Grace Lutheran Church

“Jesus Remember Me” Sermon Sept. 30, 2007 Proper 21C

+ In Nomine Jesu +
18th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21C) “Jesus Remember Me”
September 30, 2007 Luke 16:15-19

The Holy Spirit is at work today in this sanctuary. The Holy Spirit is at work calling us to faith and transforming our lives. The Spirit works through the word. Not just ink on paper or a voice breaking through the fidgeting of a worship service. The Word of God is a powerful word that can change lives in a dramatic way. But the power of the Word to call us to faith and transform our lives can be hard to understand from the outside.

A well-dressed European woman was on a safari in Africa. The group stopped briefly at a hospital for lepers. The heat was intense, the flies buzzing. She noticed a nun who was a nurse bending down in the dirt, tending to the pus-filled sores of a leper. With disgust in her voice, the woman said, “Why, I wouldn’t do that for all the money in the world!”,

The nurse quietly replied, “Neither would I.”
Dr. Albert Schweitzer was a man with three doctoral degrees, one in medicine, one in theology and one in philosophy. He left his well cultured world of Europe with all of its amenities and departed for the jungles of Africa. An accomplished concert organist, he went to a place there were no organs to play. He left his teaching position in Vienna, Austria, to deal with the deprived and forgotten. According to Schweitzer it was this parable of the rich man and Lazarus that we heard today in our gospel lesson that so moved him to examine his life and radically alter his purpose and mission in life.

Today I want you to consider the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, our Gospel for today. But if you are not wealthy, if you are not rich, you can skip over this gospel parable. Today’s gospel is not for you.

Most of us do not have the disposable income that we often identify with the wealthy. You can read about the salaries of celebrities, hedge fund managers, computer executives and simply understand that you are not wealthy. As I said if you not a rich man this parable doesn’t apply to you. But if you are wealthy…listen to the warning and blessing it contains. This parable of the rich man and Lazarus could make all the difference.

I said that if you are not wealthy than today’s lesson does not apply. But are we not among the wealthy persons addressed by this parable? There are 1 ½ billion people who suffer from malnutrition, gnawing with hunger when they go to bed. Would you appear rich to them?

For those who only have a couple of changes of clothes and more than one pair of shoes is considered opulent, would you appear rich to them?

Do you have a car? A refrigerator? A home with a roof, windows, and door? Do you have access to clean drinking water?

If you have these things you are among the richest persons in the world. More than 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation and more than one billion still use unsafe sources for their drinking water.

The average yearly income for Ghana is $2100, Thailand $7500, and in the United States is $48, 201.

Not all of us making that average income and some make more. But before we get too bogged down in numbers and comparing salaries. I want us to take a look at the rich man in the parable. Jesus says, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who daily feasted sumptuously.”

This man’s focus was self-indulgence and I suspect he would have felt very comfortable living in our present time.

In contrast to this rich man Jesus describes poor Lazarus. Lazarus was poor and was placed daily at the gate of the rich man’s home to beg for the scraps from the table. He was covered in sores and unwashed except for the dogs who licked his sores.
This is a familiar contrast in a familiar story. You can go from some parts of Niagara Falls and drive along the Niagara River up to Youngstown and quickly see this contrast.

A story on TV about the basic struggles of life in the Sudan are interrupted by commercials for the latest sale at the mall. Some have it and some don’t. Some are blessed and some are not is what we become resigned to.

Many people including the rich man and his brothers probably thought the Lord blessed him while if they even noticed Lazarus they certainly would not of thought blessing when they looked at him.

But before you think this is a simple story of rich and poor, good and bad consider Father Abraham who also appears in this parable. Abraham, the father of the faithful, was a very wealthy man. The book of Genesis records that his livestock and wealth became so great that he and Lot could no longer share the same land. But what we remember about Abraham is not his wealth but his deep trust in God.
The rich man was not damned to hell because of his wealth nor was Lazarus saved because he was poor. The word Lazarus means, “God helps me,” and that is exactly what Lazarus trusted in, unlike the rich man in the parable who trusted in his wealth to satisfy him.

One of the indicators of the rich man’s character can be seen in how he daily would have walked by Lazarus. It was not as if he did not notice or recognize him, because when he saw Lazarus at the side of Abraham in paradise he commanded Abraham to send Lazarus to him. He knew the name.

Lazarus for all of his poverty trusted in the word and promise of God. Lazarus did not lose hope in God. He did not look for God in the purple clothes, fine linens, or daily feasts. He trusted in God.

The rich man for all of his wealth did not end up in hell, but because he was not a man of faith. His lack of faith was reflected in his indifferent and uncaring attitude toward poor Lazarus. The rich man asked for Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. But Abraham said, “They already have the word. They have Moses and the Prophets. If they don’t listen now they wouldn’t listen even if someone came back from the dead.”

There is a hymn called, “Jesus remember me.” It is hymn found in the story of the cross when the thief next to Jesus asked, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The thief was looking at Jesus, beaten, tortured, and being crucified. He saw the same man that others saw, but he saw more. He saw that God was at work in the suffering and shame of the cross.

Jesus has remembered us and heard our cry for mercy. He was killed. This one who though he was rich became poor, humbling himself and becoming one of us. He had no home to call his own, he lived on what others gave him, and when he died he had but one garment to his name and that was gambled away. He died and three days he rose just as he said.

God help us to examine our lives and find our blessing in the Word of God and his promises. This parable calls us to examine our own lives and find our wealth in the Word of God. We don’t need to go to Africa like Dr. Schweitzer to respond to this parable. We have heard God’s Word today, the best word Jesus Christ who was crucified but now lives. We have come today and received his good and gracious forgiveness. By his grace he opens up our hearts to reach out. Our riches, our wealth may make us vulnerable to the traps of Satan, but you don’t need to become entrapped. Repent of your sins and trust in Jesus and he will give you the opportunity and the gifts to help others.

Preparations for this sermon were made in cooperation with Rev. Mark Gaertner, my Father, pastor of Clear Lake Lutheran Church, Indiana.

Soli Deo Gloria