There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the
latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named
Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for
was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were
the dogs who came and licked his sores. Then he died, this poor man, and was
taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was
buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance
and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send
Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this
fire.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the
good things and Lazarus the bad things. It’s not like that here. Here he’s consoled
and you’re tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set
between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can
anyone cross over from you to us.’ The rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you,
Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he
can tell them the score and warn them so they won’t end up here in this place
of torment.’ Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them
the score. Let them listen to them.’ ‘I know, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but
they’re not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would
change their ways.’ Abraham replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the
Prophets, they’re not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the
dead.’”
The last two
Sundays, we have been focusing on prayer.
We have begun to talk with each other and to pray with and for each other
remembering that prayer doesn’t change others.
Prayer changes us. As I said last
week, prayer changes our perspective.
Do you think that the
rich man from our Gospel lesson would have benefited from this changed perspective
during his lifetime? Even when he sees
Lazarus resting in the lap of Abraham, the rich man’s perspective has not
changed. Even in hell, the rich man
feels entitled.
Sometimes I feel
like the rich man. My days are so full
that it is hard to take a moment, find my center and notice all that is occurring
around me and inside me. When I do take
time to pray and to connect with God, my perspective changes. No longer do I see Lazarus outside my door as
someone to be stepped over as I attend to my daily responsibilities. When I take time, I begin to see Lazarus not
just as my neighbor, but as my brother, as a part of my family, as a beloved
child of God. This realization, this changed
perspective, calls me to live differently and not let my busyness overcome my
compassion, not to let my responsibilities overshadow my ability to be gracious.
Who is on your
front step? Who do you pass each day
without notice? What is happening in
your neighborhood? How is God challenging
you with a changed perspective and calling you to be present in new ways? Are you taking time to discover these in
prayer?
Please join us on Sunday,
September 29 at 10:00am in Christ Church as we continue on our journey of
prayer. Looking forward to seeing you in
Church!
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