christian life

That They May Be One, As We Are One (Sermon June 1, 2014)

Scripture: John 17:1-11

Have you ever really taken the time to think about why we have churches? I ask this in honesty because we live in a time and place where we could get spiritual guidance just about anywhere. We can cruise around town listening to nonstop sermons if we wanted to, or we can turn on the TV and watch uplifting programming at any time of the day. We can log onto our computers read or stream the latest spiritual encouragement from our favorite authors or speakers from the comfort of our home. Yet still we have churches. We live in an era where the Gospel can be spread quickly through various electronic devices yet still we have churches. Would it be more economical to simply shut down all these buildings and just give simple encouragement to those around us?

This is a very serious question, and one that we really must consider because the answer to this question could affect the very future of what we know as church. It may very well change what we perceive as being holy. But before you begin to think that I am saying something I am not, I want us to consider what church means. There is a difference between church and ministry even though they are very much connected. What is church?

The short answer is that the church is an assembly. It is a gathering of people for various purposes, more specifically the church is an assembly of people gathered together to promote and encourage one another into a deeper relationship with God. The church is a gathering but the activity of the church is ministry. When a church closes the reason is because they no longer provide ministry. They no longer promote and encourage people into a deeper relationship with God. That is a very sad and serious thing. But it is something to consider. This meetinghouse is not the church, our financial standing is not the effectiveness of the church; these are only tools that the church can use to promote various ministries to encourage people to deepen their relationships with God. But is the gathering of people important?

Today we celebrate the Ascension of Christ. This is a very important event because without this singular event what we know as church never would have happened. Our Friend Michael Jay wrote recently on his blog, “Reading Acts, I realize that Christ’s physical presence was in a real way a block to the followers of Christ. As long as there was a physical Lord who could be a physical King of the Jews, and physically raise up an army to remove the Romans from Judea, they were not going to understand anything about the kingdom that was not of this world.” The ascension of Jesus is important because it forces those that became disciples to either live the reality out or move on to something else. Michael Jay goes as far as saying that the Ascension is the birth of the church not Pentecost.

I agree with Michael. As long as there is a physical form to direct the attention those disciples of Jesus do not have to take up the ministry themselves and the church would not have ministry. So this time between the ascension which was celebrated on Thursday and Pentecost, which is next Sunday is somewhat a time of unknown, a time when we are left in shock and have yet to find our voice. It is a critical time, a time that we either thrive or are still born. It is like the moments just after a baby is born and when you hear the first cry, we are sitting in nervous anticipation until that moment.

In today’s passage, though it is not directly related to the actual ascension of Jesus but is instead part of the prayer that Jesus gave just prior to his crucifixion, we hear Jesus speak words that are preparing us for this time of uncertainty. In this prayer he also give us some indication as to what the role of the church actually is. This is one of the few times in the Gospels we actually hear words that Jesus spoke when he withdrew to those isolated and desolate places to pray. He begins, “Father, the hour has come…” This phrase is intriguing because it is pregnant with meaning. It is filled with the anticipation of the beginning of something totally different then before. He continues, “Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you…” To glorify is to attribute a high status or rank or to speak the praises of something. What Jesus is implying is that the time has come for the climatic event for him to occur so that something different can emerge.

There is a sense of progression in this passage, as if a mantle or a relay baton is being passed from one to the other. Jesus came to the world for a specific reason for a specific purpose and that is nearly complete. “I glorified you…” Jesus says, “on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” What exactly is this work that Jesus had come to earth to do?

Many of us have been trained to believe that the work of Jesus was to die, but that is an oversimplification of the work that Jesus came to do. If all Jesus had to do were die then why would he have spent so many years on earth? The work that Jesus came to do was the work of restoration. Jesus said, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world.” By speaking this statement Jesus is saying that a portion of his work was to inform mankind of the character of God, or to restore the reputation of God that had been distorted over the years. When reading scripture at times we can consider God to be a vengeful wrathful being out to destroy those that oppose him. The righteous then sought to rid the world of all sinfulness so that they could appease this violent deity. Jesus presented a different message. Instead of a God of violence Jesus presents a God of mercy, instead of wrath we see grace. Jesus came to restore the reputation of God, to being the God that would walk with Adam and Eve in the cool evenings in the Garden, the God that even though our first parents turned from Him provided them with clothing. The other portion of Jesus’ work was to bring eternal life. “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Eternal life. That is the main focus of so many in the church. We believe that our mission is to save the lost so that they can live forever with God, and if they reject Him they will spend eternity apart from God. The term eternal is much deeper though; it is an unlimited duration from the beginning of all time and beyond. We often miss the proceeding era of time when we consider eternal and focus mainly on the future. Eternal life is life not only without end but life connected to the very creation of time. It is connection our lives with that that is everlasting, connecting us to all of creation and all of time. Yes, it is connecting us to the environment as well as progress, and knowing that does nothing for us because we do not have any way of fully understanding that connection, it is beyond our finite minds that are bound in the dimension of time that only travels in on direction. But Jesus tells us that eternal life is knowing God.

Knowing God is not just having knowledge of God, it is having intimacy with God. Again this form of knowledge is not just wisdom but relational knowledge of deep intimacy. Intimacy is being fully exposed, totally vulnerable, and unashamed. Our culture does not do very well with intimacy, because we do not like being vulnerable and we like to wield shame like broadsword. Shame or disappointment is a sign of a lack of intimacy; it is a reaction we get when we fail to have empathy. We are ashamed when we bring disappointment to another but when we shame others we are putting ourselves above someone else and using them to meet our selfish desires. Intimacy or being unashamed means that there is total equality and mutual effort in satisfying the needs of others. This is the work of Jesus. Jesus came to earth so that we could have intimacy with God. This brings us to sin, which is anything that would hamper intimacy with God, or something that would alter the equal and mutual effort in bringing satisfaction to the relationship.

For eternal life to be established Jesus must first provide a means to bring balance back to the relationship, and for balance to be restored there must be a dual effort, because being fully exposed, totally vulnerable and unashamed means that truth must be established. That is why Jesus’ full life is so important, not just His death. He came to restore God’s reputation through his teaching and ministry, and also to restore intimacy through his selfless sacrifice. He brought God to mankind and lifts up mankind to God; Jesus is the greatest matchmaker of the universe.

So Jesus is praying just before the moment of his glorification and he says, “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.” The word Finish is also very important. Finish in this translation could also mean: make perfect, make genuine, complete or accomplish, succeed fully, or even initiate, make happen or attain. So in many ways Jesus not only finished the work but he initiates it, giving the sense that this work of restoring intimacy with God, was set in motion by Jesus. That through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension the path, process, or course was set but there is more yet to do. This is why the church is still and will always be important. This is why the gathering of the disciples is necessary. Because we are not just waiting for time to end but we are to be active participant in eternal life. Jesus set the course and then He prays to the Father, “…protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

So that they may be one… What is the church? What is the future of the church? We are the ones that are to continue down the path that Jesus has set before us, we are the ones to continue the process and to encourage each other along that course that Jesus initiated. Jesus brought God down to mankind and set the course for us to be lifted up to God. He made it possible for a restoration of intimacy with God, but intimacy is a two way street. We each are unique individuals with different preferences and desires; we all have different ideas and passions. Our culture recognizes that and questions this concept of one way to intimacy with God through Jesus because of this. They question this one way because often we like the ancient religious leaders throughout history have made interpretations about God that may or may not be true. We have tried to systematically understand and confine God so that we can easily control the relationship, only to find out that at times we in the attempt of righteousness, close doors of intimacy with God to others, as we demand conformity instead of intimacy. So that they may be one, does not mean we must all be the same, but that we exist and belong to the whole. We live connected to the eternal now and ever more. The church is involved in this process not to bring in shame, which is the opposite of intimacy, but to encourage deeper intimacy. We are called to walk along side others like Jesus walked with his disciples, accepting people where they are at that moment and then encouraging them to take a step closer to God. One step at a time, so that they like us can belong and find a place with God. This does not always look the same for all people. Some have different preferences in their expression of intimacy than others, some require music while others do not, some prefer the deepness of hymns while others like the passion of praise choruses, some desire art while others need simplicity in the worship space. As a church we should recognize that there are differences in the expressions and preferences of intimacy with God and celebrate those differences, letting our desires known while yielding also to the desires of others. But in all things honoring each other as being loved by God and encouraging each other do deepen that relationship.

Jesus finished the work the Father had for him. He was with the father before the world existed and has returned. He came to restore the reputation and intimacy between God and mankind. He brings God to us and set up and initiated the means for mankind to restore their relationship with God. This is through the Church, which was birthed the day that Jesus ascended into heaven. The church will always be needed, there will always be a need for the interpersonal connection between unique personalities because through that interaction we develop the intimacy of eternal life, which includes all creatures for all times. How those gathering happen and how they look is a totally different story because it changes with cultures and times. Some gatherings will rise and some will close according to the willingness they have in participating in this ongoing ministry that Jesus began. The ministry of Loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit, and Living the Love of Christ with others, through worship, prayer and service.

As we move into this time of open worship or centering prayer together let us meditate on this prayer of Jesus. Let us reflect on the work that He finished and initiated, let us consider the totality of eternal life, and let us be one as Jesus and the Father are one.

Believe (Sermon May 18, 2014)

Scripture: John 14:1-14

How many of us have been asked a question such as this: “If you could talk to any one in the world from any period of time, whom would you want to talk to?” It is a wonderful what if question, as most what if questions are. What if that happened instead of this? The problem with the, “what if,” question is that you can speculate all you want but it will never change. There would be countless people that I would want to speak with. There are theologians that I would like to talk to just to understand how or why they have come to their conclusions when the extent of church history prior to them looked at things totally different. I would love to talk to the disciples, to hear of their experiences, I would love to talk with Jesus face to face. I would like even like to have a conversation with people that are presently living, the president, maybe even the pope. One answer to that question that I bet most of us have not given is to talk with our future great grandchildren, because it would be very interesting to know how the choices I have made today affects them in the future. The problem is that I cannot travel through space and time, and I do not know anyone famous, so it is highly unlikely that I will have an opportunity to speak to anyone like that, but there is a way to get to know someone that we do not have personal access to. I can get to know the saints of history by reading accounts of their lives or reading their writings. I can listen to their stories through the mouths of their descendants or even their students. There are biographies, interviews, speeches, scholars and many other avenues where we can begin to develop an understanding of who or what people are about. With all the books and interviews an issue remains, without personal contact with an individual can we really know who they are, or are we only seeing them through the eyes of someone else.

If you were to read a couple of biographies of a famous historical figure you would quickly find that the image of the person created by the author reflects what they want us to know about that particular person. The authors have a slant; they are interpreting the person’s life through their own eyes.

In today’s reading of scripture Jesus is speaking to the disciples just prior to His trial and execution. He is telling them how terrible things will be in the near future, that even His most outspoken supporter will deny that he even knows Him three times before the dawning of the next day. But He urges them to stay strong. Not to let their hearts be troubled.

If I were just told that I was going to be an absolute failure it would be very difficult for me to not be worried about the near future. If I were going to take a job and as I was beginning the training the boss were to tell me you are going mess up completely how could be excited about my future security?

But Jesus does not just leave them hanging. He reminds them that they believe in God. They know the history of their people and how God had taken them up out of Egypt, how He had given them the promised land, and how even after they had turned away from Him, He had brought them back to the land. They believed in God. They knew that God was their God. In a short little statement Jesus is reminding them that Israel failed God, and that they too will fall short, but that they should continue to believe. “You have and still believe that God did and does mighty works,” Jesus is telling them, “believe also in Me.”

As I have studied this passage over the past week this first verse really stuck with me. This is really the entire gospel wrapped up in one verse, because what do we know about God? Like all personalities everything we know about God or think we know about God has been transmitted to us through a cultural context, and through the interpretations of people throughout history. It is often difficult to admit that maybe our understanding of faith may not be exactly correct. But in this one verse Jesus has basically summed up the entire Gospel. If you believe in God, believe in Jesus too.

This is a bold statement really. We may not understand just how bold this statement is because we are reading it after 2000 years of interpretation through people totally devoted to Jesus, but on that particular day in that moment, to most people of Israel Jesus was not seen as God, but as a prophet. I am not saying that the 2000 years of interpretation is erroneous, I am only saying that because of the progression through history and the continuous study and practice of faith we can sometimes forget that a statement such as this was very risky. In that culture you did not even say the name of God because mankind was not worthy of it. If one were to speak that name they were seen as using His name in vain, and being sinful. But Jesus was not only speaking of God in a very relational sense, but also saying that He was equal.

You believe in God, believe also in Me. What do we know about God? For thousands of years the Jewish people have believed in God. They have an understanding of God, how He responds to humanity and what is required of mankind to find favor with God. Jesus through his ministry challenges this understanding of God in many ways. If we were to just read the Sermon on the Mount we see challenge after challenge. Jesus would say, “You have heard it said…” fill in the blank, “but I say…” What he was getting at is that after thousands of years of study and practice even the chosen race still knew very little about God. To be honest how could they understand God? How is it possible to build an understanding of a being that is so beyond our comprehension? So they would study, they would examine the books of law and history of their people, they would come to conclusions, and they would develop around those conclusions a practical lifestyle of righteousness. They believed in God, but did they know God?

This is the very definition of Theology, or the study of God. It is a constant study, examination, and formation of theories about God. But depending on the information we begin the study with we can come out with a concept of God that could be completely wrong. In many ways theology is a dry pursuit, it is as if we are looking at scripture like it were a frog in biology class. Many of us have pretty much the same response, we are afraid to touch it, so we simply accept the word of others and assume they have done things correctly. But at least in biology we can see what it is we are studying. When it comes to theology we have just the abstract. So it is very easy to get tied up in areas, bogged down and stuck into thinking in certain ways. We see God as judge, creator, king, and it becomes very difficult to see God as something outside our ways of thinking.

This is where the various reformations of faith have occurred. Someone challenged the traditional understandings of God and after much debate and persecution we moved forward and gained a different perspective on God. Jesus was the beginning of a reformation of the Jewish faith, but it went far beyond just a simple reformation.

Jesus says, “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen him.” To know God we must look at the revelations God has given us. Jesus is the most complete revelation of God to humanity. Jesus came down from heaven to be born of Mary, he lived among us to teach and show us what life with God truly was. Throughout the Gospels Jesus continuously challenges the traditional understanding of God and shows us something more complete. If you see Jesus you see God. Jesus is the Word of God; Jesus is the Light of God. These concepts are very important; if we move away from these we skew our understanding of God. We again get focused on one aspect and make a claim about God that may not be complete. And we can begin to move away from God.

The prophets of the Old Testament warned Israel of these things. Often the faithful would get so wrapped up in certain concepts, mainly the law, that they forgot something else, like mercy. Or maybe they focused so much on mercy and grace that they forgot that God is a jealous God. What Jesus did is he showed us life with God. A balanced perfect life with God, the perfect balance between worship, prayer, and service. If we want to know God we should first look at Jesus.

This changes things up for the faithful. What do we see Jesus doing and teaching in the gospels? How does Jesus respond in situations? How do we respond? Even when Jesus is telling the disciples they are going to fail he does not let them dwell there. Yes, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but God is saying do not let your hearts be troubled…Believe.

This concept of belief is one that is very deep. It moves beyond just thinking or having knowledge that something is true and goes into trust, and then it moves from trust to entrust. To believe is not just in the head, but it is in the heart. It then flows out of the heart and spills over to others. I bring up those three concepts because they are very important. Faith begins with an acknowledgement in our minds, I believe because I see. Then there is one step more to the idea, “I will believe even if I do not see,” this is trust. The concept of entrust is a bit more difficult. To entrust is to let go of control and allow something that is important to us be controlled by someone else. When we place money in a bank or invest it in a market of some sort, we are entrusting our money, our wealth to someone else. This third step of belief or faith is the area that we have trouble, because it is here that we risk losing ourselves completely.

This concept of entrusting completely is what moves Christianity away from other religions, even away from the Jewish faith. Anyone can have belief in the knowledge part of faith. Universities are filled with knowledge, and they release out into the world people with knowledge. But there can be professors of faith that have not moved beyond knowledge. With trust we have to start walking, our knowledge begins to have action with it. With trust we begin to see things like discipline, if you pray you will have an answer. If you do certain rituals you will find favor. This is where most religions stop, because this is where we as humans still have control in faith. But entrust is a concept that many rarely see. To entrust, one must have knowledge and discipline but they also have to release and risk. Peter had knowledge; he had followed Jesus for three years and listened to the teachings. He had trust, he followed Jesus wherever he went, he participated in the disciplines that Jesus taught, and he even went out to minister in Jesus’ name. But when the time came to risk, Peter, the rock, would deny Jesus three times in one night. Peter, the rock, could not yet entrust his life in Jesus. Jesus said to him and the others, “do not let your heart be troubled…believe.” He is saying start it over, go back to knowledge, go back to the disciplines, and then take that step again to entrust. It is a cycle, every day we must not only believe with our mind, and trust that God will provide, but also entrust every aspect of our lives in Jesus. And when we fail Jesus says to us believe.

But what exactly do we believe in? There are countless theologies out there. Many of us believe that there are basically two major camps of theology, but that is a gross under estimation. Each of these theologies fail in some way, because every theory of theology is at best man’s attempts to explain God. Many begin with creation and then try to systematically explain everything else. Some may being with humanity, others science, some philosophy. But where is Christ? Jesus must be in the center of theology because it is in him that we see the Father. It is through Jesus that we can see the loving God even when the plagues are hitting Egypt. It is through Jesus that we can understand the Acts of the Apostles. It is through Jesus that we can begin to understand our own humanity and how we should react to those around us that have a different understanding of life. Jesus is central. It is Jesus that brought God to mankind, it is Jesus that lifts mankind to God, it is through Jesus that the Spirit of God flows and it is in Jesus that we can entrust our lives to the Spirit of God today. It is Jesus, in whom the Old Testament was fulfilled and Jesus our future is held. The Christian life is well beyond religion, because it is entrusting our life and our hope in something we have little or now control, it is giving all we have mind, body and spirit to Jesus. It is placing our entire life into the hands of Jesus with the hope that we will have a dwelling with God.

As we enter into a time of open worship, and communion with God I encourage each of us to consider just where we stand on that spectrum of belief. I also want us to ask ourselves a “what if” question, what if we were to fully entrust our meeting, and our lives and the lives of those around us into the hands of Jesus.

The Blessed and Cursed (Sermon September 29, 2013)

Scripture: Luke 6:19-31

There are days when I really wish there were not rules. Like when the road is totally clear of all traffic and yet I am required to drive at a regulated speed. Then there are silly things at work, they are called guidelines or best practices, that require certain things out of me that must be recorded, many of which actually seem to slow me down. But generally these regulations and best practices are put into place by organizations to provide for the general welfare of that organization. The thing about many of these guidelines, rules, and laws is that you can break them countless times without hurting a single person, but then one day in a moment something happens and suddenly the guidelines seem to make total sense. For me the seemingly open road was suddenly filled with numerous deer. The speed limit is in place not because the government wants to be jerks and keep us from making it to places on time, but because as speeds increase there is a greater chance we will not be able to avoid accidents.

It is often hard for us as individuals to accept many of the rules we have in our society. At times we wish to throw off the regulations entirely but because we have grown accustom to that safety we forgot why it is certain things were originally put in place. I mention the chafing of regulations today because immediately when reading this passage of scripture our minds are directed into areas of judgment. I do not desire to speak on areas such as these because I frankly find that focusing on judgment tends to have an opposite effect on people than what is intended, the same effect that the regulation on speed has on the many drivers on the roads.

We meet today two men. One is rich and the other is poor. At first glance we may see that Jesus is condemning wealth and honoring poverty, which is an interpretation that can be made in this passage. But if we were to just stop there I believe we would miss the point. There is a reason Jesus so often honors the poor, not because the lack of means is a great place to find one’s self in, but because there is a perspective that can be seen through the eyes of the poor that is rarely seen by those of means. That perspective is need.

The poor are often in need. At any given moment they could lose the roof over their head, their forms of transportation, or the ability to eat. This perspective of need prompts us to seek relief. This is something that people of means rarely have to face. And when we do not need, our perspective can be skewed. We have two extremes in the conditions of the people in this parable of Jesus’, comfort and discomfort.

The first person that we meet is the rich man. This man is dressed in purple and fine linen, and he feasts every day. I want us to really consider what Jesus is saying about this man. Not only is he a wealthy individual but an individual that has so much wealth he must come up with ways to spend the money he has. Dyed fabrics in the ancient world were things of luxury. If you owned a garment that was dyed it would probably be something worn only for the most special of occasions. Now with that being said, dyed fabrics were not uncommon. The color of the dye is what sets one apart from the masses. It would be common to have natural colors in clothing because often dyes were made from natural occurring minerals or plants that would stain the fabrics. It is fairly easy to obtain an orange tint to fabrics by letting it soak in an iron rich soil solution. The problem with these is that the color fades. The rich and dark blues and purples are very special. We can get a blue with indigo the dye that is commonly found from a plant. Indigo was an expensive dye, but that is not the purple or blue that Jesus is referring to in this passage. It is one of a more sacred and rich variety. It is a royal or Tyrian purple. This dye is so special because of where it is found. It comes from a mucus membrane in a specific species of sea snail. People would dive into the see to gather the snails, they then would have to remove the membrane and then mix it in the dye solution. It was very labor intensive and thus expensive. It is prized because as the sun hits the dye it does not fade away like the dyes derived from plants, but instead gets richer and brighter. This was a type of dye that was used to make the stripes on the Hebrew prayer shawls and other ritualistic garments. So cloth of this variety was used to distinguish the separation of the sacred and the secular, the righteous from the sinner. To have a robe made entirely of this rich dyed fabric is making a profound statement, usually such wealth as this was reserved only for royalty or the royal courts, or in the case of the Hebrew people the Priestly class.

I mention this to establish something that this rich man was most likely a profoundly religious man, because of the cloth used to clothe his body, and because Jesus is speaking this parable to Pharisees. Jesus does not stop with the clothing, but he then speaks about the man’s diet. Jesus says that this man had luxurious feasts daily. The term feast implies that there was some sort of celebration. Scripture records several types of feasts, wedding feast and several holy feasts like that of Passover or the feast tabernacles. The first century people did not feast often; most could not even afford meat to eat regularly so a feast was a scared and holy thing. Luxurious meals were often attached to sacrifices offered in worship both among the gentile cultures as well as in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. Again Jesus is inferring to the crowd that this man was a religious man one that the community would see as being blessed by God.

Then the second man we meet is Lazarus, a poor man. This man longed to be able to eat the crumbs left around the table but instead he sits at the gate covered in sores. This man was so badly cared for that only the dogs came by to bring cleansing to the wounds, which is not exactly a balm of comfort.

Let us imagine the two men for a bit. One a religious leader wearing sacred cloth and eating celebratory meats of worship daily, and the second a wounded and broken man. They both die seemingly on the same day. Lazarus is carried by the angels to be with Abraham, and the rich man is buried and tormented in Hades. Wait the rich and righteous man goes to hell? That is what Jesus says. Yet the poor man is whisked away by angels to the Bosom of Abraham.

Blessed are the Poor because they will be comforted, woe to the rich for you have already been comforted.

This passage is one that is difficult to speak on, because it can judge each of us in some way. I believe that through it Jesus is teaching the discipline of simplicity and contentment, as well as ministry and blessing. It speaks of lavish displays of righteousness and a heart that is void of light. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth, but woe to the laughing now for they will weep and mourn.

The poor man Lazarus was content in his place. I see this because he allowed the dogs to minister to him as he sat at the gate. He knew that there was no other help around, he could have tried to scare the dogs away but he let them come and offer whatever comfort and companionship they could offer. Yet the rich man was not ever satisfied, daily he had to feast. Contentment is often a misunderstood term. Often it is seen as lacking ambition and at times fatalistic, those that are content have no desire to move beyond their current state and just stop where they are. But I challenge that because Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, that he is content in whatever state his is in, he has not given up but he has adjusted his life to be satisfied with little so that he can be a blessing to others. If he is well off he praises God because he has more to share, if he is poor he is satisfied because he has enough and praises God still. The poor man is content, sure he longs for food, but in his need he becomes a blessing to the dogs. The rich man in all his wealth has a poor man needing assistance sitting at his door yet in all his righteousness is not moved to offer him a morsel.

Woe to the rich, for they have already received their comfort. Behind the Kingdom of God, Jesus speaks more often about wealth and money as he taught through Israel. Eleven out of the Thirty-nine parables are about money and on average one in seven verses in the Gospel of Luke is about money in some form. This should tell us something about the subject, money is a tool that can consume us or can be used to bless others. But in most of those cases there is a central theme, God does not care about how much money we have but how we are using it.

In Luke the Gospel where Jesus is recorded as speaking the most about wealth Jesus encourages the wealthy members of society to use what they have to bless those that have little. He encourages them to give them jobs, and to provide assistance to those that cannot work. He told the rich young ruler to sell all he has and give it to the poor. He is calling us all to readjust our lives to live on less, so that we can be in a better position to help more. Only when we are released from the bondage of currency can we be free to serve God. James the brother of Jesus said that that is the true purpose of religion.

The rich man of the story is consumed in himself, rich foods rich clothing. This is a prophecy against the consumption aspects of our culture; every aspect of our economy is based on consuming goods and services. Rich or poor we consume. Every facet of our culture is consumed by greed, envy, and selfishness in some form or another. CEO’s want more profits, labor wants more wages, and assistance programs want more to offer. We think we need and some of us might actually be in need, but overall the issue is that we are not content. We can never be content when we are focused on consumption.

Which is why we need to rediscover the discipline of simplicity that the Society of Friends was known for. True simplicity is not cheap; cheap is an imposter to simplicity. Simplicity is to use wisdom where cheap is to cheat. Simple is sacrifice for the good of others where cheap is to sacrifice for the good of self. Cheap is consumption where simplicity is blessing. We cannot follow Jesus and have our lives based on consumption because in the kingdom of God the relationship with others and being a blessing to others is more important than our own pleasures and status.

Both of the men in the story die and one is comforted and the other is tormented. The rich man looks across into the distance and cries out for mercy yet there is no comfort. He cries yet there is a chasm of separation that cannot be crossed. He then pleads that Lazarus would go back and warn his brothers, and Abraham says to the man that if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets than even someone returning from the grave would not convince them.

It is a sad story, a story of judgment and condemnation, but also one of hope. It is one of hope because there is one that has returned from the grave that has bridged that chasm of separation, and can bring comfort. Repent for the kingdom of God is near is the gospel, the good news brought by the one that brings hope. Repent or turn. The Kingdom of God is the most often mentioned thing by Jesus. The Kingdom of God is not like the kingdoms of mankind because the kingdom of God is based on different things. Jesus is not a king in the same sense as the leaders of our world. He is not a tyrant because tyrants consume, but instead he lifts his subjects into his glory. His inheritance is shared with all of those who call on his name, and turn from a lifestyle devoted to worldly consumption and realigning themselves with the things valued by God.

What does God value? God values us. He created us in his image, he set us above all of creation, and he created us to walk in the cool of the evenings with him. God values the relationship, and we honor the things valued by God when we use all that we have been given to bring blessing to those valued by God. Rich or poor, in want or in plenty we honor God by being content with what we have and striving to be greater blessings to the world around us as we proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to bridge that gap separating us from the comfort of God. And we can live today in His kingdom when we turn and begin to use our minds, bodies, souls, and strength to build and honor the lives of those around us. When we use the talents and gifts of the Spirit to bring honor and glory to the things God values, and when we lay the chains of currency at his feet.

Today as we enter this time of open worship, I ask what kind of people are we and which side of the chasm do we dwell? Will we be a people of blessing or of comfort?