Welcome, Rich And Poor
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
Can you name some disillusioned people you've met in life? How about a woman who is so badly hurt by her husband committing adultery with a younger woman and then divorcing her, that she wants nothing to do with men? How about a child who believes in Mom and Dad, only to discover that they have frequently lied to him? How about the students of a beloved teacher who find out that their teacher is a pedophile who is going to prison for his sexual molestation of children? How about parishioners who love their pastor, only to discover that he has been cheating on his income tax for years?
We could go on with many illustrations about disillusioned people in the negative sense of that term. That's how we normally use the word "disillusioned." We normally think of it in terms of disappointment, unmet expectations, hurt, and sorrow. Something just didn't work out the way it should have worked out.
On the other hand, one of the definitions of the word, "disillusioned," is "freed from illusions." Illusions are false ideas. There is a positive use of the word "illusions" which should be considered. By telling the truth, the prophets freed people from their illusions. Moses disillusioned the Hebrews about the false gods they worshiped. Jesus went about telling parables that burst the bubble of many misconceptions people had about life.
In the story of the rich man and Lazarus there are at least three illusions. Jesus exposed them and freed people from the demonic power of their false ideas about riches and happiness, heaven and hell, and the Word of God.
While Jesus often uses illustrations of rich landowners, wealthy hosts at banquets, and powerful lords of servants as stand-ins for God in his stories, he never suggests that these people are happy because of their riches, possessions, or power. As a matter of fact, frequently, as in the parable before us, Jesus shows that riches and power can so distort a person's life that they miss the obvious: love for God and neighbors.
Self-absorbed, the rich man in Jesus' parable missed the point of life -- living for God and other people. He didn't even give poor Lazarus the scraps from his succulent feasting. Dives (a name which means "rich" in Latin) ignored the Word of God. He took notice of the social register. He paid attention to the list of "Who's Who in Jerusalem." He focused on the power of money in human affairs and liked the fact that many envied his riches. He didn't notice the Word of God, which teaches that riches and possessions have dangers, as well as opportunity, associated with them and that riches can keep you out of heaven if you have the wrong attitude toward them.
The Word of God doesn't teach that money is the root of all evil, but that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). That verse is in our second lesson for the day. Paul urges his young protégé, Timothy, to help his rich church members and friends not to be haughty and not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather to focus on God and be generous with their resources (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
A rich businessman in Muncie, Indiana, had family members who encouraged him to attend worship at the local Lutheran church. He attended and said that he liked the new pastor. When the pastor invited him to come to a pastor's class for instruction about the Christian faith, he decided to try it. When the pastor explained the nature of salvation by grace through faith alone and that our good works don't get us into heaven, the businessman began to back away. He said, "I follow the philosophy of business -- that is --you get rewarded for your hard work. You mean to tell me salvation is free?"
"Free, but not cheap," the pastor replied. "Jesus paid for our salvation by dying on the cross. We are saved by his grace, not by our good works."
The rich man stomped out of class saying, "I'll never join this or any other church. I'm through with religion."
The pastor lost track of the businessman for a time, but two years later, the man's family phoned and told the pastor the man had died. If the man didn't learn the truth about God and salvation before he died, like Dives, he had to face it after he died.
Everyone dies and must face God. If we don't get the point of life while we are alive, we will have to face it after death.
The Word of God teaches that the point of life is that God so loved us that he gave his only begotten Son that we might have eternal life. We are called to love him back with our hearts, minds, and souls, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Dives may have been a big man in town and even a big donor to charities in town, but he didn't pay attention to God, and he didn't notice Lazarus, the needy man right outside his door. Dives tried to live as a good citizen. He may have gone to the temple for worship. He probably thought that he would be rewarded in heaven. But, like the Pharisees to whom this parable was addressed, Dives didn't pay enough attention to the Word of God which teaches that God is our help, our only hope for salvation.
The name "Lazarus" means, "God is my help." Unless we make that discovery, we are not the people we were created to be. When we come to Jesus Christ by faith, we become the people we were created to be. Real happiness means fulfillment of God's purpose for us.
Illusion number one is that money brings happiness in this life and a free pass to heaven in the next. The second illusion Jesus addresses in this parable has to do with heaven and hell.
First, Jesus points out here and elsewhere that there is an afterlife. Life is not just a matter of the here and now. The hereafter is a major category addressed in many of Jesus' parables and teachings. The kingdom of heaven is an overriding teaching of the Bible that corrects a secular view of reality that insists that when you die, that's all there is.
In modern times, many people live as if there is no eternity and no eternal consequences to their actions. Ethical relativism is running rampant today. Ethical relativists teach that there are no absolutes. That means that God and his law are not absolutes. That means that the Son of God is not an absolute. That means that there is no Lord over us. In the minds of many today, there is no heaven and no hell, no afterlife.
It was a very hot day in Dallas, Texas. The air conditioner at Christ Lutheran Church was broken. The pastor got into the pulpit and preached this ten-word sermon: "Hot, isn't it? Hell's like that. Don't go there. Amen."1
If we believe this parable, we have no alternative but to face the consequences of whether we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or not. Heaven and hell are eternal realities. Consult the Word of God. Pop, there goes a misconception about eternity.
This parable shows that there is no direct connection between financial success and prosperity in this life and heavenly reward in the next life. If anything, those who have many possessions may find it hard to accept the basic premise of faith, that Jesus is Lord and Savior. The rich often try to find salvation elsewhere.
Jesus said that it is as hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The "Eye of a Needle" was a small place in the bottom of the wall in Jerusalem where the only way to enter was to kneel down. That kneeling down and accepting Jesus as Lord of all is difficult for wealthy men and women. The principles of success in this world and the principles of eternal status are not the same. Pop, there goes another misconception about eternal life.
In this parable, Jesus teaches that heaven is not exclusively for poor people or rich people. Poor people don't go to heaven because they are poor any more than rich people go to hell because they are rich. Salvation is dependent on whether or not we believe and follow the Word of God which teaches the lordship of God over us for our own good. We know that Lazarus went to heaven because he bowed before the God who helps us. We know that the rich man went to hell because he refused to accept that lordship of God over his life, but we are also told that the wealthy man's wealthy brothers have the same opportunity that Dives had when he was alive. They have Moses and the prophets. In other words, they have the Word of God. So do we. They had an opportunity to believe in the Son of God for salvation. So do we.
A story about a wealthy man and his son may help to illustrate the importance of the place of the Son of God in salvation. The father and son loved to collect works of art. They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified. He grieved deeply for his only son. About a month after the death, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. He died instantly. He often talked about you and your love of art." The young man held out a package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no, sir," the young man said. "I could never repay your son for what he did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collections.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."
The auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100? $200?"
Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still, the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, that's all he could afford.
"Ten dollars is the bid. Won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, sold for $10."
A man sitting in the second row shouted, "Now, let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry," he said. "The auction is over."
"What about the other paintings?" a woman asked in a shrill voice.
"I'm sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything."
God sent his Son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross for all of us. Much like the auctioneer, our message today is: "The Son, the Son. Who'll take the Son? Whoever takes the Son gets everything, including heaven."2 That flies in the face of the popular belief that if we are good, we go to heaven.
Pop, there goes another misconception about eternity.
That brings us to the third major illusion Jesus addresses in this parable.
Dives neglected the Word of God in life. In hell, Dives asked that someone from eternity be sent to his brothers that they may not make the same mistake he made of seeking mammon instead of God. Many people want miracles.
"If God appears on a cloud and with a megaphone announces that Jesus is Lord and Savior, then I'll believe," said Fred, the town atheist with a sneer. "God is not on trial," replied his friend who was a Christian. "The question is not 'Is there a God, but is there a Fred?' You will never be fully Fred until you return to your Maker with faith in the Lord. You don't need a miracle; you have the Word of God. That's all any of us need." He spoke in the spirit of Luke 16:19-31.
There are many illusions about the Word of God today, but one of the most serious ones is that we need more than God's Word for life. Jesus speaks directly to this illusion when he says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31). Shortly after saying these words, Jesus rose from the dead. Through his resurrection, many have come to faith, but the truth of the matter is that he has come back from the dead and still many do not accept him as Lord and Savior.
Today, many people still live in the land of illusions, believing in mammon instead of God, creating idols instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ, stubbornly clinging to their misconceptions. Still others find faith and fulfillment when they cross over into the land of the living by faith in Jesus Christ.
An anonymous author described his journey from the land of illusions to the reality of the kingdom of God like this:
I Met The Master Face To FaceI Met The Master Face To Face
I had walked life's way with an easy treadI had walked life’s way with an easy tread
Had followed where comforts and pleasures ledHad followed where comforts and pleasures led
Until one day in a quiet placeUntil one day in a quiet place
I met the Master face to face.I met the Master face to face.
With station and rank and wealth for my goalWith station and rank and wealth for my goal
Much thought for my body but none for my soulMuch thought for my body but none for my soul
I had entered to win in life's raceI had entered to win in life’s race
When I met the Master face to faceWhen I met the Master face to face
I had built my castles and reared them high,I had built my castles and reared them high,
With their spires had pierced the blue of the skyWith their spires had pierced the blue of the sky
I had sworn to rule with an iron maceI had sworn to rule with an iron mace
When I met the Master face to face.When I met the Master face to face.
I met him and knew him and blushed to seeI met him and knew him and blushed to see
That his eyes full of sorrow were fixed on meThat his eyes full of sorrow were fixed on me
And I faltered and fell at his feet that dayAnd I faltered and fell at his feet that day
While my castles all melted and vanished away.While my castles all melted and vanished away.
Melted and vanished and in their placeMelted and vanished and in their place
Naught else did I see but the Master's faceNaught else did I see but the Master’s face
And I cried aloud, "O make me meetAnd I cried aloud, Omakememeet
To follow the steps of your wounded feet."To follow the steps of your wounded feet.
My thought is now for the souls of menMy thought is now for the souls of men
I have lost my life to find it againI have lost my life to find it again
E'er since one day in a quiet placeE’er since one day in a quiet place
I met the Master face to face.I met the Master face to face.
-- Anonymous— Anonymous
The poet wrote, "My thought is now for the souls of men." In other words, he now is about the business of disillusioning people, freeing them from their illusions about God, eternity, and life.
____________
1. Adapted from an article in The Joyful Noiseletter, a publication of The Fellowship of Merry Christians.
2. An anonymous story.
We could go on with many illustrations about disillusioned people in the negative sense of that term. That's how we normally use the word "disillusioned." We normally think of it in terms of disappointment, unmet expectations, hurt, and sorrow. Something just didn't work out the way it should have worked out.
On the other hand, one of the definitions of the word, "disillusioned," is "freed from illusions." Illusions are false ideas. There is a positive use of the word "illusions" which should be considered. By telling the truth, the prophets freed people from their illusions. Moses disillusioned the Hebrews about the false gods they worshiped. Jesus went about telling parables that burst the bubble of many misconceptions people had about life.
In the story of the rich man and Lazarus there are at least three illusions. Jesus exposed them and freed people from the demonic power of their false ideas about riches and happiness, heaven and hell, and the Word of God.
While Jesus often uses illustrations of rich landowners, wealthy hosts at banquets, and powerful lords of servants as stand-ins for God in his stories, he never suggests that these people are happy because of their riches, possessions, or power. As a matter of fact, frequently, as in the parable before us, Jesus shows that riches and power can so distort a person's life that they miss the obvious: love for God and neighbors.
Self-absorbed, the rich man in Jesus' parable missed the point of life -- living for God and other people. He didn't even give poor Lazarus the scraps from his succulent feasting. Dives (a name which means "rich" in Latin) ignored the Word of God. He took notice of the social register. He paid attention to the list of "Who's Who in Jerusalem." He focused on the power of money in human affairs and liked the fact that many envied his riches. He didn't notice the Word of God, which teaches that riches and possessions have dangers, as well as opportunity, associated with them and that riches can keep you out of heaven if you have the wrong attitude toward them.
The Word of God doesn't teach that money is the root of all evil, but that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). That verse is in our second lesson for the day. Paul urges his young protégé, Timothy, to help his rich church members and friends not to be haughty and not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather to focus on God and be generous with their resources (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
A rich businessman in Muncie, Indiana, had family members who encouraged him to attend worship at the local Lutheran church. He attended and said that he liked the new pastor. When the pastor invited him to come to a pastor's class for instruction about the Christian faith, he decided to try it. When the pastor explained the nature of salvation by grace through faith alone and that our good works don't get us into heaven, the businessman began to back away. He said, "I follow the philosophy of business -- that is --you get rewarded for your hard work. You mean to tell me salvation is free?"
"Free, but not cheap," the pastor replied. "Jesus paid for our salvation by dying on the cross. We are saved by his grace, not by our good works."
The rich man stomped out of class saying, "I'll never join this or any other church. I'm through with religion."
The pastor lost track of the businessman for a time, but two years later, the man's family phoned and told the pastor the man had died. If the man didn't learn the truth about God and salvation before he died, like Dives, he had to face it after he died.
Everyone dies and must face God. If we don't get the point of life while we are alive, we will have to face it after death.
The Word of God teaches that the point of life is that God so loved us that he gave his only begotten Son that we might have eternal life. We are called to love him back with our hearts, minds, and souls, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Dives may have been a big man in town and even a big donor to charities in town, but he didn't pay attention to God, and he didn't notice Lazarus, the needy man right outside his door. Dives tried to live as a good citizen. He may have gone to the temple for worship. He probably thought that he would be rewarded in heaven. But, like the Pharisees to whom this parable was addressed, Dives didn't pay enough attention to the Word of God which teaches that God is our help, our only hope for salvation.
The name "Lazarus" means, "God is my help." Unless we make that discovery, we are not the people we were created to be. When we come to Jesus Christ by faith, we become the people we were created to be. Real happiness means fulfillment of God's purpose for us.
Illusion number one is that money brings happiness in this life and a free pass to heaven in the next. The second illusion Jesus addresses in this parable has to do with heaven and hell.
First, Jesus points out here and elsewhere that there is an afterlife. Life is not just a matter of the here and now. The hereafter is a major category addressed in many of Jesus' parables and teachings. The kingdom of heaven is an overriding teaching of the Bible that corrects a secular view of reality that insists that when you die, that's all there is.
In modern times, many people live as if there is no eternity and no eternal consequences to their actions. Ethical relativism is running rampant today. Ethical relativists teach that there are no absolutes. That means that God and his law are not absolutes. That means that the Son of God is not an absolute. That means that there is no Lord over us. In the minds of many today, there is no heaven and no hell, no afterlife.
It was a very hot day in Dallas, Texas. The air conditioner at Christ Lutheran Church was broken. The pastor got into the pulpit and preached this ten-word sermon: "Hot, isn't it? Hell's like that. Don't go there. Amen."1
If we believe this parable, we have no alternative but to face the consequences of whether we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or not. Heaven and hell are eternal realities. Consult the Word of God. Pop, there goes a misconception about eternity.
This parable shows that there is no direct connection between financial success and prosperity in this life and heavenly reward in the next life. If anything, those who have many possessions may find it hard to accept the basic premise of faith, that Jesus is Lord and Savior. The rich often try to find salvation elsewhere.
Jesus said that it is as hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The "Eye of a Needle" was a small place in the bottom of the wall in Jerusalem where the only way to enter was to kneel down. That kneeling down and accepting Jesus as Lord of all is difficult for wealthy men and women. The principles of success in this world and the principles of eternal status are not the same. Pop, there goes another misconception about eternal life.
In this parable, Jesus teaches that heaven is not exclusively for poor people or rich people. Poor people don't go to heaven because they are poor any more than rich people go to hell because they are rich. Salvation is dependent on whether or not we believe and follow the Word of God which teaches the lordship of God over us for our own good. We know that Lazarus went to heaven because he bowed before the God who helps us. We know that the rich man went to hell because he refused to accept that lordship of God over his life, but we are also told that the wealthy man's wealthy brothers have the same opportunity that Dives had when he was alive. They have Moses and the prophets. In other words, they have the Word of God. So do we. They had an opportunity to believe in the Son of God for salvation. So do we.
A story about a wealthy man and his son may help to illustrate the importance of the place of the Son of God in salvation. The father and son loved to collect works of art. They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified. He grieved deeply for his only son. About a month after the death, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. He died instantly. He often talked about you and your love of art." The young man held out a package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no, sir," the young man said. "I could never repay your son for what he did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collections.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."
The auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100? $200?"
Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still, the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, that's all he could afford.
"Ten dollars is the bid. Won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, sold for $10."
A man sitting in the second row shouted, "Now, let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry," he said. "The auction is over."
"What about the other paintings?" a woman asked in a shrill voice.
"I'm sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything."
God sent his Son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross for all of us. Much like the auctioneer, our message today is: "The Son, the Son. Who'll take the Son? Whoever takes the Son gets everything, including heaven."2 That flies in the face of the popular belief that if we are good, we go to heaven.
Pop, there goes another misconception about eternity.
That brings us to the third major illusion Jesus addresses in this parable.
Dives neglected the Word of God in life. In hell, Dives asked that someone from eternity be sent to his brothers that they may not make the same mistake he made of seeking mammon instead of God. Many people want miracles.
"If God appears on a cloud and with a megaphone announces that Jesus is Lord and Savior, then I'll believe," said Fred, the town atheist with a sneer. "God is not on trial," replied his friend who was a Christian. "The question is not 'Is there a God, but is there a Fred?' You will never be fully Fred until you return to your Maker with faith in the Lord. You don't need a miracle; you have the Word of God. That's all any of us need." He spoke in the spirit of Luke 16:19-31.
There are many illusions about the Word of God today, but one of the most serious ones is that we need more than God's Word for life. Jesus speaks directly to this illusion when he says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31). Shortly after saying these words, Jesus rose from the dead. Through his resurrection, many have come to faith, but the truth of the matter is that he has come back from the dead and still many do not accept him as Lord and Savior.
Today, many people still live in the land of illusions, believing in mammon instead of God, creating idols instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ, stubbornly clinging to their misconceptions. Still others find faith and fulfillment when they cross over into the land of the living by faith in Jesus Christ.
An anonymous author described his journey from the land of illusions to the reality of the kingdom of God like this:
I Met The Master Face To FaceI Met The Master Face To Face
I had walked life's way with an easy treadI had walked life’s way with an easy tread
Had followed where comforts and pleasures ledHad followed where comforts and pleasures led
Until one day in a quiet placeUntil one day in a quiet place
I met the Master face to face.I met the Master face to face.
With station and rank and wealth for my goalWith station and rank and wealth for my goal
Much thought for my body but none for my soulMuch thought for my body but none for my soul
I had entered to win in life's raceI had entered to win in life’s race
When I met the Master face to faceWhen I met the Master face to face
I had built my castles and reared them high,I had built my castles and reared them high,
With their spires had pierced the blue of the skyWith their spires had pierced the blue of the sky
I had sworn to rule with an iron maceI had sworn to rule with an iron mace
When I met the Master face to face.When I met the Master face to face.
I met him and knew him and blushed to seeI met him and knew him and blushed to see
That his eyes full of sorrow were fixed on meThat his eyes full of sorrow were fixed on me
And I faltered and fell at his feet that dayAnd I faltered and fell at his feet that day
While my castles all melted and vanished away.While my castles all melted and vanished away.
Melted and vanished and in their placeMelted and vanished and in their place
Naught else did I see but the Master's faceNaught else did I see but the Master’s face
And I cried aloud, "O make me meetAnd I cried aloud, Omakememeet
To follow the steps of your wounded feet."To follow the steps of your wounded feet.
My thought is now for the souls of menMy thought is now for the souls of men
I have lost my life to find it againI have lost my life to find it again
E'er since one day in a quiet placeE’er since one day in a quiet place
I met the Master face to face.I met the Master face to face.
-- Anonymous— Anonymous
The poet wrote, "My thought is now for the souls of men." In other words, he now is about the business of disillusioning people, freeing them from their illusions about God, eternity, and life.
____________
1. Adapted from an article in The Joyful Noiseletter, a publication of The Fellowship of Merry Christians.
2. An anonymous story.
