Reverend Ref +

YEAR C - PENTECOST 17 - PROPER 21

The world is full of stories and myths. There are myths about creation and floods, George Washington and men on the moon, ghosts, goblins and people rising from the dead. Most of these have their basis in fact or some long-ago experience; but it seems that they all have been embellished and exaggerated over time.

Take the flood for instance. Was this truly a worldwide event that covered even the highest mountains? If so, that's a whole lot of water. Or, more likely, was this some kind of localized event where the impact of that flood grew over time? Or how about a more recent story from our history -- Lewis and Clark. We know that they met native tribes along the way to the ocean who gave them food, shelter, safe passage and, most importantly, directions. But this story changed into a myth of a band of men traveling unaided through an uninhabited wilderness.

Then there's the myth of Jesus. Sometimes you gotta wonder about this. I mean, doesn't it feel like 11 guys were sitting around discussing their rabbi and came up with all kinds of stories to make him bigger than life? "How about if his mother was a virgin." "He gave sight to the blind." "He fed 5000 people." "He walked on water!" "Ooh, ooh, I know -- he rose from the dead! That oughta get their attention."

"Show us a sign," the people would say. And he did. Everything I just mentioned happened. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, walked on water, fed the hungry, and restored outcasts to the community. But it wasn't enough. People get bored with signs, that's why Jesus was reluctant to give any.

Like magicians who impress audiences with card tricks, expectations continually rise. Soon, card tricks aren't enough. He needs to escape from handcuffs. He needs to saw a lady in half. He needs to escape from leg irons. He needs to make the Statue of Liberty disappear. He needs to escape from leg irons AND handcuffs before he gets blown up. And on and on it goes; and Jesus knew it. Jesus knew that signs don't save. All signs do is temporarily impress. If you want to be saved, it is up to you to hear the stories and then make a decision to believe those stories.

And what great stories they are. God creating humans in a special place and for a special purpose. God rescuing Israel from Egypt. Moses on the mountain. The sin-repent-forgive cycle of Judges. David. Jeremiah. Time and again God sends a message and a messenger. Time again people hear the stories. Time and again, people say, "That was nice, but what have you done for me lately?"

Well, lately God became incarnate in Jesus. He showed us how to live in relationship with God, with each other, with ourselves, and with the outsider. And he did it so well that it got him killed. But the story doesn't end there.

After three days Jesus rose again. He rose to show death no longer has a hold on us. He rose to offer hope for a new life. He rose to show us where true life really lives. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back up to the readings.

The epistle today ties in very well with the gospel. First, a subtle point. When talking about Jesus, the writer states, "It is he alone who has immortality." We state the same thing we we recite the Nicene Creed -- eternally begotten.

Now look at the gospel. This is the only parable in which Jesus identifies a character by name. Not only that, but he does it while talking about the after-life. I think it's possible that this isn't a parable at all, but a retelling of an actual event. If you believe Jesus is immortal, eternal, God incarnate, why not?

Second, and more importantly, we've got the issue of God and money. Again, the writer of the epistle says not to pin your hopes on money, but on God. If you are rich, fine, but do good, help others, be generous.

This is exactly what the rich man did NOT do in the gospel. Poor Lazarus sat outside the rich man's gate and was given no more thought than the stray dogs. Last week Jesus said you can't serve two masters. This week that is proven. The rich man put his riches first and built a comfortable life for himself, ignoring God's message, messengers, and Lazarus. He knew the stories, he simply wasn't convinced.

This, I think, is the biggest challenge facing the church -- trying to convince people that these stories are real and they need to pay attention to them. How many times did God correct and remind the Israelites? How many times did you, as a parent, correct and remind your children? We ALL suffer from short-term memory loss because the signs don't continue, or they don't get bigger, or they happened so long ago. But the stories are there. The messaqge is there for those willing to examine it. And for the skeptics, not even someone rising from the dead will convince them.

The world is full of stories and myths. Some are fanciful, some are based on truth, some are truth itself. The stories and myths of Moses, the prophets, and Jesus seem to have stood the test of time. They are worth examining.

Stories and myths: The American Dream. The city on a hill. Rugged individualism. Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.

What myth do you believe?