Sermon for Sunday, September 29, 2013: What will it take?

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 16^th 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, 1^st 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 25^th 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. 

November 11, 2012: Living Courageously

 

November 11, 2012: 24th Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 12:38-44

"Living Courageously - The Offerings of the Widows"

PREACHER: Pastor Paul Cannon

 (Drops two coins in the can and pauses for a moment)

Those are the sounds of a poor widow’s last remaining coins. 

In our gospel story today, Jesus is in the temple preaching and teaching, and then he goes and sits down to watch for a moment.  And what Jesus sees, is a woman who is down to her last dollar – in fact – she’s down to her last pennies. 

Maybe you can imagine such a person – maybe you’ve seen such a person holding signs on a street corner – maybe you know some poor soul (a neighbor?) who has lost everything – maybe you’ve been there yourself.  You all know what poverty looks like – even if you haven’t experienced it yourselves – and if you have any sense at all you are probably afraid of it.

We fear poverty, because we know what it looks like.  We fear it because one third – one third – of the people in this country are one paycheck away from being in the exact same situation.  Most of us are one devastating illness away from not being able to pay the mortgage anymore.  And even if you’re not in that boat, even if you are relatively secure financially, all it takes is a hurricane, or a recession, or a bad investment and you could be in the exact same place that the widow was in – down to her last pennies.

We know very little about this woman, but it’s not hard to guess what happened to her.  Her husband died, and with it died the means for her to make a decent living in that society at that time.  There wasn’t anyone to care for her.  She was probably forced to beg for those last pennies she had.  (takes the pennies out of the can). And yet Jesus watched her from across the room as she dropped them into the offering box.  (drops the pennies back in).

Those are the sounds of somebody giving everything. 

The first story that we read today was very similar.  This time, it’s Elijah, one of God’s prophets, who was walking down a road, hungry and thirsty.  And God told him that when he reached Zarephath – the city that he was traveling too – that there would be a widow there who would give him bread and water.  And when Elijah arrived, he found a poor starving woman who was down to her last cup of flour and her last drops of oil.

Elijah asks her – of all people – for some food and something to drink.  The widow responds to Elijah saying, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 

That last bit comes as a shock – they were starving to death.  Her food was running out.  Her son didn’t have much longer and it would all be over.  So she was going to make a fire, bake a biscuit or two for herself and her son, and wait for the end. Now, most of us would say that to ask somebody in this situation, for anything, would be unthinkable.  It should have been Elijah who was giving her some money and food and water.  It should have been the prophet of God who stepped in to save their lives.

Instead, Elijah brings the message that all of God’s messengers bring when they visit people: “Do not be afraid.”  Do. Not. Be. Afraid.  If you ask me, there is nobody in the world who has more of a right to be afraid than a mother whose son is starving to death.  Fear comes with the territory. 

But Elijah gives her a promise from God.  He declares to the fearful widow, “This is the word of the God of Israel: ‘the jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.’” How much courage might it take to trust a promise like this?  How many of you would bet the lives of your sons or daughters on the promise of an unfamiliar God?

I’m guessing nobody here, myself included, would take that bet. (takes the coins out of the can) And maybe it was out of desperation, maybe it was because of madness, or maybe this promise was her last hope, but the poor widow of Zarephath took Elijah into her home, and gave him the last of her food.  (drops the coins into the can). 

Those are the sounds of courage.

During my time in Seminary, my internship congregation was “Light of the World.”  And this was a really unique place for an internship site because the congregation was only 3 years old when I got there.  It was a brand new mission start congregation. 

Of course, the two years that I was at Light of the World, was during the height of the recession.  To say the least, it was a tough time to start a church.  A lot of the regular congregation members were having a tough time either finding employment or finding full time employment or finding jobs in their field.  And of course with congregation members struggling financially, Light of the World was struggling financially. It was doing all it could to get by. 

Pastor Deb, who had started the congregation, was really fond of having one-to-one conversations.  She would invite folks out to coffee and just listen to their stories.  And as she talked with more and more folks – all those people who were struggling with money – certain themes started to emerge.  She learned that people were afraid that they wouldn’t be able to provide for their families.  People would tell her about the tremendous sense of shame they felt in their poverty.

I remember one woman in particular whom Pastor Deb invited out to coffee.  She had been a realtor when the housing market collapsed and on top of that, her husband was suffering from Parkinson’s and was no longer able to work.  Over the course of a few years, she lost nearly everything she had. She went into bankruptcy. She was forced to sell many of her valuables in order to get by.  And even though she was flat broke, she kept making payments on her Mercedes.  She didn’t want other people to know that what she was going through. She wanted to hide. She was ashamed.

And so as Pastor Deb heard all these heartbreaking stories, an idea began to form.  What if people could talk about what they were going through with each other?  Maybe if they could hear one another’s stories, they could begin to break free from the fear that caused people to turn inwards, rather than outwards.  And so the congregation started some dinner groups called “Fearless Feasts.”  And at these dinners, folks were encouraged to share their stories about money and the shame/fear that went along with it.

It was amazing to see the transformation in people. On Sundays, people were buzzing.  We had numerous folks share their stories – in church – about their fears and struggles regarding money. And they shared how their faith in our God – who gave everything for us – was helping to turn their fear into courage.

And wouldn’t you know it?  Offerings began to rise.  People were giving more as we were learning to live our lives free of the fear that causes us to turn inwards. We learned that how we spend our money is perhaps one of the truest reflections of our values. (takes the coins out)  And we learned to be brave enough to say “I value my church – I value my community – I value my faith more than I value a new pair of jeans.”  (drops the coins into the can).

Those are the sounds of a people following their faith.

In case you didn’t catch it.  This is stewardship Sunday.  And all across the country there are pastors giving sermons about how the church is in need of more money and about how you can share more of your wealth and more of your time and more of your talents – but I’m pretty sure that nobody wants to hear that drivel – amen?  (The stewardship team might have been the only dissenters there, but I guess that is their job).  And honestly, I wouldn’t want to hear that sermon any more than you would. 

This sermon is about living our lives courageously.  It’s about having faith in God’s promise to care for you when you are in need; having faith in God’s abundance of resources; having faith in a God that has defeated death itself. It’s about a God who shakes you free from the shackles of sin and fear.  This sermon is about opening yourself up to God’s call – listening to what he’s saying – and following him, even if it leads you to the cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God is calling all of us to live like this - to live free of fear.  To give – not just one percent, or two percent or ten percent – but everything we have and everything we are.  And when we learn to do that (takes the coins out) – we will be free indeed. (drops the coins into the can).

Amen.