Mar 25

Two Parables to the “Lovers of Money’

Luke 16

Our text this week is the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31.)  But instead of simply approaching this as a stand-alone parable, let us consider the greater context.  The first parable, the Dishonest Manager concludes, “You cannot serve God and wealth. (v 13.)”  So, the Pharisees are sneering at Jesus’ call to be generous and responsible stewards of the resources God gives.  It is obvious in Luke’s comment about their motivation, that the Pharisees think that our possessions or wealth are not a stewardship from God, but something they must protect and use for themselves. 

We should realize in Jesus’s words on the nature of God’s kingdom should influence our values.  Kingdom causes call us to renounce divided loyalties (vv. 10-13), to have idolatries revealed, since God hates them (vv. 14-15) and to raise standards of obedience to reflect total integrity (v. 18). Verses 16-17 make up the hinge, suggesting that the kingdom’s arrival means that Jesus’ preaching comes with authority. His way will fulfill what the law and the promise anticipated. The passage ends up being yet another rebuke of the Pharisees. Their way is not the way to God. It is kingdom preaching that transforms people, not the way of these leaders.

When one’s fulfillment in life is wealth, our attention is drawn away from what is important, and we often overlook what is right before us (or at our gate.)  Desire for wealth is all consuming, it causes us to ignore the fact that tomorrow may not be like today.  This is true for the rich man.  When he wakes on tomorrow, he is in hades suffering in torment.  He has ignored Moses and the prophets; he has not prepared for that day.

How easy it is for us to substitute today’s concerns, goals, plans, and pleasures for the space God’s word needs to occupy.  Jesus does not say wealth is bad, nor enjoying life if bad, but he does say ignoring God and his Kingdom does have consequences.  In Lent, let us make sure we are establishing daily time to our responsibilities to the Kingdom of God.

Pastor Greg

Mar 18

Are You Responsible?

Responsibility:  I heard a radio preacher talk about the matter of responsibility.  He suggested three ways the word is used: as credit, blame, or duty.  Take the sentence, “She is responsible for this meal.”  As credit, it means she is a good cook.  As blame, it means she is a bad cook.  As duty, it means she has no choice.  But the preacher further suggested a fourth way.  He saw the combination of two words here: response and ability.  That is, the responsible person is one who has the ability to respond.  Seeing our lives, filled with both good and bad, lean and plenty, the responsible person recognizes God’s gracious gifts — and has the ability to respond!  I like that.  (Lee McGlone)

That thought brings us to this week’s passage.  Luke 15 contains 3 parables.  Each one about something that was lost and what happens when it is found.  We will consider the first two for the sermon Sunday, and the third one, the best known one, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, will have to be considered at another time.

Thinking about the discussion of “Responsibility,” what is your responsibility for the lost things?  Are you searching?  Are you finding?  Or did you cause the thing to get lost?  Though this is the work of God’s Kingdom, it shows that we have an active responsibility in the outworking and good news telling of the Kingdom.

Pastor Greg

Mar 13

Impending Judgement and One More Chance

Luke 13:1-9, 31-35

“Was 9/11 God’s judgment against America?  Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell said so.  They blamed God’s wrath on abortion and promiscuity, and they were promptly skewered by the media—as much for raising the uncomfortable topic of divine judgment as for using the occasion to deplore America’s sexual excesses.”  (Article from Christianity Today)

A tower falling and killing many people in Jesus’ day, as well as in our recent history, prompted people to claim the judgment of God was falling.  Tele-evangelists and other headline grabbers are quick to point to something as “God’s Judgment for _______.”  From the spectrum of Fundamentalist to Liberation Theology, tragic events in the lives of people, regions, and nations have been claimed as being God’s judgement.

I think these self-styled prophets do not heed the passage for us this Sunday.  Jesus asks, “Were these people killed any worse than you?”  The answer is “no.”  Yet, we know that God is moving in time and history to bring his reconciliation of all things and justice for all the wronged and abused.  For me, the most evident sign of God’s Judgment falling on a nation was the American Civil War.  Over 600,000, mostly white, voting aged men, were casualties of this conflict.  In the Confederacy, there was a rising awareness that this was the judgment of God on slavery during the last years of the war.  When the judgment of God falls, there is little doubt where it is coming from.

Jesus uses these current events to teach us that God’s judgment should not be taken lightly, or as something that will happen to others.  But the awareness of the coming day of judgement should compel us to change (repent) and produce fruits of righteous living.  Just because God has given us another chance today to repent, does not mean that we will have that chance tomorrow.  This should bring a seriousness and sense of urgency to our time of Lenten repentance and spiritual restoration.

Pastor Greg

Mar 04

Right Answer, Wrong Question

Luke 10:25-37

“Who are we responsible for?” is one of the repeating questions asked in the human experience.  It is an abstract, but important, question that we have to wrestle with.  Many people engage in such a quest whether they have religious interests or not.  Most of us sense that power and possessions are really meaningless life goals.  Surely there is something more.

In this passage a theist asks Jesus how one can inherit eternal life. This Jewish lawyer knows that God exists and that he is accountable to that God, so his question is particularly focused: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  If God exists, then the goal of life must be related to his purpose for us.  To ask this question of the Son of God is the right person.  The Lawyer knew what the answer should be, and when Jesus affirms that he got the answer right, he asks the wrong question, “Who is my neighbor?”

Luke comments that the Lawyer asks this question because he needed to justify himself.  So, he had the correct answer but then reveals his wrong heart.  Something was lacking.  He needed to limit who he needed to love; he needed an excuse to limit his love. 

How often do we comb through our excuses to find a good limit for our obedience to God?  And in seeking how to limit our responsibly to love, we are in effect limiting our love for God. 

Yes, eternal life is the gift of God to those that believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  Then as we come to the nature of living this gift from God, we are confronted with the expectation of conformity to the nature and will of God.  This Lawyer wanted to escape his responsibility, how often is that our question too?

Pastor Greg

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