Pentecost 19: September 29, 2013

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Psalm 146

1 Timothy 6: 6-19

Luke 16: 19-31

FIRST LESSON: Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Challenges:

• Unless your audience is well-versed in the Old Testament World, phrases like "those who are at ease in Zion" and "those who feel secure on Mount Samaria" will need some explanation.  Reaction might include: Where are these places? Why are they important?  Zion sounds familiar, but isn't Samaria where the Samaritans come from? Zion is Jerusalem, the political and cultic center of the Kingdom of Judah. "Mount Samaria" is the city of Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which was built on a high elevation.

• This is a blistering attack. While a very important message, it could really put people off. In a time when even the most innocuous political statement can act as a trigger that shuts down dialogue it is possible that listeners could "turn off" this text in a knee-jerk reaction.

• I believe that the Gospel, or "Good News" of God's love can be found throughout all of Scripture, but when lessons contain very specific verses, like this one does, I really believe there is no Gospel here, just "Law."

Opportunities:

• While harsh and chilling, the language in this text is very eloquent, bringing out great pathos.  Lots of good images and descriptors: beds of ivory and couches, lambs from the flock and calfs from the stall, idle songs to the sound of the harp, wine from bowls and the finest oils. 

• How might a person react to such a text?  Well, it will depend on whether they consider themselves to be like one of "those who are at ease," or not.  A congregation in the inner city might hear this text very differently than a suburban congregation. And again, quite often people will often believe that THEY aren't rich, it's the people above THEM, who are rich. 

 The Good News:

•  Looking for good news?  Look to the other texts.

PSALM: Psalm 146

Challenges:

• These are inspiring, revolutionary words. How can we make them come alive in worship and in our lives today? How can we make them more than just words we recite between the First and Second lesson? I don't have a ready answer, and that is a challenge...

• I've mentioned it before, but every time a psalm says that the Lord brings the way of the wicked to ruin (v.9), I immediately think of all of those "wicked" rulers and historical bullies who never really got their comeuppance, which makes me sometimes wonder if this is wishful thinking.

  Opportunities:

• Whether a person believes in God or not, a brief look at history will affirm the truth in verse 4. how many "great" princes and rulers have created an empire or spread destruction, only to become another layer on the scrap-heap of history, remembered by very few?

• As if a person needed an excuse to quote Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Ozymandius, this psalm provides on. If you want to have a good description of the transitory nature of worldy power, USE THIS POEM! Especially: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare  The lone and level sands stretch far away." Breaking Bad used this as an excellent promo for their final season, you can find it on Youtube.

• We get a litany of things that the Lord HAS DONE and things that the Lord DOES: made heaven and earth, keeps faith, exceutes justice, gives food to the hungry, sets the prisoners free; opens the sight of the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, etc., etc., etc.

The Good News:

• I have often said on many occasions that "sickness and pain are temporary, but the love of God is forever." We have the opportunity to be connected to the source of help, mercy and love that will never be destroyed. "The LORD will reign forever."

• Quite often detractors of religion will say it's just a chance for people to oppress other people. Of course, there's plenty of examples of this, BUT within the story of the Bible, there is the constant and resounding message that God cares and acts for the poor and oppressed.  This can bring hope to the oppressed and inspiration to the cynical.

SECOND LESSON: 1 Timothy 6: 6-19

Challenges:

• There is a lot crammed into this lesson, as if the author of the epistle was saying "And another thing..." and "Oh yeah, don't forget this..." How much ground can you cover?

• Verse 10 can be very easily be misquoted as "...money is the root of all evil," rather than what it ACTUALLY says, "...the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil."  Good to point this out! 
• While there is quite a bit of good advice found here, it's a bit hard to find some "good news" of God's saving actions, just a bunch of stuff we should do.

Opportunities:

• I've just finished reading an online article trying to explain why "Generation Y" (born between the late 1970s and mid 1990s) is unhappy. The formula it comes up with is HAPPINESS = REALITY minus EXPECTATIONS.  The author says, "when the reality of someone's life is better than they had expected, they're happy. When reality turns out to be worse than the expectations, they're unhappy." Verses 7-9 really speak to this idea. 

• A quote from Boring and Craddock's People's New Testament Commentary, that I used last week is equally applicable this week, "People are to be loved and money is to be used, not vice versa."

• A person could write an entire book about the "uncertainty of riches" (v.17). As a matter of fact, many people have. Check out The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, about a Chinese peasant named Wang Lung who works insanely hard and ultimately reaches the top, only to have it be an "empty" experience that will soon be squandered by his family.

The Good News:

• Sometimes people think (as in the case of a "Prosperity Gospel") that Abundant Life is all about lots of possessions and worldly success.  Here, in verse 18-19, we learn that "the life that really is life" is about being generous and ready to share. It's about being connected to God by being generous to the people around us.

• When the author warns Timothy against the dangers of riches and a love of money, I like to think of it as a helpful warning, akin to a sign that says "Bridge Out." Don't go that way, it won't end well for you.  You have the opportunity to live a different way, these words are an invitation.

GOSPEL: Luke 16: 19-31

Challenges:

• While there is certainly nothing wrong with social justice, there have been a string of intense Gospel lessons in Luke from the past few weeks. If people are actually coming to worship and paying attention (wouldn't that be awesome), it's possible they might be getting a bit shell-shocked by this point. 

• Here is both an opportunity and a challenge. In 2012 and iconic photograph was taken of a NYC police officer giving boots to a barefooted, homeless man.  This is a profoundly generous act and it received quite a bit of attention.  At the same time, it was later reported that the homeless man, named Jeffrey Hillman was soon barefoot again: he had hidden the boots, saying "I could lose my life" because someone might kill him for the footwear. Solving poverty can seem very, VERY complicated. 

• It might be tempting to see this as an informational, scientific description of the afterlife.  A person could look at each little detail with clinical care to see exactly what it takes to "get to heaven" or "avoid Hades."  This isn't a scientific description, however, and shouldn't be viewed as such. If it were, why not let the poor stay poor? Then they'd be assured to go to Abraham's banquet.

Opportunities:

• Lazarus is the only named character in  Jesus' parables. Lazarus comes from "El-azar" or "God has helped." A pastoral wag once quipped that it's a good thing that God helps Lazarus because certainly no one else does.

• Like so much found in the Gospel of Luke, this story is about the REVERSAL OF FORTUNES between rich and poor with the coming of God's Kingdom.  See the Magnificat, the Sermon the Plain and just about everything else in the Gospel to illustrate this point. The question is, will our lives be governed and guided by the standards of God's Great Reversal, or by the rules as we see them in the world today.

• Any chance I get to use "The Canticle of the Turning" (ELW 723) is welcome.  Sure, it's a paraphrase of the Magnificat, rather than this story, but it certainly connects.  Guess what we're singing at Faith Lutheran this Sunday? Oh yeah.

The Good News:

• It might be a bit hard to find some Gospel here, but I believe that it's there.  The last verse here talks about a time when "someone rises from the dead."  Since we know the story, we can know that there is NEW LIFE and RESTORATION through Jesus Christ. 

• Okay, this is more of an opportunity, rather than good news, but this story is much like A Christmas Carol in that we, the readers/listeners have the chance to see this experience and find a new, different life, like Ebenezer Scrooge was able to do. 

• I've been quoting Boring and Craddock (The People's New Testament Commentary) quite a bit, but that's just because it's aweome. When this parable is put into it's wider context in both Luke and the Christian Experience, some more good news is found:

"...In this story, rich and poor are divided by table and gates, but Luke knows that in the early church such people are united around one table (Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-37; 10:1-11:18, esp. 11:3, 12) and Revelation knows of gates that do no exclude but are open to all (Rev. 21:12; 22:24-27)."  (page 245)