Sermon for Sunday, September 29, 2013
Luke 16:16-31
Lazarus at the gate
PREACHER: Pastor Carrie Smith
Grace and peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thank you,
Creator God, for the gifts of abundant sunshine and gorgeous autumn weather.
Amen!
On Friday, which
was a particularly lovely day, I spent most of the morning re-painting my front
porch. My companion, as usual, was National Public Radio. One of the more
interesting stories was a report from the BBC about a brand-new study, just
released by the United Nations climate panel, which states more clearly than
ever that humans are the dominant cause of global warming. Some of the
temperature predictions have changed for the better (it offers a slightly less
dramatic scenario of how warm it will actually get over the next 100 years) but
overall the report was not favorable
to humans and how we do things. Several scientists were brought on for
commentary, and what struck me was when the interviewer asked one, “What will
it take for people to pay attention to this problem?” The scientist sort of
chuckled and said, “Without a doubt, the only thing that will change peoples’
minds is if green energy is cheaper than all other kinds of energy.” That’s it!
No dire predictions, no heartfelt documentaries, no incentive program or carbon
tax will make a real difference. Make green energy the choice that puts money
in your pocket, and we might get somewhere. End of story.
“What will
it take for people to listen, and to finally make a change?” This is the
question I imagine Jesus asking before he told this parable from the 16th
chapter of Luke. “What will it take for the disciples to hear what I’m saying
about money and the poor? What will it take for my followers to grasp the
seriousness of this? I’ve already given them the Beatitudes (“Blessed are the
poor”); and I’ve told them about the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and the
Dishonest & Crafty Steward, and they still don’t get it.” The way I see it,
this parable is the equivalent of one of those scary church-sponsored road
signs—a last-ditch effort to get you to pay attention. Repent! Turn back! The
end is near! Except that this time, it would be a sign saying: “Money is a gift
from God, not to be hoarded but to be used for the good of the poor—and I mean
it! Signed, Jesus.”
If you came
to church today and groaned when you realized the Gospel text and sermon were about
money AGAIN, just know that you’re not alone. I’m fairly certain every preacher
did the same thing, too, thinking: “Oh no! I have to preach about money AGAIN?
But the stewardship drive is coming up soon! Maybe I can just preach on the
Epistle instead.” And then we all turned to the Epistle, 1st
Timothy, and read “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” and
sighed “OK, ok…I’ll preach about money.”
No one likes
to hear about money in church, but the problem is, Jesus likes to talk about
money! A lot! In fact, he talks about money and greed a heck of a lot more than
he mentions some of the other things Christians get so uptight about. And
here’s the thing: I can hardly think of a better Scripture text for the Sunday
when we’re going to bless the PADS ministry in preparation for the opening of
its 25th season. We don’t have to look too far at Bethany Lutheran
Church to see Lazarus at the gate. When Linda, our site coordinator, started
with PADS all those years ago, they would serve about five men per night. Last
year, Linda tells me, the top number was more than fifty-five in one night.
Fifty-five homeless men gathered here for a bit of shelter, food, comfort and
caring. Fifty-five Lazaruses lay at the gate—or, in this case, sat under the
canopy drive-thru--hoping to receive the crumbs of the feast we enjoy inside
these walls. It pains me to know that that those fifty-five only represent the
homeless who were able to get here to Bethany, and who were lucky enough to get
beds. Thanks be to God for this vital ministry of mercy and compassion, and for
all of you who participate in making and serving meals, setting up and taking
down the beds, and providing other assistance.
Amen, amen! But,
here’s the thing: I also can think of no worse Scripture text for the day when
we are blessing the PADS ministry. Why? Because it takes us off the hook. If we
hear this parable about Lazarus at the gate, and then hear about the wonderful work
of PADS right here in our building, it softens the impact of Jesus’ words. We
might think these words aren’t for us. We might think we have nothing in common
with the rich man, or that the mere existence of PADS means we’ve got it
covered. We might miss the serious call to repentance that we find here in the
Gospel of Luke.
Remember,
repentance is not about feeling guilty. Repentance means turning around,
changing directions, and taking a different path. It means making a choice for
something new. This parable is a clear message to all who hear: Now is the time to make a change. Now
is the time for showing mercy and compassion to those in need. Soon and very
soon, a great chasm will be fixed between the rich and the poor, and nothing
will close the gap.
And what
does Jesus want us to turn away from? Jesus wants us to repent of our love of
money. He wants us to clear away the crap we’ve given places of honor—our money,
our cars, our boats, our retirement funds, our privilege—so we can finally see
the people whom God has made a priority.
Raise your
hand if your child, or spouse, or roommate, has ever opened the refrigerator
door and yelled to you “Where is the orange juice?” and you come running, only
to discover that the orange juice is right there in front of their eyes, but
happens to be behind the milk… My friends, money can be like that. It gets in
the way, obstructing our view of the people who are right in front of us. Our
pursuit and love of money, comfort, and privilege make it all too easy to miss
seeing Lazarus at the gate—or the elderly neighbor whose refrigerator has been
empty for a week, or the friend who has stopped taking her medication because
it costs too much, or the children in Syria who are at risk of mass starvation
because of the ongoing war there.
Jesus, in
every way possible, has been telling us and showing us a new way. He invites us
to see the world as he does—as a place of abundance, with enough resources for
all, if we would only open our hearts and our hands to help those in need.
The Word of
God is pretty clear. So what will it take for us to listen, and to choose
differently? Sometimes the choice is made for us. I hear often from folks who
have had a crisis in their lives – an illness in the family, the loss of a job,
or a huge life change – which makes them re-evaluate priorities and discover
once again what is truly important. In fact, my own story of being called to
ministry includes a year that was unusually full of grief and heartache, which
made me finally say “Yes” to God’s call. These are wonderful stories, and the
results can truly be an example of how “all things work for good to those who
love God.”
But what are
we waiting for? Do we really need a crisis to interrupt our lives and change
our priorities? Or could we choose to live differently now?
I read a
book not long ago called “The Power of Half”, the true story of an affluent
family that chose to sell their house, downsizing to one half the size, who
then gave the other half to the poor. To be fair, their choice was not out of a
sense of Christian responsibility to the poor, but more of a concern for the
values they saw reflected in their lives. But that story has stuck with me,
because of the way the family took the thing that had become an idol (their
huge house) and literally got it out of the way. They cleared away the crap,
allowing them to see finally see the people around them: family members,
neighbors, and most importantly, the poor.
So, today, I want to ask you: What would it
look like to make some choices to live differently now? You may not be able to
sell your house and give away half (in fact, selling a house at all right now
is a challenge, amen!?) But what would repentance look like for you and your
family today? How could you turn away from the love of money, and turn toward
the poor, taking the words of Jesus seriously? Shout out your ideas!...
Amen, amen!
Let it be so!
Sisters and
brothers in Christ, in today’s parable, the rich man begs for Abraham to send
his brothers a sign. He said, ‘Father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from
the dead, they will repent.’ And Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises
from the dead.’
Dear people,
we are here today because we have heard the Good News: Jesus Christ is raised
from the dead! Alleluia! And because he has been raised, we are convinced! We are convinced that our God is a God of abundance. We are convinced
that this world has more than enough: Enough food for all. Enough space for
all. Enough medicine for all. Enough energy for all.
And, because
Christ has been raised, we go forth in boldness, without fear, turning away
from money and toward the people and the priorities God has set before us. We
go, trusting that in Christ there is enough love, enough forgiveness, and
enough grace to cover us all. Amen.
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