Weekly Liturgy : September 22-28
- John
- Sep 21
- 4 min read
Luke 16 : 19-31
The Message
19-21 “There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.
22-24 “Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this fire.’
25-26 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It’s not like that here. Here he’s consoled and you’re tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.’
27-28 “The rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won’t end up here in this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.’
30 “‘I know, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but they’re not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.’
31 “Abraham replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they’re not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.’”
REFLECTION
from John
I grew up in a faith community that placed a ton of importance on getting to heaven. So much so, that it often seemed like nothing else mattered. When we’d read this story together, we’d talk for hours about how Lazarus may have earned his seat in heaven, and why the Rich Man did not. We’d hypothesize about their faith, their intellectual awareness of sin, and whether either of them had prayed the sinner’s prayer before their deaths.
I’ve come to believe this interpretation misses the point. Because, whenever Jesus talks about the next life, he has a funny way of avoiding the subject and returning his attention to this life.
In our pre-occupation in escaping this world, I think Jesus suggests that we can miss what is in front of our face. And in our race to get to heaven and avoid hell, we end up ignoring the living hells experienced now by real humans in our midst.
May it not be so with us.
May we set about the work of making it heaven on earth for one another, and discover that the eternal life we long is nearer than we think.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
Think about the various responsibilities you carry. Whose life is made easier (or more difficult) depending on your fulfillment of your responsibilities. Check in with someone on that list this week. Ask about your impact on them. Allow their feedback to inform how you carry out your duties into the future.
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week
When do you find yourself most tempted to pass judgment toward someone else?
What is one step that might help you slow down in order to be more observational and curious in those moments?
Pathways toward Centeredness
Caregiving (Loving God by offering service and compassion to others):
Who do you know who has had a rough go of it lately? Send that person a text. Ask them how they are doing. Offer to provide a meal or a cup of coffee or a walk together.
Questions for Reflection
How does the experience of the Rich Man inform how you see people in need around you?
Are you inspired toward any specific act of care or service in the world?
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
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