Read
Luke 16-17 ~ There are two powerful, provoking, parables in chapter 16. The first is about an economic bargaining
story that reeks of privilege and the second is about a rich man (who
ironically isn’t named) and a poor man (who is ~ Lazarus). If you turn to chapter 17, you can add one
more parable about gratitude, giving thanks by the one leper (who of course is
a Samaritan, because in Luke it is always the outsider who shows us the
faithful way) who comes back to thank Jesus for healing. I sense a thread and theme in these two
chapters tying them together. How do
we see the world? Is it a dog-eat-dog
world? Is it all about me, taking care
of number one? The manager in verses 1-9
seems to be out to save his own neck, the rich man in verse 19-31 care only
about the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I ~ even as he knows (don’t miss
that he knows!!) Lazarus’ name (see verse 24). I am challenged that only 1 out of 10 people
can be troubled to say, “Thank you” to Jesus, which those numbers might still
hold today. Our attitude toward
life shapes us. On Tuesday, we
talked about Niebuhr’s framework of Christ and Culture, what conclusions
you come to as you read through these parables and hold them do reveal
something about you. Too often, we give
thanks to God on Sundays, only to say to God, “I’ll take it from here,” as we
walk out the narthex/lobby doors. Too
often, we hide our calendars and checkbooks (which are moral documents that
tell us what gospels we are following), because we don’t want to deal with our
own contradictions. Too often, I am more
like the shrewd manager and rich man ignoring the beloved in need at my own
gate. These parables push and prod at me
in ways that I don’t always appreciate. Yet,
to Gospel my life, is to let truths that are inconvenient get into my soul to
rummage around and rearrange my life.
I pray you will lean in and listen to these words today and they might
cause you to ponder prayerfully how you might be in the world today. Amen.
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