WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH LAZARUS?

      There was a certain rich man who wore purple linen clothes everyday- not just for special occasions, but everyday. Purple was a sign of wealth and this man, who later became known as “Dives,” wore it every single day. He lived like a king and dined on the best of food. In a time when people struggled to afford meat, this rich man ate pheasant, dormice, boar, and lamb on a regular basis, along with the best fruit and wine that money could buy.  There was a certain poor man (who was every bit as poor as the rich man was rich) named Lazarus who laid near the rich man’s gate. Instead of purple clothes, Lazarus was covered in sores, that dogs licked as they roamed the streets, and he longed for nothing more than a few crumbs from the rich man’s table. But they never came. Not a scrap, not a drink… because Dives didn’t seem to see him. Day after day, the rich man would come and go without acknowledging the poor man who laid at his gate in any way. In the course of time, both men died. Lazarus was taken by angels and placed in the bosom of Father Abraham. Dives, on the other hand, ended up in hell, where he experienced great emotional and physical agony. According to Jesus’ parable, the rich man was suffering when he lifted his eyes and saw both Abraham and Lazarus. Have mercy on me, he cried out to Abraham, and send Lazarus to give me a drop of water to quench my thirst. Abraham said, ‘My son, do not forget that when you were living you had your good things. Lazarus had bad things.” And more than all this, no one from here can get to you! (see Luke 16:19ff)

      A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. Its abundance caught him by surprise and he wondered what he should do with his abundance. Then he thought, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I will be on easy street for the rest of my life. I will rest, eat, drink, and throw parties without a care in the world. But God said to him, “You fool,” you should’ve stored up your riches in heaven because this is your last day on earth. (see Luke 12:13ff) There was a man who came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, what can I do to gain eternal life?" Obey the commandments, Jesus stated. I have, the man replied. “Then,” Jesus said, “sell what you own, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he was very rich. (Matt. 19:16ff) In his 1^st letter to Timothy, Paul told him to tell those who have riches "to do a lot of good things, to be generous, and by doing this, they will store up a treasure for themselves which is a good foundation for the future." (1 Tim. 6:16-19)

      And so what are we to make of all of this, especially those of us who are rich by the world’s standards? There is no reason to think that Dives insulted or abused Lazarus… but he was blind to Lazarus’ needs. He didn’t see him. There’s no reason to think that the rich "fool" should have felt guilty because he received a bountiful crop, or that he should not have carefully considered what to do with it….but it’s clear that he didn’t see his connection with those in need, and didn’t see that the future is God’s time! Likewise, it doesn’t seem that the rich ruler was corrupt or evil, but it is clear that he just couldn’t bring himself to let go of his riches because he had fallen in love with them.

      To me, these passages are personal. They are not indictments against riches as such- Abraham, for instance, was extremely rich. They warn us about misusing riches, but they do not condemn them or celebrate poverty. They are not about economic systems or a redistribution of wealth, but they do ask two very important questions to me: 1) are you doing a lot of good things and being generous with what you have, and 2) what are you doing with Lazarus? I am challenged to wear my riches well and share generously as God leads me. But here’s the question that haunts me: what are you doing with Lazarus? What am I doing with Jesus when he appears to me as a beggar on the street, as an unwelcome intruder cleaning my windshield, as a lonely figure in an alley, as a young woman whose life has gone all wrong, as someone I know who is simply hard to like, as someone who is responsible for their own hard times (in my view), as a chronic complainer who can’t or won’t help themselves, or a Lazarus, who is dying under my watch?

      To me, Christianity is little more that this: what am I doing with the gifts God has given to me and how am I treating His Son when I see him in need? Do I even see him? Do I see that I am connected to him? Am I willing to go out of my way to be of assistance? Do I trust in grace even when I doubt the person whom I see in need? I would like to think that I would’ve paid for Lazarus’ medical care, fed him lavishly, and given him a place to call home… or at least looked him in the eye and given him a few crumbs from my table, but based on my track record, I seek forgiveness instead. O Lord, give me eyes that see you when you appear to me, a heart that breaks with yours, and enough courage to get involved. Amen!

 

MY LAST BEER (and an Angel)

      Today I want to talk about the pain of being lost and the joy of being found, from the perspective of  experience and the truth of Scripture. It was just about this time of year in 1976. I was living with a friend because Sherry had finally grown weary of my antics. My friend went to watch the Cornhuskers and I went out for a pizza and a beer. Nothing unusual about any of that, but suddenly a wave of emptiness came over me, deeper than anything I had ever felt, and my eyes were opened to the fact that I was terribly lost. I felt like a “nothing in a nowhere,” to borrow a phrase from Walter Wangerin. I had been more than a little lost for some time. I didn’t know where I had been (most of the past was blank to me), and I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know what I stood for, what I believed in, what I was dreaming of. I could see that I was morally corrupt, spiritually bankrupt, and deeply- perhaps irretrievably- lost! So I set my beer down, paid the bill, and stopped by home on the way to a treatment center- where I assumed I would be in a straight-jacket, and I didn’t even care.

      Have you ever been lost? Have you taken the wrong path, chased after the wrong things, invested in the wrong priorities, lost track of the community you belonged to, drifted away from the only person in the world who really cared about you? Have you ever lost your sense of identity, your sense of being? Have you ever lost your resolve, your anchor, your soul? Have you ever lost your sense of tomorrow and your awareness of now?   

      Have you ever found yourself believing that no one cares whether you are lost or found! I suspect that some of you may have but this is NOT the case… because everyone is someone in God’s eyes. It is God’s nature to save and no one is disposable in God’s view, which brings me to our passage, Luke 15:1-10. Verses 2-7 make it clear that a) 1 is a valuable number, b) God will go to any length to find and save just one of His flock, and 3) heaven stands and applauds when a single lost sheep is found and carried home! The “one” is worth saving, the lost are worth finding, no matter how long they’ve been lost, no matter why they got lost, no matter how badly lost they are! As our shepherd, God will find us when we’re lost and carry us home (period).

      It is God’s nature to search and save and God will spare no effort to find anyone of us who is lost. If you are a woman (vs. 8-10) who has 10 coins and one of them falls to your dirt floor, you will light your lantern, sweep your floor, and sift through the dirt with your bare hands, if necessary, to find your valuable coin. You would leave nothing unturned and, when you found your coin, your would break into a mile-wide smile and throw a party to celebrate the coin that was found. This is the nature of God’s household- sinners who are lost will be found, restored, and celebrated in joy!

      Friends, we get lost! We wander off the road. We chase after shiny objects. We fall in love with lesser gods and we lose ourselves in the process. Or the pressures of life, the struggles we’ve known, the little deaths we’ve died- crush our innocence and our faith at the same time. Our hope disappears. Our sense of purpose and even self slips away Van Gogh notably said, “What preys on my mind is this question: what am I good for? Could I not be of service in some way?” Well, I know the service and the Way. So do you, but I also know the feelings that Van Gogh is giving voicing.    

      After I had been in “treatment” for 2-3 weeks, Pastor Lu came to visit me on 6^th floor west. I was not a church member myself, but he and Sherry had been praying for me for a year or so, praying that God would find me. So, after a brief conversation, Lu asked me if I was tired of being lost. He asked if I wanted to find a peace that I had never known. He asked me if I wanted to accept the Living God as my God and also to realize a greater purpose in serving Him. “Yes, yes, yes,” I said. Then join me, he replied, and we prayed a prayer that went something like this: “Dear God, I’ve learned that the lesser gods of this world will only use me and toss me away. I’ve seen the power of sin and I have reveled in it. I am a lost sinner, Lord, and I can’t make it without you. Be my strength, Lord. Be my hope. I accept and trust in you as my Lord and Savior. And with your help, I will stay the course of faithfulness and nurture the wondrous truth… that you love me and would’ve died for me alone. In Christ’s name, amen!”

      Friends, there are demons in our lostness… but there are angels too. God is searching for you if you are lost, and He will not grow weary in the search. When God finds you, and He surely will, God will carry you home as heaven stands in applause. Amen!

     

  

IN PRAISE OF CHEERLEADERS AND DROP-GIVERS

Years ago, I was associated with a firm which gave “Drops for Your Bucket” to associates and others who had done something well or had touched their lives in an important way. They weren't formal, but they were affirming. “I want to take a moment and thank you for doing so much around here;”or “I really enjoy the songs you select and play for our Sunday services;” or “Thanks, for your commitment to our ministries of outreach- quilts, food, clothing, visitation;” or “Thanks for taking the time to listen to me last night,” or “Your enthusiasm and joy lift my spirits!”

Drops for our Buckets of self-esteem are important because we all like to be affirmed. As people of faith, we long to hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Sometimes, people tell me that I shouldn’t give so much affirmation to others, but I believe that an affirming word- sincerely meant and honestly said- can make a difference in our lives. In a world filled with “dippers,” who look for every opportunity to bring other people down, giving “drops of affirmation,” is a wonderful and worthy ministry. Being a cheerleader in a world filled with critics is an important thing. Affirming someone else’s ministry, accomplishments, joy, and special qualities can lift their hearts and open doors.

When I taught college courses in Human Relations and Motivation, I would sometimes ask students to identify the people who had made an importance difference in their lives, who were in some way responsible for the way they thought about themselves and for the dreams they were pursuing. I asked them to list those people who had left lasting imprints on their lives. I gave them time to write their lists and then we tallied their answers. “Moms” always won and dads were generally second. Good friends were always near the top. Siblings, grandparents, other relatives, an encouraging teacher, sometimes someone who just showed up in their lives, and others from the helping professions- pastors, doctors, counselors, and such. The lists differed, but the thrust was always the same- the people who had made a difference in their lives were people who affirmed them, who cheered them on, and who stood by them when they were up and when they were down!

Letting someone know that he or she is appreciated is an important thing… and that brings me to the one-page book of Phi-lee-mon, which is very much a drop for Philemon’s bucket and for Onesimus’ bucket too. Onesimus was a slave who ran away from Philemon and ended up at Paul’s side while Paul was in prison. He became a Christian during his time with Paul, but it was still fitting for him to return to the man who owned him, who was an influential Christian in Colossae. So, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with a note that read (in my words). “Dear Philemon, your love has given me great encouragement and joy, even as it has refreshed the hearts of others.” This is a drop for Philemon’s bucket in its own right, but Paul went on. “And knowing that you are a righteous man, I am sending Onesimus back as a full brother in Christ. He may have been useless to you, but he has been immensely useful to me. Indeed, I would like to have kept him with me, but I know that you will welcome him in the same manner you would welcome me. If he owes you anything, put it on my bill, and get the guest room ready for me. Luke and the others say hello.”

My point is very simple- let’s be drop givers. Let’s be affirmers for Christ. Let’s look for opportunities to cheer others on. When someone spills a drink at the table, instead of being the person who yells out, “Hey, no more drinks for that guy,” be the one who says “I know how you feel. It’s happened to me.” Over the years I’ve been a drop-giver and I should've given more. One of our saints in Rock Island had read through the entire Bible 33 times and I took the time to affirm her passion for God’s word. I also affirmed the gifts of love that two of our Deacons demonstrated again and again. In Joliet, I affirmed our Stephen Ministry leaders and our Clerk of Session for their own ministries of affirmation and faithfulness, and in the same church, I affirmed the chair of our Prayer Group for leading her group in prayer- without fanfare and often with just a few in attendance- for decades on end. 

I’ve been blessed with drops myself. People have been affirming to us throughout our ministry, but I have two “Drops” in mind that had a bigger impact on my ministry than I think the "drop givers" would’ve expected. One took place in Joliet when a old woman (we had plenty of them) finally decided that I was the “real deal,” and the other took place in Peoria when a man I respected said these words as I was leaving the church for the last time- “Thanks Kenn, you made us better Christians.” These two drops have meant the world to me because being the “real deal” and helping others “grow in Christ,” is all I ever wanted to do. Friends, let's be cheerleaders! Let's be quick to recognize someone who is touching lives for Christ. Let's affirm as many people as grace will allow. Amen!