There once was a young lad. His
name was Duncan Hines. He was not connected to the baking company. But his name was an interesting
coincidence, because he was a very well fed young man who always, always, came
to school totting a large, shiny, lunch box, full of very good food. His
sandwiches were the biggest tastiest in the whole school, and the desserts were
simply incredible. There was another boy, in the same grade and the same class.
His name was Larry. Larry wasn’t as fortunate as Duncan. He lived across the
other side of town— from what you might call the wrong side of the tracks. It
was actually a bit surprising to some of the parents of the solidly middle
class school which he attended that the likes of Larry didn’t attend the other
school on the other side of the hill. But as it so happened, Larry’s apartment
block fell into the catchment area.
He and his sister were raised by foster parents, who weren’t exactly attentive
to their needs. Larry would be dropped at school early—too early for an eleven
year old. The school was locked, so he would hang around the front gate. Unlike
Duncan, Larry didn’t come to school with a sumptuous box lunch. It would be the
bare minimal, at best. But one thing he could count on was the fact that his
classmate, Duncan, would be dutifully dropped off by a luxurious mini-van in
front of the school. And Duncan
could count on passing by Larry on his way onto the school grounds through the
gate.
Duncan
never had much to do with larry. Duncan had a solid circle of friends, and
tended not to move much outside of it. But Duncan knew that Larry was poor—as
did the kids who made fun of him. But Duncan knew better. He knew that it was
wrong to make fun of Larry. But he also knew that when he saw Larry in the
morning, that this skinny kid probably didn’t have enough to eat. He expressed
this concern to his parents. But they reassured him that Larry’s parents were
probably on welfare and that he would be looked after. With his conscience eased by those
words, Duncan never once opened his lunch box to offer Larry anything. In fact,
he did his best to ignore Larry—as he did for their remaining time together in
that elementary school and junior high.
Not
surprisingly, the lives of these two boys moved in quite different directions. Duncan
became quite a successful businessman, and the last Duncan had heard, Larry became embroiled in drugs and petty crime. But the fact is that Duncan never
really thought too much about Larry and his plight. That is until one day
during a rugby match. Duncan twisted his ankle, and was admitted to the
emergency room. Lying on his back on his bed in a curtained cubicle he waited
for the attending physician. Then, through the curtains, the physician
appeared. It took him a second or two to make the recognition. It was him: it
was Larry. The recognition was mutual. Larry greeted Duncan cheerfully, and
acted as if the two had been best friends in school. But Duncan was not feeling
cheerful, was not joyful about the reunion. For his heart was struck with the sudden
shocking memory of those lunches. As they left, it was Larry who made the offer
that the two get together for lunch sometime. Duncan smiled, and hobbled off.
He never contacted, or ever spoke to Larry for the rest of his life.
Like
today’s gospel lesson, this fictional story of Duncan and Larry is the tale of
a divide, a story of a vast separation between a rich person and a poor person.
The
story, or parable as some scholars call, of Lazarus and the Rich Man, was well
known among the ancient rabies. Some look upon it as a story about the
afterlife. But it’s fundamental thrust and purpose concerns what contemporary
people call “economic justice”. It is a story which has stood the test of
time—a story as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago. Yes it was
told in a vastly different time and place, and a very different culture. But
one thing that the ancient world and the present have in common are rich people
and poor people, and the great chasm which exists between them. Generations before Christ came into the
world as a human being, the prophet Amos, who we read, today condemned the greedy and self satisfying rich—and their lack of
compassion for the poor.
There
was a great divide between the rich and poor then, during the time Christ
walked the earth as a man, and there is a great divide now. And if ever a
society needed to be awakened to the reality of its own idolatry, it is this
one. For money is treated as a god, and is worshiped as one. And this idolatry, or idol ownership,
creates a vast separation between the worshippers of this false god, and the
heart of the true God—the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who informed the prophets, and came into the
world as Jesus Christ. That is the thrust of the story. At first reading, we
might think that the Jesus condemns the rich, and describes the fate of the
rich in the afterlife. But this is not the case. This is not a condemnation of
the rich man for being rich, but a condemnation of his idolatry—the worship of a false god. Our
Lord tells us clearly that where are hearts are, there shall our treasure be.
And if our hearts are fixed on money and possessions, they cannot be fixed on
the true God, who, through Abraham
made a great promise to all humanity, which filled through Jesus Christ. As our
Lord said at the end of last weeks lesson, God and Money cannot be served at
the same time. Either one or the other will occupy our attention. Either one or
the other will be the object of worship.
It was the rich man’s idolatry which created the great chasm we hear
about in the story. It is true, the rich man never did anything wrong to poor
old Lazarus as he lay at the gate. He never kicked him or shouted at him. Yes,
he never did anything wrong to him. But he never did anything right to him
either.
By not
giving, not sharing, not only was he not attending to the physical needs of
Lazarus, but also shutting down the opportunity for relationship, closing off
the possibility of connection with another human being. By keeping closed his
lunch box, Duncan kept closed the possibility of friendship with Jason. To the
rich man, Lazarus wasn’t even really a human being. Even in Hades, the rich man
does not see that Lazarus is a beloved and precious child of God. He only sees
someone who will do his bidding and be his servant. “ Send Lazarus to cool my
tongue”, “Send Lazarus to my father’s house.” The gulf is fixed as the rich man’s heart is fixed. He has
dug it himself, and in the depth of his heart would prefer that it be there.
But that
gulf is an ever and increasingly present reality in today’s world. I have a
friend who is studying to be an
Anglican Priest. He went on internship to the Philippines and was by shaken by
what he saw. The gulf between rich and poor was startling. This was
particularly impressed upon him one day when he came upon a series of giant
houses, mansions located nearby a local garbage dump and shanty-town. Here on
the one hand were people sitting in luxury while others sifted through the
garbage in hopes of the next meal. Such disparity cannot be describes as
anything other than evil. As the Apostle Paul tells us today, “The Love of
Money is the root of all kinds of evil”.
Throughout
the gospel narratives, Jesus condemns the worship of money and material goods.
Some have interpreted this to mean that Jesus is an enemy of the rich, and
champion of the poor. But this is incorrect. Jesus is an enemy of idolatry, and
all things that separate people from the loving heart of His Father. At the
same time, Jesus is a champion of the poor,
and the rich, because the mission of Jesus is to bring all people together—to
draw all people into one body. In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul
advises how to minister to the materially wealthy. Specifically, Paul advises
that the rich be reminded not to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches.
How much heartbreak and pain could be avoided if people did not set their hopes
on riches? We have seen were this false hope leads. Perhaps there is no better
example than the financial crises that struck the United States and sent
shockwaves around the world. Pual
reminds Timothy that riches are not god, and not to be worshipped as such. Materially
wealthy Christians are also to be reminded of this spiritual fact. They are
instead encouraged to good, be rich in good works, ready to share. This is the path of the life that
really is life. And the life that really is life is life in community, in one
body.
But who are all of these rich Christians? Certain
individuals may come to mind—people you may know, people you may have heard of.
But we need to be reminded of that divide that exists between rich and poor is
ever widening. And by world standards, your average Canadian, is, by global
standards, rich. “Not me?” Some might protest. Well, do you eat three meals a
day? Do you have comfortable shelter? Do you drive a car? Steady employment? Go
on vacation? If so, you’re rich. You’re rich and you have resources to share
with those who are poor. It’s just
that simple.
As a
community in Christ we are called to share with those who are near and afar.
Today is Canadian Lutheran World Relief Sunday. And I would strongly encourage
you to become informed about this agency's work, and to get involved. This
congregation has already been quite involved. In two instances a cry for help
was sent around the world—one from Haiti, another from Pakistan. And this
congregation has responded by making generous contributions to Canadian
Lutheran World Relief.
The work of
CLWR began after the Second world war, when Canadian Lutherans made it their
mission to send relief in the form of food, blankets, clothing, and bedding to
European refugees. And that work has continued. But CLWR doesn’t simply throw
money at a problem. Its guiding philosophy is one of accompaniment and
sharing—both resources and knowledge, to help communities along the path of
sustainable development and lives of justice, peace, and dignity. This is international work is based on
relationship—as is the work of local urban missions, Lutheran Urban Mission,
Vancouver, and Surrey Urban Mission. And the work continues steadily, and not just during times of
acute crisis.
In two
weeks, Canadians across the country will be celebrating thanksgiving.
Christians are called to a life of constant thanksgiving to the God who has
delivered them from death into life—the life that really is life. But such a
life is a life in community, and it is a life of sharing and generosity. To be
truly thankful is to share what God has first given us, and to do so joyfully.
Now may the peace which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus. Amen.
