Pentecost 19 (Luke 16:19-31)  09/29/2013

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Abraham said to the rich man, “Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” (Luke 16:26) There are many, many images of heaven in the Bible; some images are glorious, open and expansive, while other images are rather foreboding and exclusive. This morning’s story of Lazarus’ place in heaven and the rich man’s tormented existence in Hades is of the foreboding and exclusive variety. We have a difficult time trying to state with great certainty what any place is truly like when that place remains so elusive, just beyond our earthly grasp. If we desire to know the secrets of the heavenly dwelling place of God, the many and seemingly contrasting images from the Bible do not help us create the one true image we seek. These images may be fruitful inspiration for the artists and authors throughout the centuries who have brought their talents to the fertile ground of capturing the secrets of heaven in their many forms of art and literature. But what about the rest of us? What about our practical daily existence as we live our days with the doors of heaven just beyond our sight? Roger Ferlo, an Episcopal Priest and author, recently edited a collection of thoughtful essays on this very subject in a book appropriately titled, Heaven. In the introduction of his book, Ferlo suggests an earthly method of searching for the mysteries of heaven: “Only by considering closely the things of this world can we have any clue about the things of the next. This is an ancient insight, what the medieval theologians called the analogy of being. It is the conviction that in the [very being] of God’s creation we discern, if only by analogy or metaphor or indirection, a glimpse of the divine beauty and the divine splendor, what the poet T.S. Eliot called ‘a wink of heaven.'”^[i] Ferlo’s suggestion is that in the very world in which we live, there are flashes of heavenly light, undeniable moments of God’s grace breaking in to our world. These moments are there for our inspiration and understanding, unless we choose to look the other way. And this brings us back to the rich man and Lazarus.

Jesus told the story of a rich man who was blessed with fine clothing, sumptuous food, and a house so large that it had its own gate, quite a luxury in the first century. And laying at that gate was a man in such desperate need that he could only dream of eating a few morsels from the rich man’s table, yet only the dogs cared for him. The image Jesus paints for us is an image of great contrast, an image of one man showered with many things and another man in complete depravation. The rich man knew the poor man’s name, Lazarus; these two men were connected as members of the same community, yet there remained an incredible disconnection, an enormous gap between these two children of God in the conduct of their lives. Jesus’ image of the great chasm between the rich man’s tormented place in Hades and Lazarus’ place at the feet of Abraham in heaven existed long before either man had died and left this world. The rich man’s failure to understand his place in the full community and his refusal to reach out and share his gifts with others created his personal exile from the community of God. Jesus’ story is a story that underscores the importance of the fellowship of community. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 20th century German theologian, spoke of the blessings of the Christian community and our need to serve others: “Christian community is like the Christian’s sanctification. It is a gift of God which we cannot claim…The more thankfully we daily receive what is given to us, the more surely and steadily will fellowship increase and grow from day to day as God pleases. Christian [fellowship] is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.”^[ii] Bonhoeffer’s insight is exactly Jesus’ message to us in our Gospel lesson this morning, the blessings of God are more fully realized as we participate in the Christian community, the flashes of heavenly light shine brightest as we share God’s love and care for others.

This morning, we are blessed to witness the Rite-13 ceremony for several young women and men of our Youth Group. Their continued journey and growth in the life of Christ is one of the many flashes of heavenly light given to this community, as is the love and support of their families, friends and the many mentors from this community. We are all strengthened by their growth and life in Christ and our pledge of support is also a moment for us to recognize the blessings they have to share and a time to dedicate ourselves to them and to this community. As Bonhoeffer stated, “Christian fellowship is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.” Today, we have the opportunity to commit ourselves to these young men and women; an opportunity to commit ourselves to the ministries of St. John’s Church; an opportunity to commit ourselves to participate in the mission of God in the world. This is the message of Jesus Christ, this is the message of Moses and the Prophets, and as Abraham told the rich man, the children of God should listen to them. AMEN.