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1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 Pentecost 16 – Proper 21 Sept. 29, 2019 Grace Episcopal – Do We Notice Lazarus? O God, you declare Your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:6-19 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. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are 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. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time-- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen. 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, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 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. Luke 16:19-31 Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but 1 Pentecost 16 – Proper 21 Sept. 29, 2019 Grace Episcopal – Do We Notice Lazarus? now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He 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.'" Today’s gospel from Luke 16, speaks to the parable of Lazarus and the rich man historically called Dives. It speaks to the relationship between the rich and the poor in the form of the two men and suggests the idea of what my Diocesan Bishop Howard Gregory calls, “the reversal of fortunes and the balancing of the scales of justice, drawing on four elements of the end times: death, judgement, heaven and hell.” and “also about two clearly defined socioeconomic worlds, but where the two worlds would never meet.” God’s heart lies with the vulnerable and poor, and against the rich and powerful who victimize, or are indifferent to them. This is powerfully portrayed in today’s parable. Jesus uses the graphic, 2 Pentecost 16 – Proper 21 Sept. 29, 2019 Grace Episcopal – Do We Notice Lazarus? explicit descriptions to highlight the two worlds in which our society exists, and how we His disciples, regardless of our status in life, ought to live. Please note, Jesus is not giving a free pass to the poor, and neither is Jesus lambasting anyone who is rich and/or powerful. Parables are meant to teach, and point out how the people of God are expected to live in today’s world in order to portray the presence of the Kingdom of God. Notice that it is Lazarus and not the rich man who is named in the story. It’s a poetic touch perhaps indicating where Jesus’ attention lies. The parable also continues a strong theme in Luke: It seems that Luke wants to caution us about how we use our possessions; Scripture constantly challenges us to use them wisely in service to the kingdom of God i.e. helping others. We are reminded that an over-emphasis on our 3 Pentecost 16 – Proper 21 Sept. 29, 2019 Grace Episcopal – Do We Notice Lazarus? possessions neglects what the Scriptures teach and will often lead to disappointment and separation from God, and distract the disciple of Jesus from the Mission of God. (Refer to epistle for the day – 1 Tim. 6) According to the parable, during their earthly journey, the rich man takes no notice of Lazarus. In fact, even the dogs pay more attention to Lazarus than the rich man, who is "dressed in purple garments and fine linens and dined sumptuously each day." The rich man’s indifference to Lazarus continues into the next life as he asks Abraham to send Lazarus with water to relieve his sufferings. The story isn’t meant to describe something about the details of the next life (though it seems to make it clear that there is ‘a life beyond the grave’). However, it does continue the Hebrew Testament’s belief that God loves the poor, will raise them up and set right those who have been wronged. 4 Pentecost 16 – Proper 21 Sept. 29, 2019 Grace Episcopal – Do We Notice Lazarus? Eventually both men die and the reversals of the kingdom of God begin to take effect. The poor man, Lazarus, is carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom, a favoured place, where he is comforted and enjoys the privilege of union with the great patriarch. The rich man, on the other hand, experiences the reversal of fortunes and finds himself in Hades, the place of separation from God. He saw Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom being comforted but he figured that the way he understood and lived life was the way things should be until eternity. He still sees Lazarus as being “below him”. In Luke's wonderful imagery, Abraham's bosom (the presence of God) awaits to enfold us (God’s people) in loving arms now and after our death. The story goes further in its description of the conversation between Abraham and the rich man. (The rich man may have been important in his world, but doesn’t even have a name in Jesus’ narrative.) Jesus is perhaps warning those of us who seek to be popular and 5 Pentecost 16 – Proper 21 Sept. 29, 2019 Grace Episcopal – Do We Notice Lazarus? well known or want to be important in the eyes of the world – in death all are made equal. More than that, the life choices we make while on earth and their consequences, perhaps follow us when our earthly life has ended. We are called to be careful how we live today, by the choices we make. Is it possible the real targets of the parable are the 5 siblings who are left behind and perhaps they represent you, me and all who are alive. Their (dead) brother is concerned about them, but is helpless to help them change their life choices. They, like us, will have choices in life to make, particularly concerning our decision to choose Christ over the attractions and distractions of the world. Those who have gone before us are unable to help us however as the parable says we have the scriptures and the experiences of others to teach and guide us and to help us be aware of the things that divert our attention away from following Christ and His ways. We are called to be like Jesus, to open the eyes of our hearts to 6 Pentecost 16 – Proper 21 Sept. 29, 2019 Grace Episcopal – Do We Notice Lazarus? see the poor, weak, oppressed, and vulnerable around us, and act in ways to help and assist.
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