to think of ourselves as poor or needy, and to avoid any meaningful contact with the truly poor and truly needy in our day-to-day lives. Thom Shuman writes about many issues that affect us, but especially how these issues affect the poor. How many of us worry about how the rising cost of living hurts the underprivileged? How many of us seek ways to help the needy? Stephen McCutchan writes the response this week. Illustrations, the worship resource, and a children's sermon are also included.
Any Lazaruses On Your Front Porch?
Thom Shuman
In a time when the housing market is sinking to the bottom of the barrel, we may be so worried that we do not notice the families living under the overpasses in the city as we drive to work. In a time when gas prices continue to rise and rise, and we grumble whenever we fill up the tank, we may not notice the folks who are walking by the side of the road as they go from one job to the next. In a time when our employers are requiring that we bear more and more of the burden of health care insurance, we may not notice the mother and child sitting in the ER for 8+ hours, just to get an ear infection treated. But Jesus does, just as he did when he tells the story (Luke 16:19-31) of the rich man who was so focused on the fine meal waiting for him at home, prepared by his culinary-school-trained chef, that he did not notice poor Lazarus lying beside his driveway, as his limo pulled in to take him up to the house. This week, we will talk about what Jesus is saying to us and asking of us, as The Immediate Word looks at this story that hits close to home for all of us.
THE WORLD
In this morning's paper (www.enquirer.com), the cartoon on the editorial page shows a pair of legs sticking out from under a house, ala Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Only this time, the legs are titled "The Economy" and the house is identified as the Mortgage Crisis. Ouch! That hits close to home for many of us. On the op-ed page, is a piece by Leonard Pitts Jr., raising the question as to whether or not we have advanced very far in race relations, on this week when the fiftieth anniversary of the time in Little Rock, Arkansas, that the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army had to escort nine children to school. Pitts' take is that the disparity between races continues to exist. Elsewhere in the newspaper, and on television, and the radio are further reminders, further evidence that there continue to be vast chasms between the rich and the poor, the celebrity and the unknown, the developed world and the struggling countries, between the privileges of men compared to women. It is all fodder for the preacher as we approach the gospel lesson for this Sunday.
THE WORD
As he gets closer to Jerusalem, Jesus continues to apply the screws to the Pharisees (and the rest of us) who think we have everything figured out. This week, he tells a parable that hits a whole lot closer to home than the previous one about the dishonest steward. In Luke 16:19-31, he uses a folk tale that is assumed to have come to Palestine from North Africa. It may be so familiar to the listeners that, once again, they are not prepared for the "twist" Jesus will give to the story, once again. Apparently, stories about folks who died, went to their "reward," and asked to send messages back were commonplace -- and the request was always granted! But not here.
In telling the parable, Jesus attempts to put a human face on both wealth and poverty. The rich man, who is never named interestingly enough, is described in terms of his wealth. He wears the latest designs from DKNY in Jerusalem, and has hired Emeril to fix him three sumptuous meals a day. He has so much wealth, it would be easy for him to share, but he does not. We know this because of the "face" Jesus puts on the poor man, who is named (Lazarus). Lazarus's face is pinched with hunger, he is so weak he cannot move from his position on the rich man's front porch and so has developed bedsores. And the only ones who pay him any attention are the dogs, who are probably fed from the master's table, which is all Lazarus longs for. There is no contact between these two fellows, only the yawning abyss between a have-everything and a have-nothing. Even eye contact is avoided, as the rich man seemingly refuses to notice the lingering gaze with which Lazarus follows him whenever he leaves the house.
Then, they both die, and the rich man still thinks he can give orders in the place where he finds himself, but things have changed. As Mary warned in her song, privileges have been reversed and God has put an end to entitlement. So, he tries another ploy (common to such stories back then) of asking that a messenger be sent back to warn his brothers to mend their ways. That request is rejected as well. Perhaps not so much from hard-heartedness, but in trying to point out that the rich man still doesn't get it. Worried about only his life while alive, now his "circle" of concern is limited to his biological family. He still is incapable of being part of a wider, more inclusive community.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
Since the parable operates on several levels, perhaps a sermon on this passage would do well to do that same. Some will see it, as others have in the past, as a morality story, in which the poor are "rewarded" when they get to heaven. If this is the case, then perhaps society should not do anything for the poor now, as that will negate the future reward. This argument has certainly been used in the past. We need to remember that Jesus is constantly putting into practice what many believed what take place in the future. There may be a great "leveling out" in the great beyond, but as Jesus taught us to pray, we are to do and act and live "on earth as it is in heaven."
Others, when they hear this parable, will hear those familiar tapes in their heads. "It's their own fault." Or perhaps, "he needs to pull himself up by the bootstraps just like I/my father/my family did." Or the old chestnut, "if you give her money, she will only go out and spend it on booze or drugs, not for food or medicine." We've all heard those comments; we've all said, or at the very least thought, them. Is Jesus giving us an opportunity to see the privileges, the entitlements, we have received in our lives (though we would never recognize them or admit to them) because we are white, or male, or Western, or Christian?
Maybe what Jesus is doing is taking the listeners (and us) back to that story he told about the father and the two sons. Remember that story? Let's keep the poor, prodigal brother out in the fields, out of sight. Let's put poor Lazarus out of mind. But Jesus won't have any of that. He is challenging the Pharisees (and Presbyterians), the legal scholars (and the Lutherans), and the scribes (and the Methodists) to change their ways while they can. They, and we, act all too often like the rich man who hunkers down inside his house, enjoying the clothes hanging in his walk-in closet, feasting on the gourmet meals prepared for us by someone else, watching the world go by on the DVDs we've stuck in the player, and watching on the plasma TVs.
Jesus, who has come back from the dead with a message, wonders if we are listening to God's message about that final reversal, are we paying attention to the fact that death's entitlement has been taken away? Jesus makes it clear that Lazarus is our neighbor; he is as close as our front porches. He would gladly change places with us -- are we willing to change our ways in order to change his life? Do we want to be like the rich man sitting at his table with the curtains closed and the feast spread before him? Or, can we be like the father sitting by the window, looking for the lost, the last, the least, the little, the Lazaruses?
ANOTHER VIEW
Stephen McCutchan
The Christian faith always lives in uneasy tension with wealth. On the one hand, Christians recognize that wealth and good fortune can be seen as a blessing from God. On the other hand, as Jesus recognized in preaching so much about the dangers of wealth, it can be a devious temptation in one's life
Thom Shuman is pointing out the very real division created by the way in which possessions separate us from even being sensitive to the needs of the poor as illuminated by the Lazarus story in Luke. I would like to focus on 1 Timothy 6:6-19 and the way wealth creates another division within our society. In particular, I want to lift up the impact of wealth on political life in our country.
Former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean recently put it very bluntly when he said in a recent lecture at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, "Money is the cancer on public democracy. It takes good people who got into politics for the right reason and gives them every reason to be morally corrupt in the way they go after money."
"In 1967," he goes on to say, "he spent $3,500 running for state assembly. Now a race in the same Essex county district might cost $100,000." That is just for a state office. When you decide to run on a national level, the price goes up exponentially. Candidates, both those in office seeking re-election and those who wish to be elected to the office from the outside, must raise huge sums of money. An enormous amount of their time and energy must be focused on that single objective rather than in meeting the voters or, in the case of an incumbent, actually performing the responsibilities of the office.
Citing statistics from commentator Bill Moyer, Kean noted, "One-half of one percent of all Americans give $200 or more to a campaign. Lobbyists, meanwhile, spend $200 million a month trying to 'seduce' Congress." A politician does not have to be corrupt to recognize that his or her survival depends more on the good will of the group that gives $200 million than the one who gives $200 or no money at all.
At the same time, holding public office presents seductive possibilities of its own. Kean noted one legislature that he knew who had found private opportunities because of the office that he held that had enriched him by more than $100,000. Paul speaks of "those who want to be rich fall(ing) into temptation and (being) trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." Recently the news has been full of stories of just that sort of corruption among officials from Louisiana to Alaska.
Paul's message to those who were wealthy was one of stewardship. "As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches..." It is not just the politicians who are corrupted by this focus on wealth but also those who make such contributions. One of the wealthy people who was caught up in corruption charges in the former Clinton administration spoke of raising huge sums of money for the Democratic Party as being a "key to the Lincoln bedroom." The politicians need huge sums of money to finance their campaigns and those who give it assume that they have purchased access and influence. Their wealth has led them to believe that they have a right to be heard in a manner not accorded to even the average citizen, let alone the poor.
One can easily criticize the politician who is caught in this endless pursuit of money to finance his or her campaign and forget the arrogant assumptions being made by those who have been blessed by excessive wealth. From a biblical perspective, riches are entrusted to people for proper use. "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life." From a Christian perspective, part of our message should be to offer the possibility of those who have been blessed with wealth to experience a conversion possibility in which they may discover a new freedom from their riches. They have the opportunity to store "up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life."
As Jesus noted, "it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:23-24). Consider how difficult it is for a truly rich person to recognize the truth of Paul's words "There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these." Paul did not condemn the wealthy but rather warned against the power of wealth to distort both the lives of those who had it and those who coveted it. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." Some are rich in skills, others in personality or wisdom, and still others in material wealth. God has provided that to us for a reason. We discover that truth as we use our wealth in a generous manner. It is in this manner that we discover godliness and contentment that leads to true joy.
ILLUSTRATIONS
What a contrast between the rich man and Lazarus!
The rich man was dressed in fine linen and purple, which only royalty, or the very rich of that day, could afford -- think a custom-tailored Armani suit with a hand-tailored shirt of the finest Egyptian long-staple cotton, a French silk tie, hand-sewn Italian leather shoes, and the most expensive Rolex watch.
Lazarus was dressed only in his sores, which must have been oozing and running pitifully, because the dogs came and licked them, and dogs don't usually pay much attention to dry sores.
The rich man feasted sumptuously every day on the finest of foods -- think caviar and truffles and peacock's eggs, and the most tender open-range-fed Texas strip steaks, with plenty of champagne.
Lazarus had to drag himself through the dirt and the gravel over to the garbage can, which he had to struggle to tip down (and shoo away the flies from) so he and the dogs could scavenge for whatever peelings and bones and rinds the rich man's servants might have thrown out, along with dried-up, shriveled potatoes and over-ripe bananas.
The rich man lived in great splendor in a large mansion with many elegantly decorated rooms, and many servants to care for his every want and pleasure -- think Buckingham Palace, and the homes of Hollywood stars and winning college football coaches.
Lazarus lived in the dust at the rich man's doorstep, amid the ants and the fleas and the stinging horse flies. By day, the sun beat down on him relentlessly, turning his skin leathery; by night, he had to try to fend off the swarms of mosquitoes -- and the clumsier of the bats that swept down too close to try to catch the mosquitoes. When it rained, he got soaking wet to the bone; when the temperature soared way over 100, he felt like he might ignite and shoot off into space like a rocket.
* * *
Notice that Jesus doesn't bother to name the rich man, who had, after all, by his selfishness and self-centeredness, by his greed and lack of concern for the needs of others, made himself to be a person of no account. Jesus names only Lazarus.
And at the end of the story, when both men pass on from this life, their habitats, their eternal dwelling places, are completely reversed. Now the rich man is thrown onto the garbage heap of Hades, while Lazarus is ushered into the beautifully decorated courts of the Lord's house.
In the Lord's good time, all things shall be made right. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.
* * *
And notice that when the rich man dies, some totally unnamed persons bury him, unceremoniously, somewhere in the dust of the earth. But when Lazarus dies, the angels come and carry him, with great ceremony, up to be with the great prophet Abraham in the house of the Lord in Heaven.
Psalm 1 tells us that the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but that the way of the ungodly shall perish (v. 6, KJV).
* * *
A recent news article (Steve Friess, "Searching by Land, Air and the Web," New York Times, September 16, 2007) tells a remarkable story about the impact of new technologies. Because of new software that allows people around the world to study photos taken from satellites, over 20,000 volunteers are currently aiding the search for missing aviator and adventurer Steve Fossett. Funded by online giants Amazon and Google, an army of volunteers -- at least ten persons per photo -- is poring over 278-square-foot quadrants of barren Nevada desert, looking for any metallic glint that could indicate a downed airplane. Although Fossett's plane has not yet been found, seven other hither-to-untracked crash sites have been discovered so far.
Another recent news article tells of a poor woman in Sierra Leone, Africa, named Zainabu Sesay. She's got inoperable breast cancer -- a case so advanced that it displays symptoms rarely seen in Western hospitals. Even the poorest of the poor in America would not be permitted to go so long without treatment. Zainabu spends her days in unremitting pain, because she has no access to morphine. Her country, fearing drug abuse, forbids the importation of all morphine-based medicines. Yet, even if effective pain-killers were available, she and her husband -- subsistence sharecroppers -- could not afford them. In all of Sierra Leone, there is not a single CT scanner. Only one private clinic is equipped to offer chemotherapy, and then only to the wealthy.
The newspaper account includes a photograph of Zainabu that speaks the proverbial thousand words. It portrays her pursing her lips and wrinkling her forehead, as she endures unspeakable agony.
Twenty thousand people are donating countless hours to searching for a missing millionaire, who's probably already dead. No one lifts a finger to help a poor African woman, who's still alive, dealing with agonizing pain.
Call her "Lazarus."
***
One of the most famous humanitarians of the twentieth century -- although his name is fading from popular memory -- was Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer had the rare distinction of being world-renowned in two fields, both as a concert organist and a New Testament scholar. At mid-life, he developed a third vocation, for which he won the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize -- and it was all because of a scripture reading he heard in church one day.
The passage was Jesus' parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. So moved was Schweitzer by the plight of the poor man, covered with sores -- and the later punishment of the rich man, suffering in eternal fire for ignoring his needs -- that he gave up both his musical and scholarly careers, pursuing medical training so he could go as a missionary doctor to Lambaréné, in Gabon, West Africa. As Schweitzer later described it, he became convinced that the rich man was Europe, the poor man was Africa, and his life's task was to go there and serve him.
There are photographs of Schweitzer, seated on the bench of a humble pump-organ in Africa -- a far cry from the magnificent instruments he used to play, in the great cathedrals of Europe. In Schweitzer's case, it was the music he played with his scalpel and stethoscope that spoke to more people around the world than his organ-playing ever did.
***
Hidden in this broken body of the leper, Lazarus, the beggar, you find a human being who has touched the essence of his humanity, whereas many people who are rich and powerful are hiding their humanity. They don't really know who they are. They don't really know that they are a little child crying out for love. Aristotle says something quite extraordinary. He says, "If you feel you are not loved, you seek to be admired." That's to say you want to be brilliant, you want power, you want to have people looking at you, but you don't quite know who you are yourself....
-- Jean Vanier, quoted in The Prism E-pistle, the bi-weekly e-zine of PRISM Magazine & Evangelicals for Social Action, Wednesday, June 7, 2000
* * *
There were two men walking down the street, talking about how busy life is and how hard it is to focus on any one thing. One of the person, a biologist, said, "I think we hear what we are listening for. For example, do you hear the crickets?" The man confessed amidst the noise and the people, "No. But now that you mention it, I can hear it through the noise." Then the biologist threw down a handful of change on the sidewalk. Immediately the people walking by, sitting at the outdoor café and sitting in their cars turned their heads. "See," the biologist said, "We hear what we are listening for." What are you listening for?
* * *
JP Getty was once asked the secret to making a lot of money. He narrowed it down to three simple steps. Wake up early in the morning. Work hard. Strike oil. (I think that those who are wealthy either don't understand or have forgotten what it was like not to have money. It seems so easy to succeed.)
* * *
There was a wealthy man who thought highly of himself and thought he could do most anything he set his mind to. One weekend, he rented a large sailboat. He didn't have much experience in sailing but he had read a book and succeeded in most things in life. As he sailed far from land, a sudden storm appeared. He quickly found himself in trouble and turned to the radio for help. After punching number after number and talking into the microphone, he finally got a hold of the Coast Guard. Their first question was, "What is your position?" The man replied, "Vice President of International Sales and Recruitment." (Not exactly what the Coast Guard had in mind.)
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Thom Schuman
Call to Worship
Leader: The word has come for us from God:
People: who promises to shelter us
under the wings of hope and grace.
Leader: The word has come to us from Jesus:
People: who encourages us to remember
the good news we have received.
Leader: The word has come from the Spirit:
People: who reminds us to place our
hope and trust in God.
Prayer of the Day
When we fall into the traps
of groundless fears,
you deliver us.
When an epidemic of worry
threatens to overcome us,
you protect us.
When harmful words
are flung at us,
you answer our cries for help.
Gracious God,
we worship you.
When our lives crumble,
you urge us to buy hope's fields.
When we are tempted by wealth,
you point us to those
who have nothing but share all.
When we are eager
to grasp senseless lies,
you wrap our hands
around God's promises.
Servant of the poor,
we follow you.
When the world silences our hope,
you give us the words to make
the good confession of faith.
When we have lost our way
and can no longer endure
the emptiness of our lives,
you satisfy us from the abundance
of God's grace and joy.
Sheltering Spirit,
we seek your peace.
God in Community, Holy in One,
our Refuge, our Trust, our Hope,
we lift our prayer to you
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .
Call to Reconciliation
In God's presence, our lives are exposed, our words
are shown for their hollowness, our need is revealed.
Let us confess who we are, as we ask God to embrace
us with grace and hope.
Unison Prayer of Confession
We need to confess, God of Abraham and Lazarus,
how often we are not content with the simple gifts and
lives you offer. Tempted by wealth, we can become
insensitive to those who have nothing. Encouraged by
the world to accumulate more, we may miss the chance
to gather your goodness and godliness. Chasing after
everything that has no value, we may not have the energy
to pursue the faith, the love, the gentleness you have for us.
Forgive us, God of Reversals. Help us to remember how
you have redeemed us, and in remembering, may we make
that good confession that Jesus Christ is our Lord and
Savior, now and forever.
(silence is observed)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: This is the good news that comes from God: I will
hear your prayers, I will answer with hope and
peace, I will deliver you from your sins.
People: God has covered us with grace; under God's hope
we will find shelter. Thanks be to God. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Rich and poor
Object: some play money
Sometimes it surely is fun to pretend one is rich and use play money like it were real money. I'll bet you enjoy that -- I do. We can make lots and lots of play money, but can we really use it at the mall? Will merchants take our play money and give us what we want to buy? No, they won't! It is just play money and they will not accept it -- unless they are also playing.
When it comes to true riches, even real money is play money because true riches come from God. Anyone with faith in God is rich. That means you and I are rich people! We have all that we ever need if we have faith.
One of the great gifts God gives to all those who believe is the gift of true wealth. Jesus showed us this one day when he told the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a very poor man, but the rich man had everything -- he thought. Then they died! Lazarus had nothing -- but faith. That made him very wealthy -- in true wealth.
Whether we are rich or poor with money and toys and things we own, our true wealth is our faith in Christ Jesus. I'm glad we have faith!
We are rich people, God, because we believe and know you. Help us share the good news so that many others might become rich in this way as well. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, September 30, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
Any Lazaruses On Your Front Porch?
Thom Shuman
In a time when the housing market is sinking to the bottom of the barrel, we may be so worried that we do not notice the families living under the overpasses in the city as we drive to work. In a time when gas prices continue to rise and rise, and we grumble whenever we fill up the tank, we may not notice the folks who are walking by the side of the road as they go from one job to the next. In a time when our employers are requiring that we bear more and more of the burden of health care insurance, we may not notice the mother and child sitting in the ER for 8+ hours, just to get an ear infection treated. But Jesus does, just as he did when he tells the story (Luke 16:19-31) of the rich man who was so focused on the fine meal waiting for him at home, prepared by his culinary-school-trained chef, that he did not notice poor Lazarus lying beside his driveway, as his limo pulled in to take him up to the house. This week, we will talk about what Jesus is saying to us and asking of us, as The Immediate Word looks at this story that hits close to home for all of us.
THE WORLD
In this morning's paper (www.enquirer.com), the cartoon on the editorial page shows a pair of legs sticking out from under a house, ala Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Only this time, the legs are titled "The Economy" and the house is identified as the Mortgage Crisis. Ouch! That hits close to home for many of us. On the op-ed page, is a piece by Leonard Pitts Jr., raising the question as to whether or not we have advanced very far in race relations, on this week when the fiftieth anniversary of the time in Little Rock, Arkansas, that the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army had to escort nine children to school. Pitts' take is that the disparity between races continues to exist. Elsewhere in the newspaper, and on television, and the radio are further reminders, further evidence that there continue to be vast chasms between the rich and the poor, the celebrity and the unknown, the developed world and the struggling countries, between the privileges of men compared to women. It is all fodder for the preacher as we approach the gospel lesson for this Sunday.
THE WORD
As he gets closer to Jerusalem, Jesus continues to apply the screws to the Pharisees (and the rest of us) who think we have everything figured out. This week, he tells a parable that hits a whole lot closer to home than the previous one about the dishonest steward. In Luke 16:19-31, he uses a folk tale that is assumed to have come to Palestine from North Africa. It may be so familiar to the listeners that, once again, they are not prepared for the "twist" Jesus will give to the story, once again. Apparently, stories about folks who died, went to their "reward," and asked to send messages back were commonplace -- and the request was always granted! But not here.
In telling the parable, Jesus attempts to put a human face on both wealth and poverty. The rich man, who is never named interestingly enough, is described in terms of his wealth. He wears the latest designs from DKNY in Jerusalem, and has hired Emeril to fix him three sumptuous meals a day. He has so much wealth, it would be easy for him to share, but he does not. We know this because of the "face" Jesus puts on the poor man, who is named (Lazarus). Lazarus's face is pinched with hunger, he is so weak he cannot move from his position on the rich man's front porch and so has developed bedsores. And the only ones who pay him any attention are the dogs, who are probably fed from the master's table, which is all Lazarus longs for. There is no contact between these two fellows, only the yawning abyss between a have-everything and a have-nothing. Even eye contact is avoided, as the rich man seemingly refuses to notice the lingering gaze with which Lazarus follows him whenever he leaves the house.
Then, they both die, and the rich man still thinks he can give orders in the place where he finds himself, but things have changed. As Mary warned in her song, privileges have been reversed and God has put an end to entitlement. So, he tries another ploy (common to such stories back then) of asking that a messenger be sent back to warn his brothers to mend their ways. That request is rejected as well. Perhaps not so much from hard-heartedness, but in trying to point out that the rich man still doesn't get it. Worried about only his life while alive, now his "circle" of concern is limited to his biological family. He still is incapable of being part of a wider, more inclusive community.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
Since the parable operates on several levels, perhaps a sermon on this passage would do well to do that same. Some will see it, as others have in the past, as a morality story, in which the poor are "rewarded" when they get to heaven. If this is the case, then perhaps society should not do anything for the poor now, as that will negate the future reward. This argument has certainly been used in the past. We need to remember that Jesus is constantly putting into practice what many believed what take place in the future. There may be a great "leveling out" in the great beyond, but as Jesus taught us to pray, we are to do and act and live "on earth as it is in heaven."
Others, when they hear this parable, will hear those familiar tapes in their heads. "It's their own fault." Or perhaps, "he needs to pull himself up by the bootstraps just like I/my father/my family did." Or the old chestnut, "if you give her money, she will only go out and spend it on booze or drugs, not for food or medicine." We've all heard those comments; we've all said, or at the very least thought, them. Is Jesus giving us an opportunity to see the privileges, the entitlements, we have received in our lives (though we would never recognize them or admit to them) because we are white, or male, or Western, or Christian?
Maybe what Jesus is doing is taking the listeners (and us) back to that story he told about the father and the two sons. Remember that story? Let's keep the poor, prodigal brother out in the fields, out of sight. Let's put poor Lazarus out of mind. But Jesus won't have any of that. He is challenging the Pharisees (and Presbyterians), the legal scholars (and the Lutherans), and the scribes (and the Methodists) to change their ways while they can. They, and we, act all too often like the rich man who hunkers down inside his house, enjoying the clothes hanging in his walk-in closet, feasting on the gourmet meals prepared for us by someone else, watching the world go by on the DVDs we've stuck in the player, and watching on the plasma TVs.
Jesus, who has come back from the dead with a message, wonders if we are listening to God's message about that final reversal, are we paying attention to the fact that death's entitlement has been taken away? Jesus makes it clear that Lazarus is our neighbor; he is as close as our front porches. He would gladly change places with us -- are we willing to change our ways in order to change his life? Do we want to be like the rich man sitting at his table with the curtains closed and the feast spread before him? Or, can we be like the father sitting by the window, looking for the lost, the last, the least, the little, the Lazaruses?
ANOTHER VIEW
Stephen McCutchan
The Christian faith always lives in uneasy tension with wealth. On the one hand, Christians recognize that wealth and good fortune can be seen as a blessing from God. On the other hand, as Jesus recognized in preaching so much about the dangers of wealth, it can be a devious temptation in one's life
Thom Shuman is pointing out the very real division created by the way in which possessions separate us from even being sensitive to the needs of the poor as illuminated by the Lazarus story in Luke. I would like to focus on 1 Timothy 6:6-19 and the way wealth creates another division within our society. In particular, I want to lift up the impact of wealth on political life in our country.
Former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean recently put it very bluntly when he said in a recent lecture at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, "Money is the cancer on public democracy. It takes good people who got into politics for the right reason and gives them every reason to be morally corrupt in the way they go after money."
"In 1967," he goes on to say, "he spent $3,500 running for state assembly. Now a race in the same Essex county district might cost $100,000." That is just for a state office. When you decide to run on a national level, the price goes up exponentially. Candidates, both those in office seeking re-election and those who wish to be elected to the office from the outside, must raise huge sums of money. An enormous amount of their time and energy must be focused on that single objective rather than in meeting the voters or, in the case of an incumbent, actually performing the responsibilities of the office.
Citing statistics from commentator Bill Moyer, Kean noted, "One-half of one percent of all Americans give $200 or more to a campaign. Lobbyists, meanwhile, spend $200 million a month trying to 'seduce' Congress." A politician does not have to be corrupt to recognize that his or her survival depends more on the good will of the group that gives $200 million than the one who gives $200 or no money at all.
At the same time, holding public office presents seductive possibilities of its own. Kean noted one legislature that he knew who had found private opportunities because of the office that he held that had enriched him by more than $100,000. Paul speaks of "those who want to be rich fall(ing) into temptation and (being) trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." Recently the news has been full of stories of just that sort of corruption among officials from Louisiana to Alaska.
Paul's message to those who were wealthy was one of stewardship. "As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches..." It is not just the politicians who are corrupted by this focus on wealth but also those who make such contributions. One of the wealthy people who was caught up in corruption charges in the former Clinton administration spoke of raising huge sums of money for the Democratic Party as being a "key to the Lincoln bedroom." The politicians need huge sums of money to finance their campaigns and those who give it assume that they have purchased access and influence. Their wealth has led them to believe that they have a right to be heard in a manner not accorded to even the average citizen, let alone the poor.
One can easily criticize the politician who is caught in this endless pursuit of money to finance his or her campaign and forget the arrogant assumptions being made by those who have been blessed by excessive wealth. From a biblical perspective, riches are entrusted to people for proper use. "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life." From a Christian perspective, part of our message should be to offer the possibility of those who have been blessed with wealth to experience a conversion possibility in which they may discover a new freedom from their riches. They have the opportunity to store "up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life."
As Jesus noted, "it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:23-24). Consider how difficult it is for a truly rich person to recognize the truth of Paul's words "There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these." Paul did not condemn the wealthy but rather warned against the power of wealth to distort both the lives of those who had it and those who coveted it. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." Some are rich in skills, others in personality or wisdom, and still others in material wealth. God has provided that to us for a reason. We discover that truth as we use our wealth in a generous manner. It is in this manner that we discover godliness and contentment that leads to true joy.
ILLUSTRATIONS
What a contrast between the rich man and Lazarus!
The rich man was dressed in fine linen and purple, which only royalty, or the very rich of that day, could afford -- think a custom-tailored Armani suit with a hand-tailored shirt of the finest Egyptian long-staple cotton, a French silk tie, hand-sewn Italian leather shoes, and the most expensive Rolex watch.
Lazarus was dressed only in his sores, which must have been oozing and running pitifully, because the dogs came and licked them, and dogs don't usually pay much attention to dry sores.
The rich man feasted sumptuously every day on the finest of foods -- think caviar and truffles and peacock's eggs, and the most tender open-range-fed Texas strip steaks, with plenty of champagne.
Lazarus had to drag himself through the dirt and the gravel over to the garbage can, which he had to struggle to tip down (and shoo away the flies from) so he and the dogs could scavenge for whatever peelings and bones and rinds the rich man's servants might have thrown out, along with dried-up, shriveled potatoes and over-ripe bananas.
The rich man lived in great splendor in a large mansion with many elegantly decorated rooms, and many servants to care for his every want and pleasure -- think Buckingham Palace, and the homes of Hollywood stars and winning college football coaches.
Lazarus lived in the dust at the rich man's doorstep, amid the ants and the fleas and the stinging horse flies. By day, the sun beat down on him relentlessly, turning his skin leathery; by night, he had to try to fend off the swarms of mosquitoes -- and the clumsier of the bats that swept down too close to try to catch the mosquitoes. When it rained, he got soaking wet to the bone; when the temperature soared way over 100, he felt like he might ignite and shoot off into space like a rocket.
* * *
Notice that Jesus doesn't bother to name the rich man, who had, after all, by his selfishness and self-centeredness, by his greed and lack of concern for the needs of others, made himself to be a person of no account. Jesus names only Lazarus.
And at the end of the story, when both men pass on from this life, their habitats, their eternal dwelling places, are completely reversed. Now the rich man is thrown onto the garbage heap of Hades, while Lazarus is ushered into the beautifully decorated courts of the Lord's house.
In the Lord's good time, all things shall be made right. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.
* * *
And notice that when the rich man dies, some totally unnamed persons bury him, unceremoniously, somewhere in the dust of the earth. But when Lazarus dies, the angels come and carry him, with great ceremony, up to be with the great prophet Abraham in the house of the Lord in Heaven.
Psalm 1 tells us that the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but that the way of the ungodly shall perish (v. 6, KJV).
* * *
A recent news article (Steve Friess, "Searching by Land, Air and the Web," New York Times, September 16, 2007) tells a remarkable story about the impact of new technologies. Because of new software that allows people around the world to study photos taken from satellites, over 20,000 volunteers are currently aiding the search for missing aviator and adventurer Steve Fossett. Funded by online giants Amazon and Google, an army of volunteers -- at least ten persons per photo -- is poring over 278-square-foot quadrants of barren Nevada desert, looking for any metallic glint that could indicate a downed airplane. Although Fossett's plane has not yet been found, seven other hither-to-untracked crash sites have been discovered so far.
Another recent news article tells of a poor woman in Sierra Leone, Africa, named Zainabu Sesay. She's got inoperable breast cancer -- a case so advanced that it displays symptoms rarely seen in Western hospitals. Even the poorest of the poor in America would not be permitted to go so long without treatment. Zainabu spends her days in unremitting pain, because she has no access to morphine. Her country, fearing drug abuse, forbids the importation of all morphine-based medicines. Yet, even if effective pain-killers were available, she and her husband -- subsistence sharecroppers -- could not afford them. In all of Sierra Leone, there is not a single CT scanner. Only one private clinic is equipped to offer chemotherapy, and then only to the wealthy.
The newspaper account includes a photograph of Zainabu that speaks the proverbial thousand words. It portrays her pursing her lips and wrinkling her forehead, as she endures unspeakable agony.
Twenty thousand people are donating countless hours to searching for a missing millionaire, who's probably already dead. No one lifts a finger to help a poor African woman, who's still alive, dealing with agonizing pain.
Call her "Lazarus."
***
One of the most famous humanitarians of the twentieth century -- although his name is fading from popular memory -- was Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer had the rare distinction of being world-renowned in two fields, both as a concert organist and a New Testament scholar. At mid-life, he developed a third vocation, for which he won the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize -- and it was all because of a scripture reading he heard in church one day.
The passage was Jesus' parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. So moved was Schweitzer by the plight of the poor man, covered with sores -- and the later punishment of the rich man, suffering in eternal fire for ignoring his needs -- that he gave up both his musical and scholarly careers, pursuing medical training so he could go as a missionary doctor to Lambaréné, in Gabon, West Africa. As Schweitzer later described it, he became convinced that the rich man was Europe, the poor man was Africa, and his life's task was to go there and serve him.
There are photographs of Schweitzer, seated on the bench of a humble pump-organ in Africa -- a far cry from the magnificent instruments he used to play, in the great cathedrals of Europe. In Schweitzer's case, it was the music he played with his scalpel and stethoscope that spoke to more people around the world than his organ-playing ever did.
***
Hidden in this broken body of the leper, Lazarus, the beggar, you find a human being who has touched the essence of his humanity, whereas many people who are rich and powerful are hiding their humanity. They don't really know who they are. They don't really know that they are a little child crying out for love. Aristotle says something quite extraordinary. He says, "If you feel you are not loved, you seek to be admired." That's to say you want to be brilliant, you want power, you want to have people looking at you, but you don't quite know who you are yourself....
-- Jean Vanier, quoted in The Prism E-pistle, the bi-weekly e-zine of PRISM Magazine & Evangelicals for Social Action, Wednesday, June 7, 2000
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There were two men walking down the street, talking about how busy life is and how hard it is to focus on any one thing. One of the person, a biologist, said, "I think we hear what we are listening for. For example, do you hear the crickets?" The man confessed amidst the noise and the people, "No. But now that you mention it, I can hear it through the noise." Then the biologist threw down a handful of change on the sidewalk. Immediately the people walking by, sitting at the outdoor café and sitting in their cars turned their heads. "See," the biologist said, "We hear what we are listening for." What are you listening for?
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JP Getty was once asked the secret to making a lot of money. He narrowed it down to three simple steps. Wake up early in the morning. Work hard. Strike oil. (I think that those who are wealthy either don't understand or have forgotten what it was like not to have money. It seems so easy to succeed.)
* * *
There was a wealthy man who thought highly of himself and thought he could do most anything he set his mind to. One weekend, he rented a large sailboat. He didn't have much experience in sailing but he had read a book and succeeded in most things in life. As he sailed far from land, a sudden storm appeared. He quickly found himself in trouble and turned to the radio for help. After punching number after number and talking into the microphone, he finally got a hold of the Coast Guard. Their first question was, "What is your position?" The man replied, "Vice President of International Sales and Recruitment." (Not exactly what the Coast Guard had in mind.)
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Thom Schuman
Call to Worship
Leader: The word has come for us from God:
People: who promises to shelter us
under the wings of hope and grace.
Leader: The word has come to us from Jesus:
People: who encourages us to remember
the good news we have received.
Leader: The word has come from the Spirit:
People: who reminds us to place our
hope and trust in God.
Prayer of the Day
When we fall into the traps
of groundless fears,
you deliver us.
When an epidemic of worry
threatens to overcome us,
you protect us.
When harmful words
are flung at us,
you answer our cries for help.
Gracious God,
we worship you.
When our lives crumble,
you urge us to buy hope's fields.
When we are tempted by wealth,
you point us to those
who have nothing but share all.
When we are eager
to grasp senseless lies,
you wrap our hands
around God's promises.
Servant of the poor,
we follow you.
When the world silences our hope,
you give us the words to make
the good confession of faith.
When we have lost our way
and can no longer endure
the emptiness of our lives,
you satisfy us from the abundance
of God's grace and joy.
Sheltering Spirit,
we seek your peace.
God in Community, Holy in One,
our Refuge, our Trust, our Hope,
we lift our prayer to you
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .
Call to Reconciliation
In God's presence, our lives are exposed, our words
are shown for their hollowness, our need is revealed.
Let us confess who we are, as we ask God to embrace
us with grace and hope.
Unison Prayer of Confession
We need to confess, God of Abraham and Lazarus,
how often we are not content with the simple gifts and
lives you offer. Tempted by wealth, we can become
insensitive to those who have nothing. Encouraged by
the world to accumulate more, we may miss the chance
to gather your goodness and godliness. Chasing after
everything that has no value, we may not have the energy
to pursue the faith, the love, the gentleness you have for us.
Forgive us, God of Reversals. Help us to remember how
you have redeemed us, and in remembering, may we make
that good confession that Jesus Christ is our Lord and
Savior, now and forever.
(silence is observed)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: This is the good news that comes from God: I will
hear your prayers, I will answer with hope and
peace, I will deliver you from your sins.
People: God has covered us with grace; under God's hope
we will find shelter. Thanks be to God. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Rich and poor
Object: some play money
Sometimes it surely is fun to pretend one is rich and use play money like it were real money. I'll bet you enjoy that -- I do. We can make lots and lots of play money, but can we really use it at the mall? Will merchants take our play money and give us what we want to buy? No, they won't! It is just play money and they will not accept it -- unless they are also playing.
When it comes to true riches, even real money is play money because true riches come from God. Anyone with faith in God is rich. That means you and I are rich people! We have all that we ever need if we have faith.
One of the great gifts God gives to all those who believe is the gift of true wealth. Jesus showed us this one day when he told the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a very poor man, but the rich man had everything -- he thought. Then they died! Lazarus had nothing -- but faith. That made him very wealthy -- in true wealth.
Whether we are rich or poor with money and toys and things we own, our true wealth is our faith in Christ Jesus. I'm glad we have faith!
We are rich people, God, because we believe and know you. Help us share the good news so that many others might become rich in this way as well. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, September 30, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
