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| Tree of Christmas Past |
C Lectionary 26 – September 29, 2013
Text: Luke 16:19-31
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas
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INJ +
Grace and peace to you, from God
our Father, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
So today, we are joining a
conversation already in progress about wealth and possessions, something Luke
spends quite a bit of time focusing on. The set-up for today’s lesson: Jesus
has just finished teaching about faithfulness and honesty in our dealings with
others, especially where our money and possessions are concerned. He adds this
famous line: “You cannot serve God and wealth”[1] –
in other words, Jesus is telling his listeners to consider their priorities and
consider them closely.
At this point, his listeners – Luke
identifies them as Pharisees, and “lovers of money” – they scoff at what he is
saying. “Oh really,” they might’ve said. “Sounds ridiculous to me!” And so, to
make his point, Jesus goes even further: “You are those who justify yourselves
in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human
beings is an abomination in the sight of God.”[2]
God knows their hearts – and knows what their priorities really are.
So a few verses later, we get to
today’s parable about a rich man – who goes unnamed – and a poor man, named
Lazarus. This rich man has it all in terms of possessions – he’s got the nicest
clothes, the best food, he’s got a gate to keep the boundaries clear between
the have’s and the have-not’s. Contrast that with poor man Lazarus, who picks
up the scraps of food under the tables of the rich, and considers that his
sumptuous feast.
And so, Luke gives us this great
contrast.
Next up in the story, the two men
have died, and Luke gives us another contrast: this time, between the comfort
and blessedness that Lazarus receives at the bosom of Abraham, and the
affliction and torment of the rich man. Funny thing is, the rich man – even
while being tortured by flames – he still expects service. He still expects to
be able to give a command and have others heed him, asking Abraham to have
Lazarus cool him off a little.
Abraham, of course, turns him down,
and so the rich man asks for another favor: could Lazarus go, then, to his
brothers – who are still living – and warn them to get their act together,
while they still have the chance? Abraham’s response again is not particularly
comforting to the rich man: his brothers have the Law and the Prophets to serve
as a warning!
Of course, the rich man knows his
brothers, knows that presumably they won’t listen to the Law and the Prophets
any more than he did. And so he pushes once more for the dead man Lazarus to go
pay his brothers a visit because surely – surely! – if a dead man goes to them,
they’ll get the message? Right?
This parable always reminds me of
Charles Dickens’ story, “A Christmas Carol,” in which Ebenezer Scrooge gets a
chance to mend his stingy ways. He’s like the rich man in our parable – he
ignores opportunities for generosity at every turn. Until, that is, he gets
paid a visit by several ghosts, who show him Christmas past, Christmas present,
and Christmas yet to come.
The ghosts show him the time before
he was such a scrooge, and then he sees his poor clerk, Bob Cratchit’s family
enjoying a modest but love-filled Christmas. Then, with the final ghost, he
sees the future: Cratchit’s little boy, dead. Scrooge himself, also dead – yet
no one mourns his death. No one even takes care of his headstone at the
cemetery.
Scrooge wakes up the next morning,
a changed man. He’s been given another chance – a chance to heed the ghostly
warnings and to live more generously. And that’s exactly what he does!
Dickens’ story ends on such a high
note – Scrooge is redeemed! He gets a second chance, and he takes it!
Jesus’ parable, on the other hand,
has a more difficult ending. In this parable, there are no second chances – no
ghosts visiting the living with warnings “from the other side.” We’re left
wondering what becomes of those five brothers – do they get it? Or do they end
up joining the rich man in torment?
It is so very tempting to make this
parable a simple story about who’s in heaven and who’s in hell, and to leave it
there. Simple. Easy.
Except the lessons of this parable
– like the lessons of so many of Jesus’ parables – go so much deeper than that,
for in this parable, we actually learn about how important it is to care for
those around us – to care for them faithfully and with the very love that God
has for each of them. This parable must be taken to heart with the rest of the
biblical witness, in which God says over and over again that the poor, the
widows, the orphans – those who are often overlooked by society – he cares for
them, and so the people of God must care for them, too.
I came across a news story recently:
the story of the Fowler family in Georgia. Their daughter cancelled her
wedding, and yet her reception had already been paid for at a rather upscale
venue. The Fowlers prayed about what to do – and the word they received from
God surprised everyone. They contacted a local charity that works with homeless
families, and invited 200 homeless people to enjoy the reception – including
about 50 children.
They provided entertainment for the
children and an inspirational speaker for the adults, turning it into an
opportunity for a good meal, but also for these families who had fallen on hard
times to have some fun together. And the Fowlers were there, too, enjoying the
day with their new guest list, and they are already looking ahead to hosting
more of these types of events in the future.
What a beautiful use of resources!
What faithfulness to God’s message of love and compassion for all!
The opportunities for generosity
are many – all we have to do is to pay attention to them, and to pay attention
to where God might be prodding. May we share the abundant love of God – shown
in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – and lived out in us.
Amen.
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