Did You Listen to the Prophets?

September 25, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois

Luke 16:19-31[1]

Most of us have it pretty good. We have food to eat, clean water, clothing, shelter, and a loving family. Many of us have much more. I don’t consider myself rich, not in comparison to many of the people in communities I drive through on my bus routes. Yet, I have a three-bedroom home, a decent car, a smartphone, cable TV, and I get to take vacations and travel. I may not feast sumptuously every day, but I don’t go hungry either.

According to the World Bank,[2] global extreme poverty has declined slightly between 2018 and 2019. Over the last 25 years, more than a billion people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty, and the global poverty rate is now lower than it has ever been. Fewer people are living in extreme poverty around the world, but the decline in poverty rates has slowed. Access to good schools, health care, electricity, safe water, and other critical services remains elusive for many people. In September 2022, the number of people living on less than $2.15 a day was 674 million. More people live a life like Lazarus than live in all of the United States, Canada, and Mexico combined.

In this parable, Jesus is once again taking on the Pharisees. Luke sets this parable just after Jesus says “’You cannot serve God and wealth.’ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him.”[3] The Pharisees are meant to see themselves as the rich man in the parable, and the message is clear: your riches cannot save you.

The story is full of contrasts. There is the world of the haves and the have-nots, the world of the rich and the poor, the world of the comforted and the afflicted. There is the rich man with no name, and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man is covered in purple and fine linen, while Lazarus is covered in sores. The rich man feasts while the poor man starves.

The divisions between wealth and poverty are mean to evoke a strong reaction. Perhaps Jesus, in his travels, has witnessed this very scene. Struck by the contrast, Jesus exposed through this story that the Pharisees loved their money more than people, their possessions more than the poor, their clothes more than compassion, and their extravagant feasts more than sharing food with the hungry.

The economic divisions of our time are a source of tension too. Income disparity is not new, but it has become much more pronounced in the past 30 years. Those who live in the top income bracket cannot imagine what life is like for those in the bottom half. The rich man in the parable may have never noticed Lazarus before, and now, in agony, still sees him as only a servant. The rich man, still unable to bridge the gap, does not even address Lazarus directly, asking Abraham to send him with water.

In the parable, the reversal comes as both of our characters die. Lazarus is carried away by the angels to be comforted in the bosom of Abraham, while the rich man is buried and receives agony in Hades. A great chasm divides them, just as it did in life, except this time “those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.”[4] And now the moral of the story becomes clear: if you do not cross the chasm between rich and poor in this life, you won’t be able to cross back in the next. You who received the good things in life have received your share. In the next life it is those like Lazarus who will be comforted.

But wait! If you won’t help me, at least help my family. Send Lazarus to warn them! Maybe they will listen and be saved from this torment. And Abraham, perhaps sadly, replies that they have been warned. “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.”[5] You, and all of them, have been given the message. If you heed the message, you’ll find yourselves on the other side of the chasm that cannot be crossed.

It is not too late. Not for us. We can still reach across the divide between rich and poor. When we come to the end and we are asked “Did you listen to the prophets?” we might yet be able to answer Yes! This parable, and many like it, are part of the sustained message of the prophets, that the time to do right is now. The time for justice is now. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor. He spoke out against the inequities of his day with stern warnings for the wealthy and powerful. Will we listen, even if one should rise from the dead?

Perhaps, like me, you don’t see yourself as rich. We long for the scraps from the tables of wealth. But this parable is about us. If we only seek to move up, to enrich ourselves, and to find our comforts, then we may find ourselves on the other side of the chasm. We must also look down. We must notice the homeless poor on our streets. We must see the hungry people longing for a simple, healthy meal. We must notice when Lazarus is laying at our gates. We must act to bring comfort and compassion. We must cross the divides in this life, because it may be too late in the next.  Amen.

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[1] The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

[2] https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/september-2022-global-poverty-update-world-bank-2017-ppps-and-new-data-india.

[3] Luke 16:13-14.

[4] Luke 16:26.

[5] Luke 16:29.

The Dishonest Manager

September 18, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois

Luke 16:1-13[1]

What a strange parable. Jesus tells us a story about a crook, a dishonest manager, and in the end seems to recommend the shrewd behavior of the crook. Jesus has used some unsavory characters in parables before – the Prodigal Son who leaves home and spends all of his inheritance, a crooked judge, landowners who exploit their laborers. But here the boss praises the manager for being dishonest. Weird. Even Luke, who wrote this account seems to try several times to explain it away.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of unsavory people in the Bible that seem to be loved by God. Cain, who murdered his brother, is protected by God (Genesis 4:15). Jacob cheated his brother Esau out of his inheritance (Genesis 25:31-34), and yet he was later renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28). David, the King, made sure Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, was killed in battle (2 Samuel 11:15), yet we know David as the ideal king. There are many stories of dishonest people who God loves anyway. Perhaps we get stuck on some of these stories because we don’t think they’re about us.

I think of myself as a good person. When I think about that story in Matthew 25 about the separating of the sheep and the goats, I’m putting myself in the category of sheep every time. I have a mental list, and you might too, where I categorize good people and bad people. Hitler-bad, Mother Teresa-good. Jefferson Davis-bad, Abraham Lincoln-good. There are different degrees of badness and goodness, but always, I am on the good list. Except, I shouldn’t be.

I am not always a good person. I have done and said things that were hurtful to others. I am trying to do better, but I’m not perfect. I am both good and evil, as Martin Luther, the protestant reformer, said, we are at the same time righteous and sinners. I belong on both lists, and maybe the best I can do is try to lean mostly to one side.

Now this dishonest manager knows he’s been caught. He’s probably going to be fired. He’s likely been skimming from the rich man’s profits, adding a little on top of the bills he’s been writing. The manager is not going to turn to digging or begging for a living, but maybe he can find a clever way out. So, he calls in the debtors one-by-one and reduces their bill. Pretty slick. He makes some friends so that when he gets fired, he’ll have somewhere to go. Smart guy. We kind of admire him. He’s bucking the system, and if we look at it, it’s an immoral system to begin with.

The laws that are recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy – they all renounce charging interest, especially to fellow Jews. But there are ways around the laws, right? We won’t call it interest. I’ll loan you fifty jugs of olive oil, but in the contract, I’ll say you owe me seventy. The boss gets back what is owed, maybe a little more, and I get my cut. It’s the price of doing business. Everyone is doing it, so it can’t be that bad. That’s how the system works.

We expect the parable to have some reversal, some way of setting the system right. We expect a lesson in morality. Then the master commends the dishonest manager, and wait, what just happened? The master knows the manager is a crook, but that’s fine, he’s a shrewd crook. And in that society, just as in ours, good business sometimes means getting away with it. Increasing shareholder value is the primary goal, after all; we’re in this to make money, right?

The thing is, the way in which this dishonest yet shrewd manager handled the situation resulted in a positive outcome. For what might be the first time, the manager put people ahead of profit. His motives may be self-serving, but he makes some friends. The manager turns out to be faithful to what really matters, relationships. In this moment, the manager has been faithful with the dishonest wealth, and begins to build a portfolio of true riches.

Profits are the name of the game in our world today. Corporations downsize to increase profits at the expense of sending workers off to unemployment. Cheaper labor is found overseas. CEO’s who make the stocks go up are celebrated, even when the workers strike for better pay. In this parable, however, we get a glimpse of someone in the middle of the dishonest system make a turn for the better. Even though the crook gets praised, we see that what he’s done is good. People have been helped, relationships have been strengthened, and friends have won out over profits.

We aren’t always good. Sometimes we find ourselves on the bad side of the list. But when we put people first over profits, when we lean toward the good, we are faithful to the idea of a better way, a better world. Every little bit of good counts, and even dishonest people have a part to play in the story told by God.  Amen.

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[1] The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Lost Ones

September 11, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois

Luke 15:1-7[1]

The crowds press in, coming near to listen. Tax collectors, sinners, all manner of people have come to hear the teacher. Outsiders, those with a bad reputation, people who don’t really belong anywhere are coming near to the disciples, the Pharisees, and the scribes. The community, the group of insiders, begins to mumble: “Who invited them? What are they doing here? Does he not know who these people are? Look, he welcomes sinners and eats with them!”

Jesus, hearing the grumbling, tells a story. He talks about the nature of God and God’s kin-dom, using terms they can understand. The shepherd, caring for the flock, seeks out a lost one. The shepherd values each sheep; they are the source of income after all. The shepherd is responsible for their health and safety, and must account for every one of them. What is of great value to you, and what would it be like to lose it?

God is like the shepherd who values each sheep in the flock. The flock is incomplete without every sheep. When one goes missing, God goes searching. It is the nature of God to love, and love searches tirelessly for the lost loved one. God is the one who will search long and far, clear a path through the thicket to pull you out, reach down into the hold you have dug for yourself in order to lift you up. And God searches not only to save, but also to return the lost to the community.

There is a difference between saving and restoring. Religious insiders are often more comfortable with saving the lost than welcoming into the community those whom they perceive to be lost. Saving is about power, restoring is about intimacy. Saving is focused on the individual, the lost sheep. Restoring is focused on the community, the flock which welcomes the lost one.

Jesus also presents them with the nature of the one who is lost. The lost one has wandered, losing its way, getting more and more fearful and isolated. The lost sheep could bleat out in distress, but doesn’t out of fear. Instead, it will hide from predators, alone in the wild. It is too risky to cry for help. There is safety in hiding the fact that you are lost and alone, vulnerable. Besides, who can undo the mistakes that have been done? Who can walk back in time making different choices?

The grumbling scribes and Pharisees judge Jesus by the company he keeps. This fellow who welcomes sinners and eats with them must be himself a sinner. The sinners and tax collectors see things differently. Jesus understands what it means to be lost and alone, isolated, empty, and unable to return. Jesus doesn’t turn away from the sinners, but toward them, seeking them out like lost sheep in order to make a place for them, to restore their relationship to the community.

In restoring the lost, the community becomes whole again, the flock is no longer ninety-nine and one, but one hundred. Sinners and tax collectors join the Pharisees and scribes at the table? Rejoice and be glad! They have been forgiven and now sit in the presence of the Lord. The sheep that has wandered away, lost in the wild, trapped in the thickets, is returned safe and sound. Be glad and celebrate!

We may think of ourselves as the lost one, the wanderer who needs God to seek us out. Rest in the assurance that God will search for you, far and wide, even at great cost. Even if you are too afraid to cry out, the shepherd will search until you are found.

We may think of ourselves as the flock, safe in our community, yet fearful of outsiders. Remember, the community is not whole when some are lost, excluded, or unwelcome. The shepherd left the ninety-nine in the wilderness to search for the lost one. God cannot forget even the least member of the family who has gone missing. Our community will not be whole until all are included and none are lost.

We may think of ourselves as the shepherd. We know that there are lost ones out there. Are we compelled to seek them out, to restore them to the community? Will we search diligently and not give up until the flock is whole again? And will we rejoice over even one sinner who repents and is reunited with the family of God?

There is one last thought I want to leave with you. It is the anniversary of 9/11. I want you to remember that there are hijackers out there, though I’m not talking about the kind that crash airplanes. There are people out there who want to hijack the truth and replace it with fear and lies. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing who want to hijack your faith, and cause you to hate your neighbor, to suspect people who are different from you, to treat others with anger, hatred, and violence. But true discipleship means loving others as they are, not how you want them to be. True discipleship means trusting God, even when everything is going wrong. True discipleship means loving our neighbor, even if they are an enemy. True discipleship means that wherever we go, our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, will lead us, will search for us when we are lost, and will rejoice in each one who is restored to community.  Amen.

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[1] The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

The Cost of Discipleship

September 4, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois

Philemon 1:1-21; Luke 14:25-33[1]

It might be a little hard to follow, but in Paul’s letter to Philemon Paul is asking him to free a slave. Onesimus has been helping Paul while he is in prison, and has become a follower of Jesus. Paul sends him home and asks his former master to accept him as a brother, no longer a slave but an equal. He writes, “welcome him as you would welcome me.”[2] This is not necessarily a huge loss for Philemon; after all, Paul suggests that Onesimus had been “useless”[3] before. But still, a change in that relationship, and one that Philemon may find hard to accept. There is a cost to discipleship, and it is not always easy to bear.

It is a dangerous thing to be a Christian, and sometimes I wonder why we are all so keen to make sure that our children become Christians. Sure, we want them to be kind to others, give of their time and money to those in need, grow close to God. We don’t want them to end up hung on a cross, though. The thing is, following Jesus is a commitment. Being a disciple means that we cannot be shallow or uncommitted believers. Jesus points this out with some pretty strong language in this passage. To become a disciple takes total dedication, and that means careful reflection and decision making. It cannot be done on impulse, because Lord knows that this road may lead to the cross.[4]

I was baptized. I was confirmed by my church. I even went to seminary and got ordained into the ministry. Did I really sit down and estimate the cost? Did I consider what I might have to give up in order to become a disciple of Jesus? What have I gotten myself into?

Alright, alright. Let’s pick apart that first line about hating your family. We can love more than one person at a time. Each of us has enough love to go around for our parents, our brothers and sisters, our children, our girlfriends and boyfriends, our spouses, and even ourselves. But sometimes we get out of balance. A father becomes ill and dependent on his son, who must now sacrifice attention and resources that would ordinarily go to his wife and child. A mother with three children finds her time and energy consumed by the needs of a child with a disability; what belongs to the other two has been nearly used up. Conflicts of loyalty can be heartrending. [5]

It is not only family members who compete for our affection and attention. We love our friends, our school, our church, the flag, the Lord. Usually, we can keep our obligations in balance, but sometimes our competing interests come into conflict. Should I go to sleep so I can sing in the church choir in the morning, or should I stay up talking with a friend who lost her dear grandmother to a heart-attack? Should I stand up for my gay friend knowing I’ll probably get bullied too? Jesus wants to prepare us for a life of making hard choices.

Discipleship goes a step further than being a responsible human being. Jesus tells us that we need to take this business seriously. Now, I read something in the Covenant section of the Constitution of St. John’s that tells me people here have thought carefully about living as Christians: “We agree one with another to seek and respond to the Word and the will of God and to walk together in the ways of the Lord, made known and to be known to us.” [6] Responding to the Word and will of God, and doing so together, are important qualities for a Christian community.

Standing up for what is right in the face of what is wrong is not easy. It’s a risky thing to do what is right, rather than what is cool. People might laugh at you, or worse, people might get mad at you for pointing out that what they’re doing is wrong. Loving your neighbor, caring more for the well-being of others than for yourself is not the message we receive from our culture. You’re not going to be a star on America’s Got Talent if you’re concerned with those on whom the spotlight never shines.

At the same time, in all its seriousness, discipleship is a process. It takes time to learn to live as a disciple, and there will be both false starts and modest successes, as we grow in our faith and journey into the fullness of that holiness that resides in each of us. [7]

It helps to know that somebody out there knows you, knows what is going on with you, and cares. It helps to know that somebody out there is praying for you. That is what we have the church for, and that is part of the reason we are here together today.

There is a pastor named Kenneth Samuel who wrote that “Our culture is in grave danger of losing the value of shared experiences and shared expressions.” [8] iPods, smart phones, TVs, and PCs that capture our attention and limit our view of the rest of the world keep us constrained within the walls of our self-interested pursuits. The incredible array of choices we have for news and entertainment mean that we lack a common reference. I don’t watch America’s Got Talent, or Game of Thrones, so I have no idea what people are talking about half the time.

Common Core standards in schools have tried to address some of the need for common references and basic knowledge that everyone should have. But for everything that is put in, something is left out. Rev. Samuel suggests that “The lack of comprehensive standards in education means that, as a nation of people, we share very little in terms of common references.” He goes on to name some of those references: the experiences of Huckleberry Finn along the Mississippi River, or the hypocrisy revealed in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the abolitionist epic of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin or the dimensions of African American life described by James Baldwin in Go Tell It on the Mountain. “Our sense of shared values,” he says, “is in serious jeopardy.”

He goes on to say that “Much of our technology has been used to build a global network of isolated individuals.” He makes some suggestions of how to counter this trend toward isolation. Why not take off the headphones and just spend a few days talking and listening to the special people in our lives?  Or how about buying copies of the same book for a group of friends and planning to read and discuss it together?  Why not watch the same movie with your family followed by dinner at the same table while you engage in shared discussion?  Or… maybe we could all go to church together and share a common experience with God.

There is something special going on here today. There are people gathered together in this place to connect with one another the old-fashioned way – face to face. Every Sunday, when you see other people here in church, you know that they are not working at their jobs, they are not playing soccer, they are not sleeping in – they took the time and have done the work to be here, because they care about the church and they care about their faith. It is our job to make sure that each of us looks for and points out the light of Christ shining in each other, to help one another discover the strength, the goodness, and the hope we have, and the power that God has to breathe life into all we do.

Together we nurture the intimate relationship we have with God in Christ and discover that obedience to God is not blind or easy. It is a process in which we grow in our ability to ask the tough questions about life and living, not only of God but also of ourselves. [9] Part of our work here at St. John’s is to develop critical thinking and learning skills, so that blind faith and half-hearted discipleship are replaced with the power to repair broken lives, restore broken families, and revitalize broken communities.

We can’t spoon-feed a lukewarm faith to each other. If we really want to be Christians, we must stoke the fires of the Holy Spirit, prepare for the road to Calvary, and walk together as we take up the cause of God’s Kingdom of justice and peace. We cannot do it alone, but as a united church, as the one body of Christ, there is a chance that we can make a real difference in the world.

God bless you. Amen.

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[1] The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

[2] Philemon 1:17.

[3] Philemon 1:11.

[4] Emilie M. Townes, Theological Perspective on Luke 14:25-33 in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C, Volume 4, David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, General Editors (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), p. 44.

[5] Ronald P. Byars, Homiletical Perspective on Luke 14:25-33 in Feasting, p. 45.

[6] Section 4: Covenant in Saint John’s United Church of Christ, Union IL, Constitution (Revised 2/18/2018).

[7] Townes, p. 46.

[8] Kenneth M. Samuel, “A Shared Witness” from http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/a-shared-witness.html.

[9] Townes, p. 48.