Scripture:
Luke 16:19-31
The scripture passage we looked at this week was a parable that Jesus told about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. I will give a quick summary here, but you can click above to go right to the scripture if you would like to read it yourself. So, the rich man and Lazarus both die. The rich man goes to Hades (hell) and Lazarus goes to be with father Abraham (heaven). The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to him to save him. When that fails, he asks that somebody be sent to his brothers so that they don't end up in the same situation.
Here are my thoughts:
-The parable is not intended to be a description of what the afterlife is actually like. The parable is not about the afterlife any more than other parables are about sheep, coins, business, fields, etc...
-The rich man was not in Hades because he was rich. Instead, he is there because he lived life too self absorbed to pay any attention to the least of God's children like Lazarus. He was so focused on himself and his wealth that he failed to recognize and love others.
-When the rich man asks Abraham to send someone from the dead to warn his brothers, Abraham tells him that they have already been told how to live by Moses and the prophets. If they didn't listen to them, they will not listen even if someone rises from the dead to tell them.
What does this mean for us:
-We have been told by Moses, the prophets, and yes someone even rose from the dead to tell us how to live. Will we listen? Will we hear that since the very beginning of our history with God, the message has been to love others. Heal the sick, feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, care for the widow, welcome the stranger, etc... This is what we have been told from the very beginning. Will we hear it?
-Loving others begins with recognizing and encountering others. The rich man did not take the time to recognize and form a relationship with Lazarus. Who is Lazarus to you? Who is Lazarus to me? Who are we overlooking because we are too wrapped up in ourselves?
Practical Action Step (homework):
This week, open yourself to meeting one new person. If there is someone who you regularly encounter in your daily life, but have never met; meet them. If there is not someone who comes to mind, be open throughout the week for an opportunity to meet someone new. Engage someone you don't know in conversation and learn their name. If you learn their name, there is a good chance you have made a real connection. If you will be worshipping at Community or People's this coming Sunday, you will have the opportunity to lift up and celebrate stories about the new connection you made during worship. If you will not be worshipping with us (or even if you will be), please share your stories of new connections in the comments of this post.
Here are my thoughts:
-The parable is not intended to be a description of what the afterlife is actually like. The parable is not about the afterlife any more than other parables are about sheep, coins, business, fields, etc...
-The rich man was not in Hades because he was rich. Instead, he is there because he lived life too self absorbed to pay any attention to the least of God's children like Lazarus. He was so focused on himself and his wealth that he failed to recognize and love others.
-When the rich man asks Abraham to send someone from the dead to warn his brothers, Abraham tells him that they have already been told how to live by Moses and the prophets. If they didn't listen to them, they will not listen even if someone rises from the dead to tell them.
What does this mean for us:
-We have been told by Moses, the prophets, and yes someone even rose from the dead to tell us how to live. Will we listen? Will we hear that since the very beginning of our history with God, the message has been to love others. Heal the sick, feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, care for the widow, welcome the stranger, etc... This is what we have been told from the very beginning. Will we hear it?
-Loving others begins with recognizing and encountering others. The rich man did not take the time to recognize and form a relationship with Lazarus. Who is Lazarus to you? Who is Lazarus to me? Who are we overlooking because we are too wrapped up in ourselves?
Practical Action Step (homework):
This week, open yourself to meeting one new person. If there is someone who you regularly encounter in your daily life, but have never met; meet them. If there is not someone who comes to mind, be open throughout the week for an opportunity to meet someone new. Engage someone you don't know in conversation and learn their name. If you learn their name, there is a good chance you have made a real connection. If you will be worshipping at Community or People's this coming Sunday, you will have the opportunity to lift up and celebrate stories about the new connection you made during worship. If you will not be worshipping with us (or even if you will be), please share your stories of new connections in the comments of this post.
Or listen right from the player on the home page. |
Note: there are two different recordings of the sermon this week. One is from Community, and the other is from Peoples. They both deal with the same theme.