Some people have asked about our fall stewardship campaign. This year it will be a bit more low key than in years past because we are also raising funds to support the renovation project. In terms of timing though, there’s nothing like a Gospel story about a rich man going to hell to help us kick off a fall stewardship program!

First some housekeeping items. This story is often interpreted as a teaching about what life after death is like. In fact the story reflects a Greek concept of souls going to the underworld (Hades) for punishment after death. Both Jewish and Christian concepts of life after death or resurrection of the dead are based on the return of the Messiah for judgment and not on the immediate death of the individual. As with much of his teaching, Jesus uses this story to tell us about the nature of the Kingdom of God and how we are to live the life we are given. Finally, this story itself comes from much earlier Egyptian folklore. Good teachers always recycle good stories.

Another assumption modern people make is that the rich man must have been evil and wicked to deserve his fate and that Lazarus must have been righteous in spite of his poverty. Not only is this assumption wrong (The story says nothing about either one of them.) but Jesus’ audience would have assumed the opposite. They believed that riches were a sign of righteous living and God’s blessing while poverty was a sign of one’s sinfulness. For all we know the rich man might have been a wonderful person who attended his synagogue every week. Lazarus might have been a scam artist conning people out of money so he could get by. Given that possibility, what was the rich man’s failure to deserve his torment?

Interestingly the rich man knows Lazarus by name. We might take a clue from the name Lazarus itself which means “God’s helper.” Could Lazarus be a kind of angel who helps those of us who have plenty better see the Kingdom of God? Could we say this of the poor in general?

Every day the rich man walked past Lazarus at his gate. How could one help NOT to notice the dogs licking the sores on Lazarus? Did the rich man learn the name of Lazarus from his guards at the gate or from the talk at the village well? We don’t know.

We do know that not only does the rich man never see Lazarus at his gate, even in Hades the rich man is still so blinded by his upper station in life that he thinks he can command Lazarus like a servant. He doesn’t see the truth about Lazarus or his own situation even after death. The rich man maintains his death grip on his wealth and social status in Hades where he is dead. Clearly he just doesn’t get it.

Stepping into God’s Kingdom is not something we do in the afterlife. We do it right here and now. To enter the Kingdom of God we must see others with the eyes of Jesus and respond to their situation with the compassion of Christ.

Perhaps I was lucky. I have struggled with hearing impairment and poor vision all my life. I survived a life-threatening illness as well as other situations that might be considered minor miracles. Looking at this story I identify much more with Lazarus than the rich man. Like any adult I can look back and count the blessings and the incredibly painful blows I have taken in life. Strangely I have discovered that with each blessing AND with each blow, my grip on security in the form of wealth and possessions loosens bit by bit.

Coming to Grace Church continues to be a rich blessing and affirmation of a true calling. My response flows from a deeply grateful and generous heart. The journey here and our time together even after only six months are changing me.

I do not idealize the poor or the wealthy. I see them as brothers and sisters. But I have discovered something universal that as WE learn to respond to the pain, the hopes and the needs of others, we become much more aware of our own human nature. And as we discover ourselves through the needs of others we learn that we just don’t need money and possessions like we used to.

God became fully human in Jesus Christ. There is nothing about our joys and our suffering that Jesus did not experience. Through Jesus God knows our every need, our every joy and our every pain. Through Jesus we experience love that surpasses understanding. Like Jesus we are called to discover ourselves in the needs of others. With each human need that we see, our grip on all that stuff that we thought we needed loosens bit by bit.

Stepping into God’s Kingdom is a process of learning to see and respond. It is learning to be like Christ. It is to be fully human, fully alive. I hope that in our time together we can enter the Kingdom of God one baby step at a time. I hope we can all learn to see and respond with the heart of Jesus.

One strong indication that we are going in the right direction is that your attitude changes about your bank balance and all the stuff you think you need. At some point you will smile and even laugh about the things you used to believe.