15
years ago, I preached my first sermon…
on this
very text—I preached about the parable of Lazarus and the Rich man. I declared
the Rich man to be an example for us all on how not to treat the poor.
In
fact, I think I came pretty close to condemning all rich people to hell in that
sermon—(as only a 15 year old boy can.)
After
all, this Parable is much more direct than last week’s Parable. When it chews
on you, it’s not because you’re trying to grasp it’s meaning, but instead
because the meaning is so plain you worry about wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The
Rich Man goes to hell and the Poor Man to heaven—and there’s a chasm between
them.
But
if it’s wealth alone that sends us to heaven or hell, where’s the line? Where does this valley separating the rich and
the poor lie?
For
example, in a study released this week by the Census Bureau the top 1% now
control just under 20% of the wealth in this country—this is the highest rate
of inequality since the year 1927.
Would that
be the line in the sand, the people with the highest 1% of incomes in this
country are “The Rich?”
In
another study, economists found that if you make less than 140,000 dollars a
year you are, more likely than not, worse off economically than you were 33
years ago.
Are those
worse off, the Lazaruses of the world?
Or…
there is the fact that someone who makes in a year what I make in a month
is richer than 80% of the world.
Is that the
dividing line—3,000 some odd dollars a year?
I
suppose the location of the line—the chasm—between Lazarus and the Rich man,
between
Rich and Poor,
is not as
important as the message given… in all our readings from Scripture, to those
experiencing poverty and those experiencing wealth.
Scripture’s message to those in Poverty and in Wealth.
Prayer
Scripture’s message to those in Poverty and in Wealth.
To
the Poor, today’s lessons echo a larger message found throughout scripture, but
found especially in the Gospel of Luke:
Jesus came
into this world while his mother sang about the hungry being fed,
he came to
preach good news to the poor,
and he
constantly extended the Kingdom of God to those who had been cast out, the
blind, the lame, and yes the poor.
And
today, we are reminded by Timothy that Contentment
and Godliness does not come by way of the coin.
Today,
the Prophet Amos reminds them—reminds us—that God sees injustice
and calls it out for what it is, a sense
of false security, a trap, and a sin.
And
to the Lazaruses of this world, Jesus’ parable points out that God doesn’t just see injustices, but also sees the victims
of injustices—and even knows them by
name.
Lazarus
is, in fact, the only character in a parable who Jesus names—
this poor
man ignored by everyone except dogs—
is named by
the One Who Has A Name Above All Names.
He’s
named, and he’s seen.
Now,
I’ve had a few homeless friends, and all of them say the worst part of being
homeless is that no one sees you—
it’s like
you become invisible—
people avert
their eyes and ignore your existence.
Well, to
you—and all those in poverty—let it be known God sees you.
God really
sees you.
As
for the rich, they are frequently told about camels not passing through the eye
of a needle,
about
storing up treasures only to die,
about rich
rulers being unable to follow Jesus.
And
today, Amos calls us—calls them—onto the carpet.
He
reminds the rich that they have immense power to shape their society for the
good. Their nation is at a cross-road, and at a point headed for calamity, but
can still repent and reverse things…
Yet the
rich prefer to entertain themselves to death instead of seeking justice and
righteousness.
They’re on the Titanic headed toward an
iceberg/ and chose to fiddle with the deck chairs and drink pina coladas.
And
our Gospel lesson paints the Rich a rough color.
The
Rich Man refuses to see, or care, for
his neighbor in need.
And this
rich man fails to repent, even in Hell.
He assumes
his wealth meant something, even in Hell.
He thinks
he can order Lazarus around, even in Hell.
Riches can
be truly hellish.
In
the letter to Timothy, we are warned that riches are traps.
They’re
held on to, and evaporate.
We easily
trust in wealth, and find our worth—over
against the worth of other people—in our wealth, and ultimately lose both
our respect for others and our own
worth.
Wealth can
be corrosive to our faith.
So
far, a pretty tough take on wealth. But do not despair my 1% friends, God loves
you too.
We
also find here in Timothy, that all that is necessary for the good life, is
from God—
Remember
your Large Catechism, it rains on both the just and the unjust—God provides
bread enough for all, as long as all use and share it well.
Ultimately,
recognizing that all we have, is bread
from heaven, given to us by grace,
through no work of our own.
That is the
key to it all.
It
is, to quote St. Augustine, “the very commerce of the City of God.” We do not
so much buy and sell, as receive and give.
Receiving
from God, but not holding on to it, instead being rich in goodness and
generosity.
That is where true riches lie.
Scripture’s
message to those in Poverty and in Wealth, no matter where the line is drawn…
is clearly too complex for one sermon, but
here’s some strands of it:
To
the rich, you are called to
responsibility and to remembrance of the source of true riches.
To
the poor, you are seen and you are
named. A+A
