29 April 2005

From "The Prophetic Imagination"

In Luke's presentation of the story of Lazarus and the Rich man, we see the contrast of the numbness of the rich man with the pain of Lazarus.
...the narrative suggests that the rich man who is numbed by his possessions and social status has no future; there is nothing but an end for him. By contrast, the poor man Lazarus, unencumbered either by possessions or by social status, is beset by grief and pain. And, says Jesus, this it the bearer of the future. The contrast, in the context of our discussion, concerns the numbed one who knows no future except more of the present, and the suffering one who receives from the Father.

The key for me in this comment by Brueggemann is that this story is the bearer of the future. This is not to say that the you must be poor to...in the end...receive much. That would be a great opiate wouldn't it. Rather, the parable tries to pull us into the vision...the future...so that all of us - the rich and the poor - may have a new life now. This is a life that is seen as a gift with each of us having the blessed opportunity to be a part of a people who are not numb to one another so that there can easily be division and strife between "classes" of people that have no existence in the Reign of God. The door of God's Reign is always open and we are being invited to share in what is promise and not try to live on what we can grab hold of for ourselves.

Connection: When we start grabbing in order to secure our present, we let the wonder and blessedness of God's Reign out of our hands for we are too consumed by our consuming and cannot see what life God promises. Again, I think we need one another to help us to reach out and take hold of what is promised for all of us.

Lift us up and carry us into the abundance of your promises, Precious Lord. We can become so attached to what is around us and the way it all seems to be that we forget to let go and watch how your Reign will fill us just as you always promise. Set us free, O God. Amen