Tuesday 1 May 2007

Let's continue with The Rich Man and Lazarus.

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. (Luke 16:19-21) The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. (Luke 16:22) In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so and no one can cross from there to us. (Luke 16:23-25)

Well, here we are in the land of the dead and some things just haven't changed. The rich man having created a great chasm between his life and the life of the poor - such as Lazarus - is not able to see the chasm that he created. It is simply amazing how much we can see when we are put in the right situation to look at life from an angle that is not so "turned-in-on-self." During life, Lazarus had only one thing he could do - trust that God did and would abide with him even when the world around him was nothing more that sheer separation. The separation is something on which the Rich Man worked his whole life. Yes, he became rich and yes, he was able to make for himself (make for himself) a life of luxury without consideration for those around him who could have been rescued by his attention. But now...the separation he created becomes a reminder of what he has been building for himself. This is a story about life - not death. Or maybe, it is a story about the death we continue to embrace without stepping through it into a life that is quite contrary to the standard pattern of life in the world.

Connection: Even as I sit here writing, I realized that there are people in this day I need to approach so that I can take a look at the chasm I have been building...or at least allowing to exist.

Lord of the Living and the Dead, it is within your embrace that we are encouraged to become more than people seeking life for ourselves. Trusting in you, we become open to trusting others and we are thus moved from isolation to community in more and more expanding ways. We treasure your love for us. Amen.