What Would Make You Change?
Tony E Hansen
Reflection based upon Luke 16:19-30
Opening prayer
When I was getting ready to do some work and paint rooms in the house, I had bought all the paint I needed plus supplies. I thought this would be a great chance for bonding time for friends because I was going to do a whole house makeover. Plus, I could use some help and company.
I messaged my friends and told them about the project and that I would have plenty of beverages and eats.
Oh the excuses that came back… turns out that only one dared to come and help. Otherwise, it was a big goose egg.
In the story of Lazarus and the rich man is a story of opposites - both in life and in the afterlife.
This is a common theme in life (not just in scripture ) : those who have and those who do not.
It is a common refrain from Luke to warn us of contentment with wealth and to warn us of actual danger of ignoring people right at our doorsteps.
Too often, we distract ourselves with things, eats or colorful clothing but do nothing for those we meet or in our reach - those who could use a little empathy or compassion or plain decency.
Sorry folks, that is not ok. It’s not ok to hide behind walls of ignorance and letting the dogs show compassion for us. We let our walls hide ugly truths that are all too convenient to avoid. We are too buried in our screens to care.
In our contentment, we gather things…hoarding them in piles. Then, We throw away food and things. We throw away with ease.
In Luke, we are reminded that inaction to help those in need is a haunting sin that can and will earn torment….. if we persist in our folly.
Yes inaction to extend God’s love forgiveness and compassion on this earth can earn you a ticket to Hades and fire. Why ?
What is the greatest commandment? To love God AND to love our neighbors- even the ones who struggle, are poor, injured, sick or incarcerated- even those who were just being who they are and looking for a better life for themselves and their families.
Like other commentators, I was drawn to the question that is posed by the end of this parable.
In the end of the parable, the script flips for Lazarus and the no name rich man in the afterlife. The no name guy is looking up and pleading for another chance. Interestingly if not for himself then he does think about his brothers.
However the no name man now is told no. For he and the brothers have chances in life to heed to message and warnings, there is no chance to change that afterward.
No Jacob Marley here, no ghosts of Christmas visits.
The lessons we have been given and are given are for us to embrace and embody today. The lessons are clear to love God over wealth AND to love our neighbors as ourselves, tend to them, feed them, teach them, and be with them, especially in their hour of need.
The question for us is what, who or rather why do we hold back?
What is holding our faith and compassion hostage? Who prevents us from extending grace to neighbors? I have to work and tend my yard. If parents want to argue, I have to take care of my children. Even folks who are taking care of their parents, I would submit get them to walk with you and teach them how to love so that you both extend grace. Be an example and lead them. Besides why put the excuse on your children if doing the right thing is necessary?
Yes why are we holding back? What would it take? If someone came back from the dead to warn you or to show you options, would that change the perception or would they be reduced to nonsense, hogwash and phooey. I mean ghosts and talking dead are not real anyway right?.
Is that what you say about Jesus?
Is that what you say about the scriptures every Sunday?
Read and repeat some phrase you heard, but it stays in the book, in the pews, in the church halls… Or is there something more to this?
Do we just go through the motions so we can go on through the rest of our busy lives? More of that work? For what?
… In order that we can be miserable paying bills, being slaves to social media, forgetting we even have neighbors or succumbing to the next fab craze so we can buy more useless stuff that does nothing but collect dust… this what we live for ?
Again what would it take to change all of that?
What authority do you really have to deny the commandments of our Creator and Savior? What excuse do you have to deny people justice when the government or people promote gun violence and systemic injustice ? Why do you continue to ignore climate change rather than preparing and adapting? What excuse do you have to be blind to the structural failures of corporate power to provide compassion and grace when they fire employees just before eligibility to take pensions? What excuse do you have to allow government agents to tear apart families? What excuse do you have for taking food out babies’ mouths so that privileged folks can live large off the backs of middle class people while rotting out said middle class?
The large ugly law passed in July shoves burdens and concerns onto the poor, the youth and generations yet to come while savoring all that gluttony today, especially for the wealthy..
Inaction is as complicit and guilty as is voting for fools that condone these.
This isn’t asking help to paint a house or tape up borders around rooms and trim? This isn’t just a couple hours of work because there is much more at stake than casual deference to sore arms and physical work.
This is reminding us to transform US, our souls, our attitudes and our eyes to see and witness. For us to do that which God calls us to do.
Carter Heyward writes that if we discover the house has structural problems, we don’t just go around changing wallpaper and rearranging furniture. We have to address the actual issues, perhaps dig deeply into the foundations. To our question, some of the what’s and whys are due to systemic structural problems in society - a broken world??
Yet if we decide to simply ignore them in vain (they are vain) hopes that they may magically rectify themselves, we have created even bigger fiction to go along with our deception. We are living examples of inaction and rejection of actual truth.
We therefore have an obligation to ourselves, to God, to our neighbors to be more than nothing. We are not to keep pushing the blame around like barges of trash for other places…we are not to keep pushing blame onto scapegoats and more hysteria. That is more excuse making.
People, we need to change - not into bad ideas and facade of years past, but change into God’s workers here on Earth.
We are to meet the issues with the urgency deserved… to see them, to call them out and to change them.
Yet that does not happen if we don’t do the necessary- something more intimate, more personal, and more powerful.
That change requires us to look into the mirrors of our souls when we see injustice, when we see oppression, a person hungry, or when we see bigotry. Move to action.
We cannot continue to turn a blind eye and expect to be rewarded like dogs waiting for scraps. Assuredly if we do that, we will have what we deserve.
For God knows there is so much more we can and should do.
So I ask you, what will it take for you?
Thanks be to God
