A Chasm Between Us

Pr. Jasmine Waring

September 25, 2022

This past Thursday marked the beginning of the Fall season, which means Christmas is right around the corner! I know it’s too hot outside to think of Christmas, but when I was reading today’s assigned Gospel this week, I kept on being reminded of Ebenezer Scrooge from The Muppet Christmas Carol (the only correct interpretation of this novel). The theme of Rich Men and lovers of money (like Scrooge) are prevalent in the Gospels. There is the parable of the rich fool, who hoards his wealth by creating even bigger barns to store it all, only to die the next day without being able to use it. There is the Rich Young Ruler, who asked how to enter the Kingdom of God, to which Jesus replied, “Sell all of your possessions, give them to the poor, and follow me.” Last week we read about a shrewd manager who redistributed his master’s wealth, which got some of the money-loving audience members upset with Jesus. The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is not different, however, it is unique from the other stories because it is told in the form of an apocalyptic parable, much like A Christmas Carol. Apocalyptic literature, as we know, is not predicting the end of the world. Quite the contrary, it is the disruption of a new beginning. It means to unveil or reveal something. Like peeling back the rug we’ve swept stuff under. Apocalyptic stories are intended to be dramatic, shocking, and exaggerated. They are cautionary tales that show us where we need to change. Interpreting these stories can be confusing, even for biblical scholars. I find it helpful to ask questions and follow my curiosity. Not to find the right answer, but to use it as a mirror to help me see what I need to change. I hope these questions can help you when you encounter a text in your own devotional time (which I’m sure you spend hours at the crack of dawn doing every day). The first question is, who is this God we are a witness to? Next, what is the Kingdom of God like? Finally, what is the Gospel? Who is this God we are a witness to in our text today? Because this story is so dramatic and exaggerated, it is obvious this God is unmistakably and clearly has a preferential bias towards the poor and marginalized. God knows his name, and sees his suffering. In a world where riches were (and still are) perceived to be a sign of God’s blessing, God carried Lazarus away by angels when he died. Probably because he died alone in the streets without a proper funeral, unlike the Rich Man. Lazarus is comforted in the bosom of Abraham, the patriarch of the faith. We also witness a just God, who protects Lazarus from being exploited when the Rich Man was trying to order Lazarus around, even in the afterlife. We are a witness to a good God, even if this story makes us uncomfortable. What is the Kingdom of God like in this story? The Kingdom of God is a world within-a-world where we can experience the reality God intends for us. We experience liberation and abundance in this reality, and we also experience the upside-down and backwards economy of God. Instead of thinking of this parable as a before and after story, or cause and effect relationship between this life and the afterlife, what if these two realities ran parallel to each other simultaneously. In this life, Lazarus experienced unimaginable suffering. At the same time, in the Kingdom of God, he is being elevated and comforted in the bosom of Abraham. In this life, the Rich man lived a lavished lifestyle. At the same time, in the Kingdom of God, he is begging for help. This is what Jesus was talking about in his sermon on the plain when he said, “Blessed are the poor, for they will receive the Kingdom of God.” This is what mother Mary proclaimed in the Magnificat when she said, “He fills the hungry and send to full away empty.” In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the three ghosts of Christmas. They reveal to him how his greed and withholding attitude bankrupt his soul and affected all of his relationships. It is not until he wakes up Christmas morning, and realized he still had time to make things right with the people in his world. In this moment of grace, he is able to give generously and find joy again. When we are in the midst of suffering, we can tap into the comfort and grace of God through prayer, worship, the sacraments, and in beloved community. When we hoard our wealth and willfully neglect our responsibility to love our neighbor, we are also harming ourselves. When we believe that we are separate, and not interdependent with each other, God, and the Earth, we begin to suffer. Separation ultimately leads to suffering. We create a chasm between us and the people we love, with God, with our coworkers and with strangers. If we do not make a change that chasm will become fixed at the end of your life, and you will not be able to reconcile with the people you affected. This is why Jesus prayed earnestly that we would be one, as he and the Creator are one. What then, is the good news? Just like when Scrooge woke up and realized he had more time, so do we! The Gospel of this text is we still have time to make things right! The truth is, most of us live somewhere in the middle of the Rich Man and Lazarus. We are neither living in poverty nor living in luxury. Sometimes we are begging at the door for bread and healing, other times we are living lavishly, and we forget to be generous with our abundance. What we really ought to pay attention to are the siblings of the Rich Man in this story. The Rich Man begs Abraham and Lazarus to warn his siblings about this chasm, and how he had failed to love his neighbor so that they may be saved. Jacob Marley is not coming to warn you this time! Even if he did, Abraham said that we wouldn’t believe him. Abraham says that his siblings have all that they need to avoid his fate. They have the Law and the prophets to guide them. Not only do we also have the Law and the prophets in Scripture, but we also have Jesus Christ, the embodiment of the Law and prophets. Who is the Word and wisdom of God wrapped in flesh. We have the grace of Christ that empowers us to do good works, recognizing that we are all one in Christ. That whatever is done to the least of these, you have done to Christ who lives in you. So instead of hoarding our wealth, property, knowledge, and presence in people’s lives, we begin to give them generously and invest in Kingdom treasures that Paul names for Timothy: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. This is what it means to be rich in the Kingdom of God. Who is this God we are a witness to? What is the Kingdom of God like? What is the Gospel? May the God we are a witness to comfort, correct, and carry you when you need it. May you become aware of the chasms you create, and may you have the grace of Christ to close the gap. May you be rich in righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. And May we be one, as Christ, the Creator, and the Holy Spirit are one. Amen.