Poor man, Lazarus!

There he was, lying at the front door of the house at 335 Chuniloti Way – or maybe it was Tommotley Drive – or possibly somewhere over on one of those bird streets at Rarity Bay. I can’t remember exactly the address, but I do recall the situation – poor ol’ Lazarus was lying in a heap outside the door of one of us who is better off in life than he.

The original Greek actually says that Lazarus was “thrown up” against the gate – perhaps by a gang that beat him – or maybe by his family that had enough of his whining – or maybe by the power of an addiction - or maybe by the church down the street that was sick and tired of giving him a hand-out – or perhaps just by life’s unfortunate troubles.

He was thrown against the gate – covered with ulcers – hungry – and unnoticed by the rest of the world including the rich man who lived inside the house. Every day when the man left the house, he would have had to hurdle the poor man’s crumpled body, and he no doubt found it easier to just look the other way and ignore ol’ Lazarus than stop to help – sort of like we do when we see that “Will Work for Food” guy at the ramp off the Interstate.

Luke tells us the only compassion, the only attention Lazarus got was from the neighborhood dogs that came and licked his sores. Dogs really are man’s best friend.

Poor man, Lazarus!

But then the parable fast-forwards to the day Lazarus dies. Poor man Lazarus is carried off by the angels to the bosom of Abraham where he is blessed and comforted and restored. You know, the name “Lazarus” means “God helps.”

The rich man dies, too – but he is not carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. No, he goes to – do I dare say it? - hell. Did you notice that verse in the choir anthem? “Rich man Dives (that’s the Latin word for “rich man”) he lived so well. And when he died he went straight to Hell.” Did you notice how the choir relished singing that line? You know, they say that American slaves – with whom this spiritual originated – used to laugh with glee when they sang that verse!

In Jewish thought of the period, the place of the dead was called “Sheol” and Sheol was a land in the underworld divided by a great chasm. On one side was the place where the faithful dead are carried to Abraham the father of the Jewish people, and on the other was the depository of the faithless. The Greeks called it “Hades” – which we translate as “Hell” - and it was a place of torment and flames.

This is where the well-off man finds himself in the afterlife. He is miserable. And hot. And thirsty.

But in the distance – way over on the other side of Sheol – he spots Father Abraham, with Lazarus at his side. They are sipping Margaritas, eating ribs, and watching unlimited college football games on cable TV.

“Father Abraham!” the well-off man shouts. “Send Lazarus over to bring me a cool drink because I’m so thirsty in this heat!”

But Abraham says, “Sorry. No can do. There’s this uncrossable chasm between here and there. And besides, in your lifetime you received good things while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here and you are in agony.”

What a reversal of fortune!

So realizing the error of his ways, the well-off man asks Father Abraham to please send Lazarus back to the world – to his home town – to his father’s house - to warn his brothers lest they end up with the same fate. But Abraham says, “No.” They have the scriptures - the law of Moses and the prophets – to warn them. The well-off man argues that his rich brothers would listen to someone who came back from the dead. But Abraham says, “No, if they won’t listen to the scriptures, they won’t be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

And so the parable ends.

What do you think it means?

The obvious answer is that we should help the poor among us – the people lying at our doorstep – the “have not’s” of this world. We can read this parable, remind ourselves of the importance of feeding the hungry, helping the helpless, lifting the downtrodden – we can go out into Loudon and Monroe counties and the rest of the world to help those in need - and then be done with it.

But…not so fast.

This is a PARABLE after all, and parables are never straightforward. Sometimes parables require us to think outside the box, and to see beyond the obvious.

When you read through to the end of the story – with the rich man’s appeal for his brothers – it becomes clear that this is not really a parable about helping the poor – although helping the poor is a central part of our Christian calling.

This is actually a parable about being concerned for the rich – the wealthy – the well-off – the affluent - the comfortable. You see, not everybody who goes to Hades goes there because they committed a murder, told a lie or thought a lustful thought. This parable tells the story of someone who goes to hell for being rich, but not generous – for being well-off, but not charitable – for having a good life, but not using it to make life better for others. This is a man who ends up in Hades because he has violated God’s law – the Torah and the Prophets – with respect to using one’s blessings to bless others.

So the question the parable raises is, “Who will minister to the wealthy, the comfortable, the successful, the well-off? Who will preach to them? Who will save them from certain destruction by helping them understand their God-mandated obligations to others and learn to use their wealth and blessings to give life to those lying outside the gates?”

Some of you have heard me say from time-to-time that I believe God hoodwinked us into moving here. God used the glory of the Smokey Mountains, the beauty of Tellico Lake, the allure of great golf courses, the friendliness of the people – even the mild climate, four-seasons, and low taxes – to get us to come here to East Tennessee…and become missionaries! And this church – our church – Tellico Village Community Church – has been given a special mission: to help folks like us - who life has treated well - discover the joy of obeying God’s laws about using our blessings. An important part of our ministry is helping well-off people learn how to give their money away, using it to build a better world - helping successful people teach others how to become successful in life - helping talented people figure out how to use their talents to help others.

You know, compared to a lot of people in this area, in this country, and in this world, we are all named “Dives.” We are pretty well-off.

So here we are on “Sign-up Sunday.” We are calling upon each other to pledge money to support this amazing enterprise of bringing people together, teaching them the Gospel of giving themselves away, and then sending them out to our neighbors all around. And it will be a challenging year as we open our new Sanctuary. But, as Rhonda put it so well a few weeks ago, this new space is not for US, but for those many more people who will come and join us in learning from us to lift up Lazarus and proclaim God’s love for the world. Please give generously – sacrificially – so that our church can send more people and bring more blessing to the communities around us, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

But along with pledging money, we are calling upon each other to “sign up” - as greeters who will be trained to welcome those who will be coming among us - and as ushers who will guide new folks through an unfamiliar place - and as media and technology operators who will be trained to help people hear, see and experience the services of worship in richer ways than ever before. Please sign up today for one of those ministries of welcoming others. Everybody needs to sign up for a job!

And in the middle of all that – making pledges, and signing up to serve those who will come to our church -  we’re going to go today and sign our names on the floor of the new sanctuary. The most important pledge that anyone will make today is the pledge to follow Christ – to live out the Great Commandment that summarizes all the Law and the Prophets. That’s what signing the floor symbolizes. To sign your name on that floor says that you are taking personal ownership of the ministry God has given us – to care for the Lazaruses of this world – and to teach those whose lives have been blessed abundantly how to use those blessings for others, according to God’s laws.

Yesterday, a large crowd gathered here in the Sanctuary to say “goodbye” to Richard Willyoung who passed away last Monday. I took the opportunity to re-tell my favorite Richard story. When he retired from Mobil Oil, Richard bought himself a beautiful Cessna 182. He and Lori flew all over creation in that plane. How blessed they were to have such a luxury.

When they moved to Rarity Bay, Richard started using his plane for “Angel Flights” – transporting sick people to medical centers to receive specialized treatment they otherwise would not be able to get. On one of those flights, Richard invited me along, and on the return flight we flew smack dab into a blizzard. Ice started creeping up the windshield and forming on the leading edge of the wings. I was scared. I turned to Richard and said, “Dick, aren’t you concerned about the icing?” Without batting an eye, he said, “No. It will probably melt in the post-crash fire.”

I will never tire of telling that story because it is so vintage Richard. Dick had a sharp sense of humor.

But I love the story for a deeper reason. Earlier that day, before we took off from McMinn County Airport, Dick offered a prayer. It was a prayer of asking for God’s protection and guidance, and for the blessing of the person we would be flying over to Duke Medical Center. And it was a prayer of thanksgiving in which Richard offered gratitude to God for blessing him with this airplane and the resources that were needed to help this – Lazarus lying at the gate.

Richard had discovered something wonderful about the blessings God had given him. He could use them to have a powerful impact upon the life of another.

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

Do YOU see the power of your life with all its many blessings?

One last thing. This parable also teaches us about accountability. You can’t live to yourself and get away with it. You can’t pretend you have no responsibility for the Lazarus’ around you. There comes a day in all our lives when we will give account to God for how we used our wealth in accordance with the Law and the Prophets.

Jesus said all those scriptures are summed up in one Great Commandment: “Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

That’s the message we preach. That’s the mission of our church.

That’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ.