INTRODUCTION to the Scripture:
Today’s Scripture reading is one of the parables--or stories-- that Jesus told. His point in telling parables was to get people to question the status quo and consider how God might be calling them to change their thinking and behavior. Let us listen for God’s Spirit, which is still speaking through these words...
Scripture: Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Here ends the reading. May God bless our hearing--and acting--on these words.
INTRODUCTION to Sermon:
Rather than preaching a traditional sermon this morning, I’ve decided to follow the tradition of Jesus and the prophets, and tell a story. The gospel reading for today is the parable entitled “The Rich man and Lazarus,” and the story I’m telling today is based on that. I tried to imagine what part of that story might look like in the context of our day and age and culture. I changed many details, of course, but I tried to stay true to the sense of the parable, basing my musings on the details of the original text. For instance, the detail of the rich man wearing “purple and fine linen” implied that he was a high ranking government official or member of the royal family, because in Jesus’ day and age, the Romans had laws determining who could wear purple and exactly how much purple they could wear! (New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. IX, p. 316) So, in this modern-day-retelling of the parable, I have imagined the rich man to be a member of the government. More importantly, however, I have tried to maintain the purpose of a parable, which is to draw those who “have ears to hear” into the story, inviting us to imagine ourselves as one of the characters and to ask ourselves, how would God want me to respond if I were in their shoes?
Sermon: “The Rich Man and Lazarus”
The steel gray Mercedes Benz Luxury Sedan pulled up in front of the wrought iron security gate and came to a stop. Senator Smith, dressed impeccably in an Armani suit, was in the back seat of the car. He was busy checking stocks on his smartphone, when his chauffeur interrupted, “Um, Senator? I think we may have a problem.”
“Richard, can’t you see I’m right in the middle of something? What is it?” Senator Smith did not like to be interrupted.
“There’s a man in front of the gate, sir, and he doesn’t look well,” his chauffeur replied.
Senator Smith leaned forward and craned his neck to see past his chauffeur to the man lying in front of the gate on the crushed shell driveway that led up to the Senator’s mansion on the hill. The man was dressed in faded blue jeans with grass stains on his knees and an old cotton T-Shirt with a logo that looked a bit familiar to the Senator, but he couldn’t quite place it. The man’s eyes were closed, and his gaunt arms and legs were splayed out in front of him. The man was barefoot and had sores on his feet, face, and arms. He reminded Senator Smith of an AIDS patient he’d seen once on a trip to Africa. Not a pretty site. The Senator turned his head away and settled back against the smooth leather car seat. He closed his eyes and tried to get the picture of the man out of his head.
“Call security and have them take care of it,” Senator Smith directed his chauffeur. “I don’t want to be late for dinner. Mrs. Smith has hired a new chef, and he’s serving Filet Mignon tonight with a braised onion sauce. I don’t want to miss it.”
“I’m happy call to security, Sir,” the chauffeur replied, “but I’m afraid we’re stuck here for the moment. The gate is not going to open with the man in front of it like that. And, um, do you want me to get out and at least make sure he’s still alive?”
Senator Smith let out an exasperated sigh, “No, stay where you are. I’ll take care of it.” He pressed a button on the door panel and the back window went down a few inches. Senator Smith yelled out, “Excuse me. Excuse me! I’m not sure who you are or what you want, but you are trespassing on private property, and I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
The man opened his eyes and propped himself up to a sitting position, his back against the gate. He spoke in a clear but weak voice. “Senator Smith, as one of your constituents, may I please have a moment of your time?”
Senator Smith was momentarily taken aback by how articulate and polite the man seemed, but he quickly recovered his composure and responded like the consummate politician that he was, “Well, yes, certainly, you may have a moment of my time, but you’ll have to call my office and make an appointment like everyone else.”
“I’ve already tried that,” the man said, “but it seems you are too busy to see someone like me.”
“I am busy,” the Senator said, “but if you give me your name and number, I’ll ask my secretary Connie to schedule you in at the beginning of next week.”
“Next week, I may not still be around.” The man rubbed one of the sore spots on his arm and continued, “I lost my job when I got sick, and I have no health insurance. My wife generally works two jobs, but they were both part-time, and she lost one in the Covid crisis. We haven’t been able to pay our full rent since last April, and we can’t even afford to feed the kids properly. My wife and I often skip meals so we have more to give to them—
“Look,” Senator Smith interrupted, and he lowered the car window another few inches, “I am sorry about your predicament, truly I am. I voted to pass the Affordable Care Act and I’m doing what I can to pass another stimulus bill, but there is gridlock in Washington right now, and there is only so much I can do.” The Senator sat up straighter and continued as if he were addressing a television audience, “But I promise you, I will continue to fight for the rights of hardworking Americans—“
“Excuse me.” It was the man’s turn to interrupt. “I know your voting record, Senator, and I appreciate that you do what you can for people like me, but I was hoping for help that was a little more immediate. Can you spare something from your own table, Mr. Smith? Even a basket of bread would be nice. Plus, if you’ve got it, $157 would cover our electric bill for this month.”
For the first time in his life, Senator Smith was speechless. He’d seen his share of panhandlers in the city, of course, but no one had ever asked him, personally, by name, to help cover their daily living expenses. He was tempted to help the man, but what if the press got wind of it and word got out? Everyone and their brother would be showing up at his gate looking for a handout. Plus, was this man really his responsibility? The Senator already represented him in Washington, wasn’t that enough? The Senator thought to himself, “Doesn’t this man have anyone else in his own family he could ask to lend a hand?”
As he was pondering a response, suddenly Senator Smith heard a shriek of glee coming from behind the gate. His 7 year old daughter and their golden retriever were running down the driveway toward the car. “Daddy, you’re home!”
Senator Smith jumped out of the car and put his hands up in a stop position. “Stop right there, sweetheart, Daddy will be with you in a minute.” He did not want his daughter to see the sick man sprawled in the driveway. He was afraid she would be traumatized. The little girl stopped, but the dog kept coming and squeezed through a spot in the hedge next to the gatepost. Tail wagging a mile a minute, the dog immediately ran over to the man and gently and tenderly began licking the sores on his feet.
“Luke, stop that,” Senator Smith commanded the dog, but the dog didn’t listen.
“What’s Luke doing, Daddy?” the little girl wanted to know. She advanced toward the gate, despite her father’s command.
“I said, ‘Stop right there!’” Senator Smith barked. But the little girl had already reached the gate, which was still closed so she could not get through. She wrapped her hands around one of the decorative, wrought-iron scrolls and poked her little head through the lattice work. She looked down on the man--and smiled with surprise.
“Lazarus, is that you?” The little girl asked.
“You know this man?” Senator Smith was astonished.
“Duh, Daddy,” she sounded exasperated. “Of course I know him. He’s mowed our lawn every week since I was in kindergarten, but I haven’t seen him lately. Is he coming to dinner?”
For the second time in one day, Senator Smith didn’t know what to say.
“Well, is he, Daddy? Is he coming to dinner? Aren’t you going to let him in? Aren’t you going to let him in?
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt
Interim Pastor
Franklin Federated Church
Franklin, MA
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(Earlier versions of this sermon were written/edited by Marlayna and preached on 9/30/07 and 9/29/13)