Sermon – Called To Serve The Poor – Luke 16:19-31

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Presbyterian Church
Sermon – Called To Serve The Poor – Luke 16:19-31
September 26, 2010

This morning we are continuing to consider our call from God. As we have seen God calls us in many ways and calls us to do many things. Our call to discipleship comes with great cost which we are willing to bear to be followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our call to repentance comes with the added benefit that when we turn from sin and turn to Christ there is great rejoicing in heaven and on earth. And our call to service is coupled with the command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. As you can see from this God’s call to us always requires a response from us. And so God calls, and we respond and grow in Christ image. Let us pray.

Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Luke 16:20-31 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' 27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30 "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Before we begin looking at this passage from Luke we need to talk about the context. Previous to this parable Jesus and the Pharisees were arguing about money. This parable is part of Jesus’ response to that discussion. So Jesus is not talking about what happens to us after we die. His words, here, are about the proper use of money. The details about heaven and hell are part of a story Jesus tells about the proper use of money. Jesus does talk about what happens when we die elsewhere in the New Testament, but not in Luke 16.

The story Jesus has told is an old folktale. It assures that desperately poor, the widows, the orphans, and those with chronic diseases that their suffering will last only for this lifetime and will go away in the next. My mother had severe rheumatoid arthritis her entire adult life. And I am comforted by a story like this that my mother is enjoying heaven free from that horrible disease.

But Jesus, as usual, goes beyond the simple folktale and says something quite profound. God, the creator the world, loves each one of us so much that when we suffer God knows our name. In the story I just read for you the rich man is nameless, a symbol of all who love themselves more than they love their neighbor. But the one suffering with open sores and hunger is known by God by his name, Lazarus.

So today I am going to do something a little different. I am going to give you some names of real people whom you can pray for this week by name.

Hannis is smart and talented. He came from Iceland a decade ago to break into the entertainment industry in Hollywood. In Iceland he worked in the post office by day and played in a band at night. While performing in nightclubs he began drinking alcohol too much. When Hannis came to America he found that it was very difficult to find a job as a musician. So he enrolled in the graduate music program at Cal. State LA and lived off of savings and student loans. He moved in with his girlfriend and had a son. After graduation he went with diploma and resume in hand to find a job in the entertainment industry, but none could be found. He treated his wounded pride with alcohol. His girl friend threw him out and he was living first is a small rented room and then in his truck when the money ran out.

I met Hannis when he came to my church for a meal on Sunday nights. He was in AA and had been off alcohol for some time. He was actively looking for a job, any job. But Job hunting is difficult when your clothes are dirty and you haven’t had a shower for a week. Hannis was living on $200 a month general relief and some food stamps.

Eventually he got a job, a restock clerk at a retail store for minimum wage. Then two things happened to him. First the State of California terminated his $200 general relief and all he had left was the part time minimum wage. And second, one day while working his car, which was filled with his stuff, was towed away when the police thought that it had been abandoned. Hannis started drinking and came to church drunk. I gave him some food in the parking lot because I did not allow someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol into the church buildings. The next day Hannis was found passed out on a sidewalk a Good Samaritan called 911 and had him taken to County General Hospital. Hannis called me two days later for a ride.

I picked Hannis up at hospital and drove him to the impoundment lot where the LA Police had towed his car. The cost for the towing was $380; the rent for each day on the lot was $60 per day. Hannis owed over $600 for a car that was probably worth $100. He picked up some stuff from the car and I took him to the homeless shelter in South LA. The homeless shelter had 150 cots setup is a large room. Men lined up outside until 4:30 when then could enter the shelter and claim a bed for the night. I lost track of Hannis after that, but he is still with me in my prayers.

Now let me tell you about Mark. Mark and his wife, Cathy, sat on a cement wall in front of the Nazarene Church next to my apartment building. I saw them every day as I walked to the church. And I always stopped to talk. My apartment manager was upset because they slept in the doorway of that church, right next to our building. She was trying to get them to leave.

Mark had been a roofer until he hurt his back. He started abusing prescription pain killers and alcohol. His health was deteriorating. One day as I was passing by the church I saw Mark lying on the ground and he called for me to come over. Mark said that he was very sick and needed to go to the hospital. I used my cell phone and called 911. The paramedics came and I was surprised that they new Mark by name. They told me that they get a call about once a week from Mark or someone he knows. And once a week they take Mark to the emergency room where he is cleaned up and given a room until he is sober. That asked me to not call 911 for Mark unless I was sure that something really was wrong.

A few weeks later I heard that something was really wrong. Mark was in intensive care fighting for his live. Years of abusing alcohol and prescription pain killers had taken its toll. I visited him in the hospital as he was preparing to leave against doctor’s orders. Another couple of week passed and I received a call from his friend Judy asking me to come to the sidewalk across the street. Mark had died in his sleep. So I comforted his widow Cathy, let her call Mark’s brother who had not heard from him for a decade, and offered to do Mark’s memorial service.

A few days later Mark’s brother called me with a concern. He loved his brother and was afraid for his soul because Mark did not go to church and did not know God. I told him that God loves the poor and that this love of God for Mark would comfort his widow. And it was God’s love that I talked about at that memorial service. Cathy and Judy are still in my prayers.

So, you have heard about Hannis and Mark, two imperfect people living very hard lives on the streets of LA. Now let me tell you about Dirk.

Dirk was a friend of Mark and Cathy and lived in a friend’s van a few blocks away. He tried his best not to look homeless. Dirk had owned a security company that installed alarm systems. But he lost everything when a court issued a judgment against him for unpaid child support. He lost his business license and the money in his bank account was taken. Dirk lost his home, and the police impounded his truck. Social Security denied him disability. Any wages he might earn would be garnished to pay the judgment. So Dirk was down to nothing except $200 per month from California and food stamps.

Dirk wanted to remain as “normal” as possible so he starting attending my church and
became a much appreciated volunteer. One day he asked me about joining the church. I asked him to attend a new member’s class. At the conclusion of the class Dirk told me that he wanted to join the church. Since he had never been baptized I scheduled a service of baptism for one of our Sunday evening worship services. That night I printed out special bulletins, filled the baptismal font, and put on the black robe. What happened next shocked me. The sanctuary was full. Every homeless person in the community, men and women, had come to my church that evening. They all wanted to see a baptism of one of their own. And that night I baptized Dirk in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The homeless community was convinced that God really loved them and was ready to welcome them into the church. And my Sunday evening ministry became a church for the homeless in Northeast Los Angeles.

In our story today, Jesus was talking with the Pharisees about money. He wanted them to know that God loves the poor, the sick, the homeless, and that they were called to serve the needs of the neighbors. Jesus made the issue of chronic disease and poverty a personal one by giving it a name of a real person. I am here today to tell you that God loves the poor and that we are called to serve their needs. And now you have the names of real people to pray about. So please put Hannis, Cathy and Dirk in your prayers. Amen.