First Reading: Amos 6:1-7
1“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! 2Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory, 3O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence? 4Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, 5who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, 6who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! 7Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
Psalm 146
1Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 2Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, for there is no help in them. 3When they breathe their last, they return to earth, and in that day their thoughts perish. 4Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! whose hope is in the Lord their God; 5Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; who keeps his promise forever; 6Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger. 7The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; 8The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord cares for the stranger; he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9The Lord shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah!
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 3:1-13
1The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. 8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
Gospel: Luke 16:19-31
19{Jesus said to the Pharisees,} “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house — 28for I have five brothers — so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this congregation, for the many decades these, your people, have faithfully served, not only you and your kingdom, but also this community. We ask that you continue to bless Pastor Wesley and all your faithful disciples here who are called by your name. Prosper the work of their hands that you may be glorified in all that they say and do, now and in the days to come, until your triumphant return. All this we ask in the name of our risen and reigning Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen
So, why do we take time to celebrate the anniversary and history of our congregations? Certainly, it’s a time of fellowship, and this is good. We need to relax and enjoy each other’s company, for it’s in doing so that we provide mutual emotional and spiritual support for one other. After these many months of limited activities over concerns for the health and safety of our people, it’s good for us to return to a more normal routine. It’s also good, on this anniversary Sunday, for us to give thanks for the history, the people, and the accomplishments of this congregation. God has certainly blessed the efforts of our forefathers. But this is also a time of reflection. Homecoming is a time to ask ourselves several questions.
First, why did God establish this congregation in this location? Why not ½ mile up or down the road? Why not 5 miles closer or further from Charlotte? And in establishing this congregation in this location, what was His call to those who came before us? Furthermore, are we being faithful to the call God has placed on this congregation today, to serve Him and His kingdom here in Stanley? Next, is God calling us to the same ministry as our predecessors?
Has this community evolved? If so, how? Has the neighborhood that surrounds this congregation changed, and if so, have we prayed about what these changes mean to the members here? When was the last time you reviewed how you reach out? Or, are you still doing things the way you’ve always done them? Is your service to God’s kingdom easy, familiar, routine? Or do you feel the burden of ministry and of the scores of people who live each day lost and alone, desperately in need of God’s saving truth and message of hope and comfort?
Three Sundays ago, in our gospel lesson from Luke chapter 14, Jesus made it clear, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (vs. 27). In saying this, Jesus left no room for discipleship being an option. We must take up the cross of Christ and follow. Yes, salvation is a free gift, we cannot earn it, nor do we deserve it. It’s given and received freely in the waters of Baptism, in our daily confessions and in the Body and Blood of Christ our Lord. However, the life of a disciple is different, it’s demanding, it’s a life of commitment and sacrifice. Discipleship means placing God ahead of all else. God must take first place in our lives, in our time, in our resources, and ahead of our desires. The good news is, this call to faithful service isn’t without its rewards, is it?
The eternal life we’re promised is free of pain, of sorrow, of sickness, of disease and of death. One simply cannot ask for a better plan than that! Yes, our call to discipleship has its demands, but as we also know, it’s worth it. But why else do we take the time to celebrate the anniversary of this community of believers? The answer is simple, it’s to examine ourselves in light of God’s call to service.
In our Old Testament reading for today, God, through the prophet Amos, is chastising those who had become comfortable, those who had taken God’s many blessings and used them for their own pleasure. Instead of taking care of the widow, the orphan, the sojourner, and even their fellow Jewish neighbors, they used God’s gifts for their own selfish pleasures. It was a pattern of behavior that had been repeated over and over again throughout the Hebrew nation’s history. And I’m curious if Jesus had Amos in mind when He told the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
The story of the rich man, tradition has come to call him Dives, and Lazarus, is a heartrending tale of suffering on the part of the poor man and one of indifference on the part of the rich man. If this were the whole of the story, it would be dreadful enough, but this parable also shows us the results of what happens when people become comfortable, full of themselves, and in turn relegate people into categories or into classes.
Let me ask you another question, do we in the church, refuse to acknowledge that we too often become judgmental, that we make assertions about others based on appearance or actions. It’s easy for us to look out at the people around us and see them through the lens of our preconceived notions. We see this clearly in the attitude of the rich man.
Now to be fair, we couldn’t possibly have all the facts before we develop our opinions. There’s no way to know what has gone on in a person’s life that has brought them to the place they are today. In most cases we’re the product of the news we get and if we’re lucky, personal testimonies. For example, did you know that, in some places in Europe, it’s routine for people to have a 99-year mortgage? You heard me correctly, 99-year mortgages. Home ownership in these locations is a multigenerational endeavor and it’s not unusual for 3 and 4 generations to live in the same house. I was talking with Pastor Henry Pollock on Tuesday, he’s in the process of sponsoring, with the assistance of our Mission Region, two of his family members from Ukraine.
The husband is 30 years old, and the wife is 25. Part of the sponsorship process is to assure the government that housing and support is in place for at least 90 days. If their visas are approved, they will live in the parsonage at St. James, Newton and the Missions Committee has awarded a $2,500 grant to help set up the home and obtain the basic supplies they need to get settled in. At 30 years of age, the husband doesn’t have a drivers license. He’s had no need because cars are a luxury that the majority cannot afford. His goal is to be a truck driver to support his family. Think about the challenges he will have once he gets here. He’ll need a job, transportation, and language skills. He’ll need to learn the ways and customs of this area. And to achieve his goal of learning to drive an 18-wheeler, he’ll need experience and then schooling to get his commercial license.
I’ve shared this example with you to ask, what was your opinion of others coming from other countries before I shared this small amount of information with you? Now let me shift your attention to another group of people. When you look out at the homeless camps that are scattered around our area, what do you see and think? Do you see the lazy, the criminals, those you consider outcasts, people who are simply taking the easy way out, or do you see the mentally ill, those struggling with drug and alcohol addictions, those who have been abused by parents, family, or a spouse? Our opinions can say a lot about what’s in our heart.
While stationed in Anchorage Alaska, I also served as a Reserve Police officer for the Anchorage Police Department. Because of my military work schedule, I pulled Police officer shifts at night and on the weekends. Anchorage is the place where folks from the interior and coastal villages come to get supplies and for recreation. It’s also a large town with all the problems of a big city including drugs, homelessness, and prostitution. One night we got an assault call and when we arrived, we found a 30 something year old Eskimo woman who had been beaten. During the investigation we found out that her “date” had beat her up.
As part of the routine questions, I asked where she came from, she said Barrow, a coastal village on the northernmost tip of Alaska. Most folks know this area as the North slope. When I asked where she currently lived, she said she was homeless. Mind you this was wintertime and the low that night as 0. At the end of my interview, I asked her why she simply didn’t go back home. Her response shocked me. She said, “it’s worse at home than here in Anchorage.” How do we see our neighbors?
In today’s Lucan reading, Jesus paints a picture of the rich man who is comfortably situated in his luxurious home. Outside, at his gates, is a beggar who is starving and covered with sores. We’re given little else about Lazarus’ situation. The picture Jesus paints is of a miserable wretch, ill fed and ill clothed, and it would have been impossible for the rich man to have missed seeing him. Even today where we go from our homes directly into our garages, get in our cars, and drive away, you nor I couldn’t help but see someone lying at the end of our driveway. The rich man knew Lazarus was there, and the truth is, he didn’t care, because in his estimation, the man wasn’t worth caring about.
I would venture to say that he saw this homeless man as a nuisance; he didn’t see him as another human being in need. It wasn’t that the rich man was devoid of compassion. Later in the story he’s very concerned about his own brothers. He cared deeply for those who were like him. However, those who were considered the outcasts, the shunned, those who were beneath him, weren’t worth bothering with. To Dives, Lazarus was simply a worthless old beggar who was getting what he deserved.
For the average Jew of Jesus’ time, they saw sickness, disease, and suffering as the result of sin. Remember what the disciples asked Jesus when they encountered the blind man, “who sinned, this man or his parents?” (John 9:1-3). For the average Jew, their attitude was, if Lazarus was a good person, God would take care of him. If he was an industrious person who worked hard, he would have the resources to take care of himself. If he was a likeable guy, then his family or friends would take care of him. The hard question we must ask ourselves is, do we have the same attitudes and views?
I’m certain the rich man saw nothing wrong with being wealthy. And there isn’t anything wrong with wealth or affluence so long as it isn’t the god in your life. I’m sure the rich man saw himself as a hard worker, deserving of his station in life and I bet he contributed regularly to the local synagogue. He most likely went to temple at Passover. He probably fasted and prayed as taught by the religious leaders of his day. In his eyes, God had blessed him with abundance because he was such a good fellow. In the eyes of many, both then and now, he would be the poster child for the gospel of prosperity crowd. He, and those who ascribe to these teachings, certainly felt that he had received what he deserved. Now to be fair, we must consider the other character in this story.
We must seriously consider Lazarus. We must contemplate how he felt about his situation. Often when people are facing difficult situations, suffering from poor decisions, maybe their own or of others close to them, getting laid off because the company is down-sizing, are stricken with illness, or any number of other things, they feel as if they deserve it. And while they may not express it quite so directly, we‘ll hear someone say, “It happened to them for a reason.” And this could very well be true.
The reason or reasons may be obvious or, it may only be known to God who may have allowed this hardship as a way of correction. It could be because of circumstances, some lack they have, or some sin they’ve done, but they feel they deserve to receive the hardship. Jesus doesn’t tell us whether or not Lazarus went to the door to beg. All we’re told is that He laid there. And the rich man let him lie there and so did the community. Finally, Lazarus died at the rich man’s gate and in time the rich man died also. Here’s where the story makes a turn.
The world would teach that equality had finally been achieved but this simply isn’t the case. According to Jesus, the situation is now reversed. Lazarus was received into the arms of Abraham and the rich man was buried and found himself in torment. When the rich man asked Abraham about this, he was told that while Lazarus suffered on earth and he had good things, the tables have now been switched. And it’s important for us to listen to what the rich man says.
Here the formally rich man is looking at Lazarus in comfort as he’s being tormented, and he asks Abraham to “send” Lazarus to quench his thirst. Even in this reversed situation, he still sees Lazarus as beneath him, as someone who should be taking care of him. This formally affluent man, who never bothered to lift a finger to help the poor beggar, wants the beggar to leave his place of comfort and come over and serve him! It seems that even in the face of truth, arrogance never ends.
When Abraham explains that it’s impossible for anyone in Hades to come to them and that a gulf has been fixed so that those in comfort, even if they wanted to, could not go to Hades, the previously rich man still sees Lazarus as the underling. He now asks that Lazarus be sent on an errand to warn the rich man’s brothers about this place. “They have Moses and the prophets who have told them how to live and they should listen to them.” But if someone rose from the dead they would listen,” replies the rich man. The point Jesus is making is, if we refuse to acknowledge the truth, it doesn’t matter what or who reveals it to us, nothing will change. Those blinded by pride, arrogance, self-interest, and self-importance will still be blind.
Our readings for today are a reminder that when we choose to sit in the seat of judgment over others, when we place people in categories, it’s a very short distance to a fast descent down a slippery slope. When we see people suffering and fail to see them as people made in the image of God, we’re setting ourselves up for a very nasty fall. Yes, we can look at the actions of a person and condemn those actions when needed, but we must never place ourselves in God’s seat of judgement. Jesus was very clear in His Sermon on the mount, judge not, lest you be judged (Matt. 7:1). Jesus was equally clear when He answered the Lawyer, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Jesus’ last earthly command was a call to all; we’ve been commanded to “Go” and make disciples, teach and to baptize.
Our call to Go means we cannot be content to sit in comfortable church pews only to judge and ignore the needs of our neighbors. We must take serious the warnings given through the prophet who spoke God’s word: “woe to those who sleep in the finest adjustable beds all the while ignoring those who must sleep on the ground. Woe to those who sit in their leather Lazyboy recliners and watch 100” high-def TVs, and who snack on the finest Door Dash delivered foods, while others are forced to beg along the sides of the road. Woe to those who drink top shelf beverages and their toiletries only come from the finest department stores, while others must drink contaminated water and must bathe in polluted streams. Woe to those who refuse to be grieved over the ruin of society.
The call of discipleship is a call to be “Christ-like.” It’s a call to freely share God’s message of grace, mercy, and peace. Our call to go is a call to look beyond the surface and to reach out to our neighbor in love and share the resources God has entrusted to us. When Jesus went about His ministry, He reached out to all. This of course is good news to us!
Jesus came to us in love to give Himself for us, despite our sin filled situation. He reached out in love and ate with tax collectors and sinners, and He also went to eat with the religious leaders. God now comes to us through His Spirit to remind us of all that Jesus taught and to hear the words of the law and the prophets. This is indeed wonderful news for all God’s people. As Lutherans we hear these words of woe, these passages of law from the Old Testament, as a reminder to examine ourselves, to look at our response to God’s call and then turn to the comfort of the gospel, the good news that even when we fall short, Jesus came that we might have the assurance of forgiveness. That we might have life.
In Christ, we can then reaffirm our call to share God’s love with our neighbors, including those who are on the fringe of society, no longer seeing them as victims of their own making, but as people made in God’s image, who need to hear that God loves them. They need to hear that there is hope, even in the midst of very difficult circumstances, and that we love and care for them as well.
Homecoming is indeed a time for fellowship, a time for counting our blessings, of giving thanks to God for the saints of the past, who have set a Christ-like example for us of faith and love in action, and it’s a time of reflection. Today I give thanks to God that you and I, as children of God, have the privilege of laboring in God’s kingdom. and in joy, been given the opportunity to share and show God’s love to all our neighbors.
Amen
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