Who Are You?

Isn’t it interesting we are all apart of the Children of Abraham, just like the rich man. Look at the story again, Abraham calls him child, yet the rich man is not with Abraham, not in his chest as the Gk says… He is in Hades, on the other side of a chasm, a great divide that had separated him from Lazarus long before their deaths… Was he blessed as most Jewish Law scholars at that time would have agreed. God blesses those who walk with him, and punishes those who do not walk with him… And who am I to mess with that punishment… Even though OT Law and Prophets is full of looking out for the weak, the poor, the needy… Can I not help them see… Is it about us and them, or simply about us. It is not about what I have and what someone else may not, or what someone else has, and I may not… We are all covered by the grace of God, we are all claimed… Are we? Are we all named? In our baptism we are claimed by God and named, look at the synoptic baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22), Jesus is called the Beloved of God… God has named us all beloved. God has named us in our baptism, claimed us as his own, as a child of Abraham, and more importantly as a child of God. The world will call us rich, poor, ugly, fat, skinny, beautiful, gay, straight, weird, yuppie, outcast, in crowd, ________… God sees us all the same, and we need to look through those eyes, through the eyes of Xapis, not only my daughter — who judges no one, but loves and seeks to befriend everyone — but also through the Grace that allows us to be Children of God — the grace of love that fell from the tree!

The Who in the song Who are You? have some interesting lyrics. I admit I never really listened to the Who before, but as I was walking to church this morning I was struck with the text from the lectionary for this weekend, Luke 16:19-31. Most of us know this as the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. Many of may not realize upon first glance at this story that the rich man is not named, but Lazarus is, so big deal. The rich man has all kinds of money, wealth, wears the finest linens, and purple cloth, the sign of royalty. He feast lavishly everyday. The poor man, Lazarus, is named, is thrown to his place in life and the story, at the gate, where the dogs eat the scraps, and lick his wounds… At least the dogs see him we would say, when the rich man does not even acknowledge he is there… But the rich man must know he is there, because in Hades, from faraway he sees Lazarus, with Father Abraham. The rich man knows the name of Poor Lazarus! He knows him by name. The rich man calls on Father Abraham, and Abraham replies, “Child, remember…” The rich man is a child of Abraham, one of the chosen people, but is still not named. Lazarus was a child of the living God and was claimed as such. Was it because he was poor? Was the rich man condemned because he was rich? NO NO NO NO NO….

Wealth is a tool, and being from the richest country in the world, we need to use that tool to better the lives of everyone. 1 Timothy is often misquoted, it does not say Money is the root of all evil, but it says the love of Money is the root of all kinds of evil. When we love money, it becomes our God, and then being poor is a sin, but when we love God, and our neighbor as ourselves, then we can use the time, talent and treasure that God has given us. We need to be grieved over the ruin of Joseph as Amos tells us, we can drink from lavish bowls and feast lavishly, this is not a crime, but we have to remember our brothers and sisters, those in need today, do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for ourselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that we may take a hold of the life that really is life. It is not about us and them (them being the poor, the rich, the ugly, the beautiful, the ______) it is about US. We are all children of God.

In Who are the last 2 verses are:

I know there’s a place you walked

Where love falls from the trees

My heart is like a broken cup

I only feel right on my knees

I spit out like a sewer hole

Yet still receive your kiss

How can I measure up to anyone now

After such a love as this?

When I read this I imaged it being my discussion to Jesus, and it was a little augmented:

I know there is a place you walked

Where your love fell from the tree

My heat is like a broken cup

I only feel right on my knees

Even though I continually spit out like a sewer things I do not want to

Yet even so, I still receive your kiss, your love, your mercy

How can I measure up to anyone now

After such a love as this?

No matter what I have done, I have been claimed by God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to die on that tree, to faithfully follow through, even when He did not want to If possible remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done. We have been named and claimed, and given tools to proclaim Jesus to each other and to all the world.

In our prayer of the day for this Sunday we say God of love, you know our frailties and failings. Give us your grace to overcome them; keep us from those things that harm us; and guide us in the way of salvation; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Dan Nelson follows this up with: “In the Prayer of the Day we ask for God’s grace, not to forgive us for our failings and frailties, but to overcome them. And specifically, to overcome our urge to become wealthy and our indifference toward those who have less than we.” Do not forgive my short comings, my frailties, the weaknesses that make me me, but help me to over come them through your grace, so that the more we work together at this the reflection I see will no longer be me, but you Jesus, so that I will be more like you…