Most of the text for Sept. 30, 2007 sermon:
Today we are being called to be countercultural. We are called to be different, to live differently, to love differently, to listen to Heaven’s voice and pursue a life of character-our riches are to be riches of character-godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance and gentleness.
The rich man in our Gospel lesson figures out too late that there are other things besides riches that he should have been stocking up on. He recognizes too late that he needed others-He needs Lazarus now. He had ignored Lazarus. Lazarus had almost literally been underfoot and the rich man probably stepped right around him or over him or maybe even stepped on him in his effort to share his riches with his other rich friends and to amass his riches for himself. Where were his five brothers in all of this? Had he been sharing with them?
There had been many chances to share even a bit of what he had with Lazarus and the rich man had chosen to keep it all to himself. Are we like that? Do we have opportunities-our own Lazarus’s right under our own feet, outside our own doors, outside our church doors, inside our communities? Have we looked at our Lazarus and then listened for God to speak to us? To tell us how to serve? Do we have five brothers we need to think about right now? Have we thought about whom those five brothers are that we can’t leave outside because at some point it might be too late?
God is calling us to do it differently. We need to think about “our five brothers”, those people we want to help-to make sure they learn the lessons, hear the Gospel, see the Gospel, have God’s mercy and grace shown to them.
We are being called by Paul in the 1 Timothy lesson to not pursue riches but to pursue the higher calling. We can do so much right now within our Christian community. Paul calls us to “do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, and ready to share.” Riches doesn’t necessarily mean money or things. Riches can be those gifts that God has given us. Talents, gifts, abilities, skills, past events and opportunities that have helped to shape us, change us, lead us to look at life, people, see everything in a different way. One of the best ways to share is through our gifts and talents. What happens when we hold tight to what riches God has given us? What happens when we don’t share those”? Does it matter at all?
We need to work at equipping each other to share our riches, to help people to open their eyes to Lazarus sitting outside the door. I love the United Methodist church because it is a denomination, a church, that truly believes in living out one’s faith. Our Social Principles, our Book of Resolutions, both texts that describe ways we can live out a life of justice and care
Our denomination has a General Board of Global Ministries, supplying missioners in so many forms-from lifelong career missioners to opportunities for each of us to be in mission to our local church, conference, and country and world through our missional giving or through mission trips, volunteer in mission opportunities for various levels of commitment.
We cannot just expect people to see the Lazarus’s and do something about it. As a church we can’t just assume those who are part of our community see and hear the poor in our area or in the world. I am a youth ministries director and so I am biased on this next point. Christian Education is so important to each individual and to a church’s congregation and its growth and vitality. Studies have shown that a church’s youth and children’ ministry is only as good and strong as its adult ministry. We need to be providing opportunities to grow spiritually. I love looking at your bulletins and seeing all the opportunities available to you for learning and growing. I certainly hope many of you are part of these. Of course, Christian Education isn’t the final step. Once we have begun learning and growing, we need to make that faith, that growth, alive and vital, put it into practice. Our Christian life is one of practice. This is where we identify our five brothers and make sure they have been ministered to before we no longer can do so.
Today we are called to open our eyes, to open our ears, to open our mouths, to open our hands, our hearts, and our doors. Are we ready to do that?
Today we are being called to be countercultural. We are called to be different, to live differently, to love differently, to listen to Heaven’s voice and pursue a life of character-our riches are to be riches of character-godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance and gentleness.
The rich man in our Gospel lesson figures out too late that there are other things besides riches that he should have been stocking up on. He recognizes too late that he needed others-He needs Lazarus now. He had ignored Lazarus. Lazarus had almost literally been underfoot and the rich man probably stepped right around him or over him or maybe even stepped on him in his effort to share his riches with his other rich friends and to amass his riches for himself. Where were his five brothers in all of this? Had he been sharing with them?
There had been many chances to share even a bit of what he had with Lazarus and the rich man had chosen to keep it all to himself. Are we like that? Do we have opportunities-our own Lazarus’s right under our own feet, outside our own doors, outside our church doors, inside our communities? Have we looked at our Lazarus and then listened for God to speak to us? To tell us how to serve? Do we have five brothers we need to think about right now? Have we thought about whom those five brothers are that we can’t leave outside because at some point it might be too late?
God is calling us to do it differently. We need to think about “our five brothers”, those people we want to help-to make sure they learn the lessons, hear the Gospel, see the Gospel, have God’s mercy and grace shown to them.
We are being called by Paul in the 1 Timothy lesson to not pursue riches but to pursue the higher calling. We can do so much right now within our Christian community. Paul calls us to “do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, and ready to share.” Riches doesn’t necessarily mean money or things. Riches can be those gifts that God has given us. Talents, gifts, abilities, skills, past events and opportunities that have helped to shape us, change us, lead us to look at life, people, see everything in a different way. One of the best ways to share is through our gifts and talents. What happens when we hold tight to what riches God has given us? What happens when we don’t share those”? Does it matter at all?
We need to work at equipping each other to share our riches, to help people to open their eyes to Lazarus sitting outside the door. I love the United Methodist church because it is a denomination, a church, that truly believes in living out one’s faith. Our Social Principles, our Book of Resolutions, both texts that describe ways we can live out a life of justice and care
Our denomination has a General Board of Global Ministries, supplying missioners in so many forms-from lifelong career missioners to opportunities for each of us to be in mission to our local church, conference, and country and world through our missional giving or through mission trips, volunteer in mission opportunities for various levels of commitment.
We cannot just expect people to see the Lazarus’s and do something about it. As a church we can’t just assume those who are part of our community see and hear the poor in our area or in the world. I am a youth ministries director and so I am biased on this next point. Christian Education is so important to each individual and to a church’s congregation and its growth and vitality. Studies have shown that a church’s youth and children’ ministry is only as good and strong as its adult ministry. We need to be providing opportunities to grow spiritually. I love looking at your bulletins and seeing all the opportunities available to you for learning and growing. I certainly hope many of you are part of these. Of course, Christian Education isn’t the final step. Once we have begun learning and growing, we need to make that faith, that growth, alive and vital, put it into practice. Our Christian life is one of practice. This is where we identify our five brothers and make sure they have been ministered to before we no longer can do so.
Today we are called to open our eyes, to open our ears, to open our mouths, to open our hands, our hearts, and our doors. Are we ready to do that?
posted by Leslie | 1:59 PM
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