Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (October 1, 1995)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(soft organ music) | 0:09 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 0:45 | |
- | Good morning. | 3:30 |
We'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel | 3:31 | |
and a special word of welcome to the parents and families | 3:33 | |
that are here celebrating Parent's Weekend with us. | 3:37 | |
This morning the choir will be featuring an anthem | 3:41 | |
written by Dr. David Arcus, Let All the World. | 3:44 | |
The description of the anthem is listed | 3:48 | |
on the back of your bulletin | 3:50 | |
and we'll hope you will take the time to read that. | 3:51 | |
Also, today at two o'clock, we will have our annual blessing | 3:55 | |
of the animal service. | 3:59 | |
This is a celebration of the ways that God has blessed us | 4:01 | |
through the nonhuman creatures of creation | 4:05 | |
and you're invited to bring the animals in your care | 4:08 | |
for a service of Thanksgiving and blessing. | 4:11 | |
Let us continue our worship as you stand for the greeting. | 4:14 | |
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. | 4:23 | |
Congregation | And also with you. | 4:27 |
- | The risen Christ is with us. | 4:29 |
Congregation | Praise the Lord. | 4:31 |
(soft organ music) | 4:34 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 5:24 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 5:41 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 5:44 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 6:04 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 6:07 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 6:11 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 6:18 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 6:36 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 6:38 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 6:58 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 7:01 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 7:04 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 7:12 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 7:25 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 7:28 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 7:32 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 7:51 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 7:55 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 7:59 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 8:06 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 8:19 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 8:22 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 8:27 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 8:46 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 8:49 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 8:52 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 9:00 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 9:16 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 9:21 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 9:40 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 9:43 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 9:46 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 9:54 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 10:07 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 10:09 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 10:14 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 10:33 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 10:36 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 10:40 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 10:48 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 11:03 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 11:08 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 11:26 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 11:29 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 11:33 | |
- | Let us pray. | 11:46 |
God of all times and all places. | 11:48 | |
Be present to us, your people, gathered at this time | 11:52 | |
and in this place. | 11:54 | |
Bless all who have gathered here this morning. | 11:56 | |
Mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, | 11:59 | |
step-parents and step-children, roommates and friends, | 12:02 | |
singled and married, that all might rekindle a vision | 12:08 | |
of what is most important in the living out of our days. | 12:11 | |
Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, and rest upon the heads | 12:15 | |
and hearts of every person within this place, | 12:18 | |
that our spirits might be refreshed and you, O God, | 12:21 | |
might be better known, | 12:25 | |
for it is in Christ's name we ask it, amen. | 12:27 | |
You may be seated. | 12:32 | |
- | Let us pray together the Prayer for Illumination. | 12:44 |
Open our hearts and minds, O God, | 12:48 | |
by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 12:51 | |
so that, as the word is read and proclaimed, | 12:54 | |
we may hear your message with joy this day. | 12:58 | |
Amen. | 13:01 | |
The Old Testament reading is from the Book of Jeremiah, | 13:04 | |
chapter 32. | 13:07 | |
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord | 13:09 | |
in the 10th year of King Zedekiah of Judah, | 13:12 | |
which was the 18th year of Nebuchadrezzar. | 13:14 | |
At that time the army of the king of Babylon | 13:17 | |
was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah | 13:20 | |
was confined in the court of the guard | 13:23 | |
that was in the palace of the king of Judah, | 13:25 | |
where King Zedekiah had confined him. | 13:27 | |
Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: | 13:30 | |
Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you | 13:34 | |
and say, Buy my field that is at Anathoth, | 13:37 | |
for the right of redemption by purchase is yours. | 13:42 | |
Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, | 13:45 | |
in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, | 13:49 | |
Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, | 13:51 | |
for the right of possession and redemption is yours; | 13:55 | |
buy it for yourself. | 13:57 | |
Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. | 13:59 | |
And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, | 14:01 | |
and weighed out the money to him, 17 shekels of silver. | 14:05 | |
I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, | 14:09 | |
and weighed the money on scales. | 14:13 | |
Then I took the sealed deed of purchases, | 14:16 | |
containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; | 14:18 | |
I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah | 14:21 | |
son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, | 14:24 | |
in the presence of the witnesses | 14:27 | |
who signed the deed of purchase, | 14:29 | |
and in the presence of all the Judeans | 14:30 | |
who were sitting in the court of the guard. | 14:33 | |
And in their presence I charged Baruch, saying, | 14:35 | |
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: | 14:38 | |
Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase | 14:41 | |
and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, | 14:45 | |
in order that they may last for a long time. | 14:48 | |
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: | 14:51 | |
Houses and fields and vineyards | 14:54 | |
shall again be bought in this land. | 14:57 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 14:59 | |
Thanks be to God. | 15:01 | |
- | Psalm 91, on page 810 in the hymnal. | 15:08 |
Let us stand to sing the Psalm and Glory Responsively. | 15:13 | |
(soft organ music) | 15:20 | |
♪ Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High ♪ | 15:26 | |
♪ Who abide in the shadow of the Almighty ♪ | 15:30 | |
♪ Will say to the Lord ♪ | 15:34 | |
♪ My refuge and my fortress ♪ | 15:38 | |
♪ My God, in whom I trust ♪ | 15:42 | |
♪ For the Lord will deliver you ♪ | 15:47 | |
♪ From the snare of the fowler ♪ | 15:50 | |
♪ And from the deadly pestilence ♪ | 15:53 | |
♪ And will cover you with his pinions ♪ | 15:58 | |
♪ And under his wings you will find refuge ♪ | 16:01 | |
♪ His faithfulness is a shield and buckler ♪ | 16:07 | |
♪ You will not fear the terror of the night ♪ | 16:13 | |
♪ Nor the arrow that flies by day ♪ | 16:18 | |
♪ Or the pestilence that stalks in darkness ♪ | 16:22 | |
♪ Or the destruction that wastes at noonday ♪ | 16:27 | |
♪ A thousand may fall at your side ♪ | 16:33 | |
♪ 10 thousand at your right hand ♪ | 16:36 | |
♪ But it will not come near you ♪ | 16:40 | |
♪ You will only look with your eyes ♪ | 16:44 | |
♪ And see the punishment of the wicked ♪ | 16:49 | |
♪ Because you have made the Lord your refuge ♪ | 16:55 | |
♪ The Most High your habitation ♪ | 16:59 | |
♪ No evil shall befall you ♪ | 17:04 | |
♪ No scourge come near your tent ♪ | 17:08 | |
♪ For God will give his angels charge over you ♪ | 17:14 | |
♪ To guard you in all your ways ♪ | 17:19 | |
♪ On their hands they will bear you up ♪ | 17:23 | |
♪ So that you will not dash your foot against a stone ♪ | 17:28 | |
♪ You will tread on the lion and the adder ♪ | 17:34 | |
♪ The young lion and the serpent ♪ | 17:40 | |
♪ You will trample under foot ♪ | 17:43 | |
♪ Because they cleave to me in love ♪ | 17:48 | |
♪ I will deliver them ♪ | 17:51 | |
♪ I will protect them, because they know my name ♪ | 17:55 | |
♪ When they call to me, I will answer them ♪ | 18:02 | |
♪ I will be with them in trouble ♪ | 18:07 | |
♪ I will rescue them and honor them ♪ | 18:10 | |
♪ I will satisfy them with long life ♪ | 18:14 | |
♪ And show them my salvation ♪ | 18:20 | |
♪ O glory be to you ♪ | 18:26 | |
♪ Creator and through Jesus Christ, our Savior ♪ | 18:28 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 18:33 | |
♪ As it was their time began ♪ | 18:40 | |
♪ It is now and will be forever more ♪ | 18:44 | |
- | Please be seated. | 18:56 |
The New Testament reading is from | 19:02 | |
First Timothy, chapter six. | 19:03 | |
Of course, there is great gain in godliness | 19:06 | |
combined with contentment; | 19:09 | |
for we brought nothing into the world, | 19:11 | |
so that we can take nothing out of it; | 19:13 | |
but if we have food and clothing, | 19:16 | |
we will be content with these. | 19:19 | |
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation | 19:21 | |
and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires | 19:24 | |
that plunge people into ruin and destruction. | 19:28 | |
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, | 19:31 | |
and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away | 19:35 | |
from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. | 19:38 | |
But as for you, man of God, | 19:42 | |
shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, | 19:44 | |
faith, love, endurance, gentleness. | 19:48 | |
Fight the good fight of the faith; | 19:52 | |
take hold of the eternal life, | 19:56 | |
to which you were called and for which you were made | 19:58 | |
the good confession in the presence of so many witnesses. | 20:01 | |
In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, | 20:05 | |
and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony | 20:08 | |
before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, | 20:10 | |
I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame | 20:13 | |
until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, | 20:17 | |
which he will bring about at the right time, | 20:20 | |
he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, | 20:22 | |
the King of kings and Lord of lords. | 20:25 | |
It is he alone who has immortality | 20:28 | |
and dwells in unapproachable light, | 20:30 | |
whom no one has ever seen or can see; | 20:33 | |
to him be honor and eternal dominion. | 20:36 | |
Amen. | 20:38 | |
And for those who in the present age are rich, | 20:40 | |
command them not to be haughty, | 20:42 | |
or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, | 20:44 | |
but rather on God who richly provides us | 20:47 | |
with everything for our enjoyment. | 20:50 | |
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, | 20:54 | |
generous, and ready to share, | 20:57 | |
thus storing up for themselves the treasure | 21:00 | |
of a good foundation for the future, | 21:03 | |
so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. | 21:05 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 21:11 | |
Thanks be to God. | 21:13 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 21:18 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 21:59 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 22:13 | |
♪ My God ♪ | 25:27 | |
♪ My God ♪ | 25:30 | |
♪ My God ♪ | 25:33 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 25:39 | |
- | The gospel reading is from Saint Luke, chapter 16. | 26:03 |
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple | 26:08 | |
and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. | 26:10 | |
And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, | 26:14 | |
covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger | 26:18 | |
with what fell from the rich man's table; | 26:21 | |
even the dogs would come and lick his sores. | 26:24 | |
The poor man died and was carried away by the angels | 26:27 | |
to be with Abraham. | 26:31 | |
The rich man also died and was buried. | 26:32 | |
In Hades, where he was being tormented, | 26:35 | |
he looked up and saw Abraham far away | 26:38 | |
with Lazarus by his side. | 26:40 | |
He called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, | 26:43 | |
and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water | 26:46 | |
and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames. | 26:51 | |
But Abraham said, Child, remember that during your lifetime | 26:55 | |
you received your good things, | 26:58 | |
and Lazarus in like manner evil things; | 27:00 | |
but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. | 27:03 | |
Besides all this, between you and us | 27:07 | |
a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want | 27:09 | |
to pass from here to you cannot do so, | 27:13 | |
and no one can cross from there to us. | 27:15 | |
He said, Then, father, I beg you to send him | 27:18 | |
to my father's house, for I have five brothers, | 27:20 | |
that he may warn them, so that they will not also come | 27:24 | |
into this place of torment. | 27:26 | |
Abraham replied, They have Moses and the prophets; | 27:28 | |
they should listen to them. | 27:32 | |
He said, No, father Abraham; | 27:34 | |
but if someone goes to them from the dead, | 27:36 | |
they will repent. | 27:39 | |
He said to him, If they do not listen to Moses | 27:40 | |
and the prophets, neither will they be convinced | 27:43 | |
even if someone rises from the dead. | 27:47 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 27:52 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 27:54 | |
- | We've heard a lot about the gaps between the rich | 28:08 |
and the poor in America. | 28:11 | |
It's old news that the rich get richer | 28:13 | |
and the poor get poorer. | 28:16 | |
We've all seen images which dramatize the contrast | 28:19 | |
between rich and poor. | 28:23 | |
One winter, the Today Show did a story on the homeless | 28:26 | |
in Washington D.C., sleeping on the sidewalks | 28:29 | |
on top of the steaming street gates | 28:32 | |
in front of the White House during subfreezing weather. | 28:36 | |
This most public symbol of the wealth | 28:40 | |
and power of our nation provided a dramatic backdrop | 28:43 | |
for the plight of our nations poor. | 28:47 | |
Then, immediately, following the stories, | 28:51 | |
the camera shifted to Paris where American socialites | 28:53 | |
were selecting designer dresses valued at | 28:57 | |
more than $15,000 dollars each. | 29:00 | |
The disparity was strikingly obvious. | 29:03 | |
As much as we might like to avoid them, | 29:07 | |
we're often confronted with images | 29:09 | |
of the contrast between wealth and poverty. | 29:11 | |
Here at the University, we are surrounded by beauty | 29:15 | |
and the signs of wealth and privilege but we don't have to | 29:18 | |
travel far outside the university walls before | 29:23 | |
we are uncomfortably reminded of the ugliness | 29:26 | |
and the closeness of poverty. | 29:30 | |
Walk down ninth street and a panhandler is likely | 29:34 | |
to hit you up for money. | 29:37 | |
Stroll the neighborhoods around East Campus | 29:40 | |
and it won't be long before you begin to notice | 29:43 | |
a difference in the landscape. | 29:45 | |
Poverty, wherever it exists, is strikingly obvious. | 29:48 | |
We can't get away from it, even when we're watching | 29:54 | |
our favorite television program for a little relaxation | 29:56 | |
and forgetfulness. | 30:00 | |
The images of starving children in Africa | 30:02 | |
and Latin America flash across our TV | 30:05 | |
before we can hit the remote control | 30:08 | |
and change the images to more pleasant pictures. | 30:11 | |
We know that there is a great disparity between | 30:16 | |
the wealthy and the poor but we don't like to dwell on it. | 30:20 | |
The statistics overwhelm us. | 30:27 | |
Between 15 million | 30:29 | |
and 20 million people die of starvation | 30:31 | |
and hunger-related illnesses each year | 30:35 | |
today. | 30:41 | |
Today, Sunday, | 30:43 | |
October 1st, 1995, | 30:46 | |
World Communion Day, | 30:49 | |
over 40,000 people will starve. | 30:53 | |
30,000 of them children. | 30:57 | |
Over one billion people on the planet live | 31:01 | |
in a state of absolute poverty. | 31:04 | |
Some of them in our own city. | 31:06 | |
And each year, 250,000 children are blinded | 31:09 | |
simply because of a vitamin deficiency in their diet. | 31:13 | |
For the most part, we feel helpless to do anything | 31:18 | |
about such massive need, | 31:22 | |
so we try not to think about it at all. | 31:24 | |
We might give occasionally to efforts for relief of famine, | 31:28 | |
we might donate some old clothes to the homeless shelter, | 31:32 | |
we might even make an annual contribution to the United Way | 31:35 | |
or some other charity but, for the most part, | 31:38 | |
we keep our distance from poverty. | 31:42 | |
It's harshness and ugliness and magnitude | 31:46 | |
make us uncomfortable, so it's natural that we try to | 31:50 | |
avoid it when we can. | 31:55 | |
The rich man in the parable was no different than we are. | 31:59 | |
He didn't like to be reminded of what was ugly | 32:02 | |
and painful in life. | 32:06 | |
He built high walls around his estate | 32:08 | |
to keep out the undesirables. | 32:11 | |
Inside, everything was beautiful | 32:13 | |
and pleasing to the eye and desirable. | 32:17 | |
Outside, was everything that was unpleasant and miserable | 32:21 | |
and unclean. | 32:27 | |
When he left his estate, we can imagine him | 32:29 | |
in a long limousine with tinted windows, a driver, | 32:32 | |
and soft, relaxing music. | 32:36 | |
It's not difficult to avoid looking upon the face of poverty | 32:39 | |
if you have the means to surround yourself | 32:42 | |
with what is lovely and pleasant. | 32:45 | |
With a few bold images, Jesus painted a vivid picture | 32:49 | |
of this rich man. | 32:55 | |
It's amazing how much you can tell about a person | 32:57 | |
by the cut and make of their clothes. | 32:59 | |
The rich man projected an image of opulence and wealth, | 33:02 | |
he was habitually aborned and adorned in the best finery, | 33:06 | |
nothing but designer fashions. | 33:10 | |
His undergarment of fine linen was made of an expensive, | 33:12 | |
Egyptian product that was often called woven heir. | 33:16 | |
It was the same fabric that was used to bind | 33:19 | |
the mummified bodies of the Pharaohs | 33:22 | |
and was prized as highly as gold. | 33:24 | |
His outer garments were purple, | 33:27 | |
the color which signified royalty or extreme wealth, | 33:29 | |
for the dye had to be meticulously extracted | 33:33 | |
from oyster shells and was prohibitively expensive | 33:36 | |
to all but the most wealthy and powerful. | 33:40 | |
He also lived in a manner consistent with his clothes. | 33:43 | |
In the NRSV, the text says he feasted sumptuously every day. | 33:47 | |
Another translation says, | 33:53 | |
he was feasting every day brilliantly and magnificently. | 33:54 | |
His was no ordinary fare of bread and lentil soup. | 33:59 | |
The daily menu read more like Antoine's of New Orleans, | 34:03 | |
pheasant under glass, Oysters Rockefeller, | 34:07 | |
Beef Wellington, caviar, and perfectly aged wine. | 34:10 | |
No food was too exotic, no table too lavish, | 34:15 | |
with these few images, Jesus portrayed a vivid picture | 34:20 | |
of someone who had made it to the top of | 34:25 | |
the economic ladder, someone who lived with limitless | 34:27 | |
wealth and indulgent prosperity. | 34:30 | |
Then with equal clarity, Jesus painted the image of Lazarus | 34:34 | |
lying at the rich man's gate. | 34:39 | |
In the Greek, the word (speaking foreign language) | 34:42 | |
implies that he was flung there with contempt and roughness | 34:44 | |
to beg for crumbs from the wealthy man's table. | 34:48 | |
The word for gate, (speaking foreign language), | 34:52 | |
intensifies the sense of contrast between Lazarus | 34:54 | |
and the rich man, for it was used to describe | 34:57 | |
a gate of magnificent artistry and exquisite beauty, | 35:00 | |
offering a hint of the opulence of the estate | 35:04 | |
inside the gates. | 35:07 | |
The gate and the mansion provide a startling backdrop | 35:09 | |
for Lazarus' pitiful plight. | 35:14 | |
He lay there, day after day, covered with oozing sores, | 35:17 | |
an image that's disgusting to us, begging for scraps | 35:23 | |
of bread which fell from the rich man's table. | 35:28 | |
He was sick, starving, and filthy, | 35:31 | |
a pitiful site which no doubt moved passersby | 35:35 | |
to throw a few coins in the cup | 35:38 | |
but also to walk quickly away, | 35:40 | |
lest they have to smell him or look into his eyes. | 35:43 | |
It's not hard to imagine the rich man avoiding Lazarus | 35:49 | |
at his gate, it wasn't a pleasant sight. | 35:53 | |
The text says that the dogs would come and lick his sores, | 35:57 | |
that doesn't tell us whether the dogs were a nuisance | 36:01 | |
or a comfort to him but I prefer to think of them | 36:04 | |
as one, small comfort offered to him in his misery. | 36:07 | |
Some of us have known the loyalty and concern of a pet | 36:11 | |
who stayed with us through an illness or who tried | 36:14 | |
to comfort us when we were upset. | 36:17 | |
And this afternoon, hundreds of people who've been blessed | 36:20 | |
by the animals in their lives will bring them | 36:23 | |
to the Chapel Quad for a blessing of Thanksgiving. | 36:26 | |
Sometimes, animals show more pity and compassion | 36:29 | |
than human beings, so perhaps the dogs | 36:33 | |
were a comfort to Lazarus. | 36:37 | |
No one else was. | 36:39 | |
With a few descriptive phrases, | 36:42 | |
Jesus strikingly portrayed the discrepancy between | 36:45 | |
the life of the rich man and Lazarus. | 36:48 | |
Then he shifted the narrative to death, | 36:53 | |
the great equalizer. | 36:56 | |
Both men died. | 36:59 | |
The rich man was buried and though the Scripture doesn't | 37:01 | |
give us any detail, we know that his status in life | 37:04 | |
would have afforded him an opulent funeral. | 37:07 | |
On the other hand, because of his poverty and status | 37:11 | |
as one unclean and outcast, | 37:14 | |
Lazarus would have been thrown naked onto the fires | 37:17 | |
outside the city walls where the garbage was burned. | 37:19 | |
One was buried with honors, | 37:24 | |
the other burned with ignominy. | 37:26 | |
But the next scene in the drama reveals a startling reversal | 37:30 | |
in their positions. | 37:34 | |
Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham | 37:35 | |
and the rich man is in the agony of flames and Hades. | 37:38 | |
Lazarus is on the inside | 37:42 | |
and the rich man is on the outside, | 37:46 | |
looking across a great chasm, begging for mercy. | 37:48 | |
Now, some preachers have interpreted this parable | 37:55 | |
as a literal depiction of the righteous in heaven | 37:58 | |
and the evil in hell and preach it as a stern warning | 38:01 | |
about the eternal hellfires of damnation. | 38:05 | |
But as with all parabolic language, this vision of heaven | 38:09 | |
and hell should not be taken literally but symbolically. | 38:14 | |
Through this parable, Jesus offers us a window | 38:19 | |
in which the curtain of time is pulled back | 38:23 | |
and we have the opportunity to glimpse eternity. | 38:27 | |
In eternity, God's kingdom, | 38:32 | |
things get rearranged | 38:35 | |
and those who appear to be powerful and on top of it all | 38:38 | |
sometimes find themselves on the bottom | 38:42 | |
and those who appear to be weak and powerless and least | 38:46 | |
sometimes find themselves on top. | 38:52 | |
In the kingdom of God, appearances pass away | 38:57 | |
and the truth about life is revealed. | 39:01 | |
It is evident who is close to God | 39:05 | |
and who is far away. | 39:08 | |
What was true but hidden in life is revealed | 39:11 | |
through the parable. | 39:16 | |
Several interpretations have been offered | 39:19 | |
for the reversal of the circumstances | 39:22 | |
between Lazarus and the rich man. | 39:24 | |
Some have said that it is a great squaring of accounts, | 39:27 | |
the rich man got what he deserved, justice at last. | 39:31 | |
The implication is that there's something inherently wrong | 39:36 | |
with being rich and that those who are rich in life | 39:39 | |
will be punished and that those who are poor and miserable | 39:42 | |
in life will be rewarded but that's too simplistic | 39:46 | |
in interpretation, | 39:51 | |
it doesn't take into account Abraham, | 39:54 | |
Abraham in whose arms Lazarus is comforted, | 39:57 | |
the patriarch who was blessed with land, animals, | 40:00 | |
and great wealth. | 40:05 | |
Having wealth is not what condemned the rich man. | 40:07 | |
Others have pointed out that this parable has sometimes | 40:13 | |
been used with the evil motive of reconciling | 40:15 | |
the miserable to their lot. | 40:19 | |
The message is, hang on, accept whatever life gives you, | 40:21 | |
and you'll be rewarded in the next life. | 40:26 | |
In Alice Walker's book, The Color Purple, | 40:29 | |
Celie spouses this view when she tells Sofia, | 40:32 | |
her daughter-in-law, | 40:35 | |
that she lets Mister beat her | 40:37 | |
because, after all, this life is fleeting | 40:40 | |
and she believes that in the end, she'll be rewarded | 40:43 | |
in heaven which lasts eternally. | 40:46 | |
Always one to take hold of her own destiny, | 40:50 | |
Sofia tells Celie that she'd be better off | 40:53 | |
busting Mister's head and letting heaven | 40:56 | |
take care of itself. | 40:58 | |
There is nothing inherently good about being poor | 41:02 | |
and powerless and there is nothing inherently evil | 41:06 | |
about being rich and powerful. | 41:10 | |
So, what does the parable mean? | 41:16 | |
The key to unlock the meaning of this parable | 41:20 | |
is in the exchange between Abraham and the rich man. | 41:23 | |
Still used to having people at his beckon call, | 41:28 | |
the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger | 41:31 | |
in the water and cool the tip of his tongue. | 41:36 | |
In response, Abraham tells him to remember. | 41:40 | |
Remember his life and relationship to Lazarus. | 41:45 | |
Remember that he had nothing but good things. | 41:51 | |
Remember that Lazarus had nothing but evil things. | 41:56 | |
Through remembering, he saw the truth of his life | 42:01 | |
in relationship to Lazarus for the first time. | 42:07 | |
In life, Lazarus was powerless to bridge the distance | 42:12 | |
between them, he was on the outside of the gates, | 42:15 | |
looking across a chasm, | 42:18 | |
longing for a share of life's blessings. | 42:20 | |
The rich man could easily have crossed the chasm | 42:25 | |
but he chose to insolate himself against having | 42:29 | |
to see Lazarus' need. | 42:31 | |
The distance between them which had been determined in life | 42:34 | |
became fixed in death. | 42:39 | |
The time for response was past and there was nothing that | 42:42 | |
he could now do to establish a relationship between them. | 42:46 | |
It isn't that the rich man was harshly condemned | 42:52 | |
or indicted because he was rich. | 42:55 | |
It isn't that he persecuted Lazarus or deliberately refused | 42:58 | |
him food or sponsored legislation to rid his gates | 43:02 | |
of the poor. | 43:06 | |
No, the key is that he never even saw Lazarus. | 43:09 | |
The difficulty with their relationship all those years | 43:15 | |
on earth is that he never saw Lazarus, though he passed | 43:18 | |
him by every day. | 43:22 | |
His wealth had so distorted his vision | 43:25 | |
that he was unable to perceive the plight of the beggar | 43:28 | |
at his gate to identify with his suffering | 43:31 | |
and ease his predicament. | 43:35 | |
In shutting his eyes to human need, | 43:39 | |
he had also shut out the God who is consistently | 43:42 | |
portrayed in Scripture as a friend of the poor, | 43:46 | |
a helper of the weak, and a comfort to the needy. | 43:49 | |
This is the great danger in wealth. | 43:54 | |
It can so easily cause blindness. | 43:57 | |
Prosperity has a way of limiting our perspective, | 44:01 | |
of pulling down the shades on the distasteful, | 44:05 | |
so as not to disturb our enjoyment of life. | 44:09 | |
And when we close ourselves off from human need, | 44:13 | |
no matter how distasteful, we also close ourselves | 44:16 | |
off from God who is most often | 44:20 | |
found close to those in need. | 44:24 | |
It is not a new story but an age old one. | 44:27 | |
The rich man who was now the one powerless | 44:34 | |
to change his own circumstances, pleaded with Abraham | 44:37 | |
to send Lazarus to warn his brothers to change their | 44:40 | |
lifestyle, lest they also come to the place of torment. | 44:43 | |
Abraham replied that they already had Moses | 44:48 | |
and the prophets but the rich man pressed the point. | 44:51 | |
That's not enough. | 44:54 | |
I didn't listen to Moses and the prophets | 44:56 | |
and neither will they. | 44:58 | |
The implication is that if he'd had a more dramatic warning, | 45:01 | |
he would have changed. | 45:05 | |
Likewise, if someone should go to his brothers | 45:08 | |
from the dead, they would be convinced | 45:10 | |
and they would repent but Abraham responded, | 45:14 | |
if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, | 45:19 | |
neither will they be convinced | 45:22 | |
even if someone should rise from the dead. | 45:24 | |
As James Denney paraphrased it, | 45:29 | |
if they can be inhuman with the Bible in their hands | 45:32 | |
and Lazarus at their gate, no revelation of the splendors | 45:37 | |
of heaven or the anguish of hell | 45:42 | |
will ever make them anything else. | 45:44 | |
God's revelation in the Scriptures was available | 45:50 | |
to the five brothers as it had been for the rich man. | 45:53 | |
They, too, would be accountable for whether they lived | 45:57 | |
according to its principles of love and justice. | 46:00 | |
God invites but does not compel belief. | 46:05 | |
Everything necessary for salvation has already been given. | 46:10 | |
In our case, we have Moses and the prophets | 46:14 | |
and even the one who was raised from the dead. | 46:17 | |
But none of these can compel belief or faithful living. | 46:21 | |
Jesus knew that even after his death and resurrection, | 46:27 | |
it would still be easy for us to ignore the demands of love. | 46:30 | |
It is still just as easy for us to shut our eyes to misery. | 46:36 | |
We miss the point of the parable if we simply sit | 46:42 | |
in judgment on the rich man for all of us are rich | 46:44 | |
and at some point must face the question of whether | 46:48 | |
we've turned a blind eye to the needs of our neighbors. | 46:51 | |
How easy it is for us to plan our lives in such a way | 46:57 | |
that we never have to come face to face with the poor. | 47:00 | |
We may read about the latest crime in the Projects | 47:04 | |
or the increase in the homeless population | 47:07 | |
or even walk quickly past the beggar on the street | 47:10 | |
but we rarely if ever meet them face to face. | 47:13 | |
Like the rich man, we're afraid to come too close to misery. | 47:19 | |
We're especially afraid of the sight of poverty | 47:24 | |
for it is always a challenge to our style of life. | 47:27 | |
It has a way of waking the gloss off our standard of living | 47:32 | |
and making us reexamine our values. | 47:37 | |
The sin of the rich man was not deliberate mistreatment | 47:42 | |
of Lazarus but simply not seeing him. | 47:46 | |
Every day he and his friends walk past this charity case, | 47:50 | |
maybe even stepping over the destitute man | 47:54 | |
but he was so absorbed in selfish indulgence, | 47:57 | |
he never really saw a fellow human being hungry and in pain. | 48:00 | |
Because he never noticed this neighbor on his doorstep, | 48:06 | |
he cut himself off from God and humanity. | 48:09 | |
For the Scriptures demand that if we would love God, | 48:13 | |
we must also love our neighbor. | 48:16 | |
If we would be close to God, we must also be close | 48:18 | |
to those who are in need because God is there with them. | 48:21 | |
In another parable, Jesus said, | 48:27 | |
whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me. | 48:29 | |
The statistics of poverty bear witness to our failure | 48:35 | |
to love God or neighbor adequately. | 48:40 | |
The starving masses or vivid testimony to how we've treated | 48:44 | |
the least of these but when we focus only upon | 48:47 | |
the statistics, when we keep the poor anonymous, | 48:52 | |
it can blind us to Lazarus on our own doorstep. | 48:58 | |
In this parable, Lazarus wasn't simply one of the anonymous | 49:03 | |
suffering masses, he wasn't simply a nameless statistic. | 49:07 | |
In fact, in the story, he was the only one given a name. | 49:12 | |
He was a particular individual with particular needs | 49:17 | |
on a particular rich man's doorstep. | 49:21 | |
If we are ever to learn to be neighbors to one another, | 49:26 | |
if we are ever to get past our fear | 49:30 | |
and avoidance of poverty, | 49:32 | |
we must take the risk of putting faces on the needy. | 49:34 | |
We must learn to see those on our own doorstep. | 49:38 | |
It's not enough to send in our check to charity | 49:43 | |
but that is part of what is needed. | 49:46 | |
Sharing our resources is a good thing | 49:48 | |
but it doesn't take the place of face-to-face contact. | 49:52 | |
It is only when we truly see Lazarus, | 49:56 | |
the particular person in need at our gate | 49:59 | |
that a relationship can be established between us. | 50:03 | |
It is only when we look into one another's eyes | 50:07 | |
that we can begin to see each other as human beings | 50:10 | |
and neighbors. | 50:14 | |
We can be overwhelmed and paralyzed by the scope | 50:17 | |
of human need and yet all that is required is that we become | 50:20 | |
a neighbor to Lazarus. | 50:25 | |
It means establishing relationships and bridging chasms | 50:28 | |
one by one. | 50:32 | |
We can't change the whole world | 50:36 | |
but we can make a difference in our part of it | 50:39 | |
and God can take and multiply our small efforts | 50:42 | |
until our families and communities and nations | 50:46 | |
and systems are transformed into a more humane world. | 50:49 | |
All around us, I see signs of hope. | 50:56 | |
I know students that spend two afternoons a week | 51:00 | |
tutoring children from deprived backgrounds. | 51:02 | |
I know a religious life group that has made a year long | 51:06 | |
commitment to be involved with the homeless shelter in town. | 51:08 | |
I know congregation members who have helped | 51:12 | |
a family build a house. | 51:15 | |
I know recent graduates that are living with mentally | 51:17 | |
and physically handicapped adults in the L'Arche community. | 51:20 | |
I know students that spend their spring break | 51:24 | |
getting up close and personal with the poorest | 51:26 | |
of the poor in Honduras, Lumberton, Atlanta, Washington D.C. | 51:29 | |
I know a doctor who vacations with his family in Haiti | 51:34 | |
doing mission work. | 51:38 | |
The amazing thing is that each time people meet | 51:41 | |
face to face, the chasm of economics | 51:45 | |
and education and race and language, | 51:49 | |
whatever separates them, begins to collapse | 51:52 | |
and they discover that they are neighbors, | 51:55 | |
human beings who share in the blessings | 51:58 | |
and burdens of life. | 52:01 | |
You and I are the five brothers in the parable. | 52:06 | |
It is not too late for us to learn to see. | 52:10 | |
We have Moses and the prophets | 52:15 | |
and Jesus to show us what is required. | 52:17 | |
Lazarus is at our gate. | 52:22 | |
How will we respond? | 52:25 | |
(soft organ music) | 52:33 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 53:21 | |
- | You may be seated. | 56:41 |
The Lord be with you. | 56:49 | |
Congregation | And also with you. | 56:51 |
- | Let us pray. | 56:52 |
God who created this world with such variety | 56:59 | |
and complexity, we can scarcely comprehend it. | 57:02 | |
We come before you this morning to pray | 57:05 | |
on behalf of all creation. | 57:07 | |
For those who have much and for those who have little | 57:09 | |
and for those who do not know what they have, | 57:12 | |
Christ in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these. | 57:16 | |
For this earth, its beauty and its majesty | 57:31 | |
as well as its ugly hurting places, | 57:34 | |
God, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these. | 57:38 | |
For the powerful and the powerless, | 57:54 | |
and for those who do not know their own power, | 57:57 | |
God, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these. | 58:00 | |
For those who have lost their way | 58:20 | |
and for those who we have lost upon our way, | 58:23 | |
for those who do not yet know how lost they are, | 58:26 | |
Christ, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these. | 58:30 | |
For those whose bodies are not well, | 58:48 | |
for those whose minds are confused, | 58:51 | |
for those whose wounds whether physical, emotional, | 58:54 | |
or spiritual, have not been bound up, | 58:57 | |
O Christ, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these. | 59:00 | |
And now O Spirit of the living God, | 59:19 | |
utter for us those prayers which have no words | 59:22 | |
but which can only be felt. | 59:26 | |
O Spirit in your mercy, pray for us. | 59:28 | |
For it is in Christ's name we pray, amen. | 59:51 | |
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, | 59:56 | |
though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor | 59:59 | |
so that by his poverty, you may be made rich. | 1:00:03 | |
Come, let us worship God, | 1:00:07 | |
let us bring to God our tithes and our offerings. | 1:00:09 | |
(soft organ music) | 1:00:13 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 1:01:03 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:01:12 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:18 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:20 | |
♪ To the glory of their king ♪ | 1:01:23 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:01:28 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:33 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:35 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:38 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:01:44 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:53 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:55 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:57 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:02:05 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:18 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:19 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:21 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:02:27 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:49 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:02:50 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:03:20 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:03:22 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:03:24 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:03:30 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:03:43 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:03:45 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:03:47 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:03:52 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:03 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:05 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:08 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:04:15 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:19 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:04:24 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:31 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:04:37 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:43 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:04:47 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:54 | |
(soft organ music) | 1:04:58 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:05:20 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:05:52 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:05:54 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:05:56 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:05:59 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:06:09 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:06:46 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:06:48 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:06:52 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:06:56 | |
(soft organ music) | 1:07:13 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:07:34 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:07:46 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:07:49 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:07:54 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:07 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:09 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:12 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:15 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:18 | |
- | Let us pray. | 1:08:30 |
O gracious God, help us to know the things | 1:08:32 | |
that money can buy | 1:08:34 | |
and the things that money cannot buy | 1:08:36 | |
that in the clarity of these two realms, | 1:08:38 | |
we can respect money and yet seek for the fruits | 1:08:40 | |
of the spirit, faith, hope, and love, and now hear us, | 1:08:43 | |
O God, as together we pray. | 1:08:48 | |
Our Father who art in heaven, | 1:08:50 | |
hallowed be thy name. | 1:08:53 | |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done | 1:08:55 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 1:08:59 | |
Give us this day, our daily bread, | 1:09:01 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 1:09:04 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us | 1:09:06 | |
and lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil | 1:09:10 | |
for thine is the kingdom and the power | 1:09:14 | |
and the glory forever, amen. | 1:09:18 | |
(soft organ music) | 1:09:22 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:09:57 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 1:12:20 | |
- | Go forth in peace to serve God and your neighbor | 1:13:11 |
in all that you do. | 1:13:13 | |
By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, | 1:13:15 | |
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, | 1:13:18 | |
be with you and keep you. | 1:13:20 | |
(muffled choir singing) | 1:13:27 | |
(soft organ music) | 1:15:15 |