SERMON, 1 TRINITY, LUKE 16:19 (1789 BCP)

Here's my appropriately lengthy sermon for the 1865 service. Feel free to wade through it if you have the time.
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Money. It permeates our lives and it seems like we never have enough of it. We use it to purchase necessary supplies, such as food and clothing. We use it to buy things that catch our interest, such as jewelry. We use it to maintain our place in society, such as a fancy new gown and tuxedo for the annual ball; after all, we wouldn't want to arrive to the social event of the year looking like we just rode in off the ranch, now would we?

Money holds an important place in our lives, and Jesus spends a lot of time talking about it. He also spends a lot of time talking to and about the Pharisees. This 16th chapter of Luke has two long parables about money. The first is the story of the dishonest manager who is ultimately commended by Jesus. The second is our gospel for today, traditionally known as the story of Lazarus and Dives. Both of these parables were heard by the Pharisees who, even then, followed the Prosperity Gospel. And it is this second one that is pointed directly at them.

The Pharisees weren't simply greedy evangelists of their day who pleaded for people to send them money before God called them home. The Pharisees had a theological framework for their position. Today it might be called "works righteousness," or as I said earlier, the Prosperity Gospel. It comes right out of Deuteronomy 28 and says, in essence, if you follow the commandments and if you obey the Lord, then you will be blessed. You will be blessed in war, finances, crops, and at home. Prosperity is a clear sign of God's favor and blessing upon our lives. We know God loves us by how rich we are. This line of thought is nothing new. It permeated the society of Jesus' day, and it permeates our society today.

The Pharisee's position on wealth was that it was a blessing from above, so what's the problem? Their position on acts of charity and alms giving was that they gave more by volume because they had more volume from which to give. Jesus attacks this thinking when he sees a widow put in her last penny amongst all the other donations. Proportionately, the Pharisees give less than others because they are operating out of a theology of scarcity. They were blessed by God, as evidence by their wealth, but if they gave that away then there wouldn't be enough left over for them. There wouldn't be enough money and there wouldn't be enough blessings.

This brings us to question ourselves. How do we operate when donating to charity or to the Church? Do we even have a line item in our budgets for supporting the Church? Do we give the bare minimum so we can keep our checkbook full? Or do we give generously, understanding that to whom much is given, much is required.

People often ask me, "Why should I give or donate or tithe to the Church? What has it ever done for me?" That, my friends, is the wrong question. It is the wrong question because that comes from a theology of scarcity. It comes from a way of thinking that says, "If I don't get something out of it, then it isn't worthwhile." It comes from a mindset that says, "If I give away what I have, there won't be enough for me." And that type of thinking is not only un-Christian, it is un-biblical as well.

Let's look at why this is so. First and foremost, God gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who believeth in him may not perish but have everlasting life. God GAVE his Son as a Savior for the world. That act did not come from a theology of scarcity. It was an act of abundant love. God gives us an example to follow. When the world was hurting and in need, God gave us his Son out of his abundance. He doesn't limit his grace. He doesn't limit his blessings. He wants every person to come to experience his love. As God gave, and continues to give from his abundance, so should we.

Then there is the parable of the sheep and goats. This is a telling of the coming judgment day. On that day the people of the nations will be separated one from another. On the one side are those who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, tended the sick and visited the prisoner. And on the other side will be those who did none of those things.

The righteous in this story asked incredulously, "When did we see you . . ." For them, they did what needed to be done from a theology of abundance. They opened up their wallets and bought food and drink and clothing. They either donated money to worthy causes that shelters people, or they gave their time to help build and/or staff those shelters. They refused to let their checkbook balance dictate how they were going to live their lives. And because they understood God's theology of abundance applied to them, they were able to have an encounter with Jesus on a personal level.

And the condemned protested saying, "When did we see you . . . " The implication here is that had they only known it was Jesus in their midst, they would have cared for him. But they didn't see him among them. They may have been so busy following the rules, or protecting their investments, that they either didn't feel they had enough time or money to help those in need, or they simply didn't even notice the less fortunate and downtrodden in their midst. I was in Chicago where you could see this played out: people don't even notice the panhandler or the hungry or the sick on the streets; they are no more than garbage that is to avoid being stepped on. And because they expected to see Jesus easily identifiable as the King of Glory, they missed him entirely; they misunderstood where he was to be found.

This brings me to today's gospel, the parable of Lazarus and Dives. Dives, the rich man, fared sumptuously every day. He was wealthy beyond his imagination, and yet he lived from a theology of scarcity. He assumed that God had blessed him, how else could he obtain such riches? These blessings were for him, and if he shared them, that would mean less for him. How would he be able to live if he squandered all his money trying to care for the poor? And because he knew that helping the poor only contributed to the cycle of poverty, he refused to help.

Not only did he refuse to help, but eventually he got to the point where he didn't even notice the poor around him. It's amazing that the rich man even knew Lazarus' name. Lazarus lay outside the rich man's gate everyday, hoping for even a few scraps from the table, but he went unnoticed by the rich man. So unnoticed, in fact, that he was as invisible and insignificant as the garbage that was strewn about the street. Just like roaming dogs will scavenge through the garbage for food to eat, those same roaming dogs set upon Lazarus and fed upon his open sores.

The two men eventually died and Dives discovered that maybe he wasn't as blessed as he thought he was because he ended up in hell. He was in hell not because he hadn't accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior, or because he had never said the magic words of the Sinner's Prayer. He was in hell because he refused to care for those in need around him. He was in hell because he lived his life adhering to a theology of scarcity. He was in hell because his only focus was himself. And this selfish focus doesn't change with his circumstances.

"What do you mean?" you ask. "He specifically asked Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his brethren so that they might avoid his same fate."

Let us look at the for a moment. His first first concern after arriving in hell is not with his brothers, but with himself. "Have mercy on me, send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue." Just as in his earthly life, Dives is only concerned with his personal well-being. It is only after he discovers that there is a great chasm between the two sides that he asks for Lazarus to be sent to his brethren.

But notice that even here, his concern remains ultimately personal. The request isn't for Lazarus to be sent to everyone in his town or territory or country. The request is for Father Abraham to send Lazarus only unto his household. Here again the theology of scarcity raises its ugly head. Dives has spent so long thinking only of himself that he cannot even see that he should share the gift of possible salvation with those outside his own family. Ultimately he doesn't care about the salvation of the world, he only cares that his family is safe. And that is because he can't even begin to comprehend that the love of God, the blessings of God, the grace of God extends to all people. It isn't some personal prize that we tightly hang onto and worry that there isn't enough to go around. Sort of like our money.

It's been said that money is the root of all evil. That's hogwash. Money is neither good nor evil. Money is neutral. The people who say money is evil should spend less time looking for excuses and more time examining themselves. The root of all evil is our selfish desires. Money just makes it easier for those selfish desires to come to light. We ultimately care most about ourselves, as Dives showed us.

We have the law and the prophets and all of scripture before us. We have the testimony of those who went before us proclaiming the life of one who rose from the dead. Will we listen? Will we use our resources abundantly, or will we use our resources scarcely, controlled by our checkbook balance and constantly worried that there isn't enough?

My challenge to you this morning is to begin living abundantly. I challenge you to change the question. Ask not, "What's in it for me," but ask, "God gave, how can I do likewise."