The Ex-Tither
Stories
Object:
So Much Need...
On September 11, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reminded the nation that "as we commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, let's remember that almost as many people are dying in Darfur [in the African country of Sudan] every week as died in the World Trade Center attack." Kristof writes:
"On my last visit to the Darfur area in June, I found a man groaning under a tree. He had been shot in the neck and jaw and left for dead in a pile of corpses. Seeking shelter under the very next tree were a pair of widows whose husbands had both been shot to death. Under the next tree I found a 4-year-old orphan girl caring for her starving 1-year-old brother. And under the tree next to that was a woman whose husband had been killed, along with her 7- and 4-year-old sons, before she was gang-raped and mutilated. Those were the refugees sheltering under just four adjacent trees. Thousands of other victims with similar stories stretched as far as the eye could see...
"One of the people I met was Hatum Atraman Bashir, who was pregnant with the baby of one of the 20 Janjaweed raiders who murdered her husband and gang-raped her. A few days ago, I received an e-mail note from an aid worker in the International Rescue Committee, which is assisting Ms. Bashir, saying that she had given birth but could not produce milk for the baby -- a common problem because of malnutrition." ("Reign of Terror," New York Times, September 11, 2004, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/opinion/11kristol.html)
There is so much need in the world, so many who are hungry and hurting, so many like Lazarus in Jesus' parable from Luke's Gospel. What are we "comfortable, well-off" followers of Jesus to do? Adrian Dieleman has some practical suggestions in "The Rich Man and Lazarus," a moving sermon in this week's Scrap Pile. And check out "The Rich Woman and the Bag Lady," John's powerful retelling of the parable in Good Stories.
A Story to Live By
The Ex-Tither
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith...
1 Timothy 6:9-10a
John was a faithful member of his church. He regularly gave 10% of his income, but he was far from rich. In fact, he could barely keep his head above water, what with the rapid growth of his kids' feet; new shoes cost more each year! And how they did eat! The bills seemed to have no end. So John went to his pastor to ask advice. The pastor said, "John, get down on your knees." So the two men knelt (in those times pastors were, alas, only men), and the pastor prayed that John would have enough money -- more than he currently had. Well, it worked. John became really rich. But he no longer gave 10% of his income -- he gave the same amount he had given before. So the pastor asked John to come in to the study, and again told him to get down on his knees. "Why, Pastor?" John asked. "I have enough money now." "Just kneel," the pastor answered. So they knelt, and the pastor prayed fervently that John would only have enough money so that he could still give 10%.
Shining Moments
The Faith of a Child
by Jane Moschenrose
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Psalm 91:14-16
As an eleven-year-old pitcher for the Rockies Little League softball team, Karen was having a great night. The Rockies were winning, and Karen was taking an active role in her team's progress toward the championships in our mid-size midwestern community.
With the bases loaded and two outs, the pressure was on Karen. She pitched a ball outside home plate, the catcher missed it, and the player on third base started running for home. Karen ran up to cover home plate, and she caught the ball thrown by the catcher just as the runner was coming into home. As she was tagging the runner out, however, something very strange happened. The ball popped up in the air and Karen collapsed, screaming out in pain. As any mother would, I ran to her. She pointed to her right leg. I took hold of her foot and it flopped loosely, connected to her leg only by the flesh.
The EMTs were unable to splint Karen's leg or ankle, and could only support it loosely with a blanket. As we rode over the bumpy field and poorly maintained road to the hospital, Karen continued to scream out in pain. About halfway to the hospital, however, she suddenly became silent. I was sitting next to her, holding her hand, and I looked at her, then at the EMT holding her leg. He seemed not to notice the change in Karen. She had an odd look on her face; her eyes weren't quite closed and they seemed focused toward her left leg. For a moment I thought maybe she had died. I said, "Karen, are you still with us?" She ever so gently squeezed my hand, and somehow I knew she was OK. She was silent the rest of the trip, and seemed oddly at peace.
After getting her settled in the emergency room, I asked her about the sudden silence. She calmly said, "Oh, Jesus came to me and told me I was going to be all right. I have five angels surrounding me."
Totally taken by surprise, I said, "You do?"
"Why, yes, can't you see them?" And she proceeded to describe where they were, surrounding her bed.
Early the next morning as she was being prepared for surgery, Karen asked me a question. "Mama, what if the reason Jesus came to me last night was because he is going to take me home?"
Karen is our only child. I have always thought losing one's child was the worst, most intolerable thing that could happen to a parent. But somehow that morning I had no fear. Probably because God had blessed my Punkin with His presence, I was filled with an indescribable peace. I looked at Karen, right in the eyes, and said, "Punkin, don't you worry about a thing. If you see a bright light, you go for that light, because it will mean that is what's best." She seemed satisfied with that answer.
It was one thing to get through all of this and not submit to the tears that were begging for release. I let them flow when we were just outside of the operating room together. Karen suddenly quoted several scripture verses. I didn't know she had any memorized! Her father calmly said, "Are those the verses you're going to take into surgery with you?" She said, "Yes," and my tears broke loose, not in fear but in awe. I was in awe of the faith of this child, and understood in a new way what Jesus meant when he taught that we must have the faith of a child in order to see the kingdom of heaven. Karen looked up at me, saw my tears, and said, "Don't worry, Mama, the angels will take care of you."
"Are there angels here?"
"Of course, Mama! Don't you see them? There's two right there by your head!"
Naturally, Karen came through the surgery and recovery just fine.
Several months later, I asked Karen if the experience had changed her, faith-wise. I knew that my faith was much greater! She thought about it for a minute, shrugged, and said, "Oh, I don't know. I've always believed in God."
Karen had never had a serious accident or injury before, and it just made sense to her that God would come to her in her need.
"Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).
Jane Moschenrose has served since 1998 as pastor of Wellspring Church, an American Baptist congregation in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School. You can e-mail her at jmoschenro@aol.com.
Good Stories
The Rich Woman and the Bag Lady
by John Sumwalt
"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.' "
Luke 16:25
There was a rich woman who lived in the penthouse of a big city apartment building. And in the park across the street there lived a poor bag lady named Clara who wanted nothing more than to pick through the rich woman's garbage. Clara was crippled, and could walk only with the aid of a shopping cart, in which she kept all of her earthly possessions. Moreover, little children used to taunt her as she went about her daily rounds.
The poor bag lady died and was carried by the angels to heaven to sit at the right hand of Jesus. The rich woman also died, was buried, and went straight to hell, and there in torment she looked up and saw Jesus, afar off, and Clara sitting beside him with her head on his shoulder.
And the rich woman called out, "Dear Jesus, have mercy on me and send Clara to put an ice cube on my tongue, for I am in anguish in this place." But Jesus said, "Remember in your lifetime you received your good things, and Clara received evil things, but now she is comforted here and you are in anguish. And besides all of this, between us and you there is a great gap, in order that those who would go from here to you may not be able, and no one may cross from there to us."
And the rich woman said, "Then I beg you, dear Jesus, to send Clara to my sisters at the club so that she may warn them, so that they may avoid this place of torment." But Jesus said, "They have bag ladies aplenty living among them; let them hear them." And the rich woman said, "No, dear Jesus, if someone goes to them from the dead, they will listen." Jesus answered, "I have risen from the dead and I live among them in all of the poor and homeless throughout the world. If they cannot see me, neither will they be convinced if someone else should rise from the dead."
Scrap Pile
The Rich Man and Lazarus
by Adrian Dieleman
Introduction
Try to imagine the population of North America -- around 316 million people. Now try to imagine a population almost three times bigger. That is the number of people worldwide that do not get enough food -- over 840 million people. We are told that about 1.1 billion people do not have clean drinking water. About 25,000 people -- 25% of the people of Visalia, California -- die each day from hunger or causes related to hunger. Can you imagine an entire city like Visalia being wiped out every four days?
Hunger does not just happen overseas. We are told that 31 million people, 12 million of them children, live without enough food here in the United States.
I. The Rich Man's Sin
In the first scene of his parable, Jesus tells us about a rich man "who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day" (Luke 16:19). This sort of description tells us he wasn't just prosperous or well-off. Rather, he was enormously wealthy. He lived like a king. He was the Bible-era equivalent of a Kennedy or Rockefeller or Bill Gates. Whatever he wanted to do or get was well within his financial means. He wore fine clothes, had a mansion of a home with fine furnishings, was waited upon hand and foot by servants, and never once knew physical hunger or want. It was obvious that he was well-fed and fully satisfied with life. To guard his wealth and protect his physical well-being his estate was surrounded by a wall. The entrance was blocked by a gate and armed soldiers. You see, back then, just like now, many people wanted to share in his wealth and envied him his success.
Jesus also tells us about a beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus laid at the rich man's gate. Through the gate's bars he caught glimpses of the mansion and gardens within. Each and every day Lazarus saw the rich man coming and going, eating and drinking, entertaining and partying, while his own body wasted away due to hunger. Lazarus was covered with sores and longed to eat what fell from the rich man's table.
What do we do with food that falls on the floor? Our normal response is to throw it in the garbage or feed it to our dog or cat. That's our normal response because we consider food that has fallen on the floor to be unclean. Lazarus, however, was so hungry he didn't worry whether the food was clean or covered with dirt or hair or germs. Lazarus was so hungry he longed to eat what fell from the rich man's table.
But in the next scene Jesus tells us that both Lazarus and the rich man died. Lazarus is carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man, on the other hand, ended up in the torments of hell where he begged for even one drop of water with which to cool his tongue.
What a reversal of fortune we see. Or, as Abraham puts it to the rich man: "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" (Luke 16:25).
Why this reversal of fortune for the rich man? What has he done to deserve such a fate? Jesus wants to make the point here that the rich man was uncaring, that he showed no compassion, that he was greedy with his wealth and his possessions. Notice that the dogs showed more love, compassion, and care for poor Lazarus than does the rich man. At least they came and licked his sores and eased his pain and discomfort. But the rich man, he did his best each and every single day to ignore the pleas, the stares, the hunger, and the needs of Lazarus. He didn't even give Lazarus the leftover scraps from his table.
Now we see the real purpose of the wall and the gate. It wasn't just to keep the thieves out, but also to keep the needy out. The rich man didn't want to see them. He didn't want to hear them. He didn't want the comfort of his existence or the peace of his conscience to be disturbed by their shrunken forms and outstretched hands.
The rich man ended up in the fires of hell because his greed and lack of compassion clearly marked him as a man outside of God's grace. The rich man ended up in the fires of hell because his indifference to human suffering showed him to be unjust and loveless. The rich man ended up in the fires of hell because his failure to share showed him to be outside of the covenant and without faith. That's the negative message Jesus wants to bring by means of this parable.
But there is also a positive message. If those without compassion end up in hell, then those with compassion end up in heaven. Of course, they don't end up in heaven because of their compassion -- for no one can ever earn their way to the side of Abraham; rather, they are in heaven because their compassion reveals them to be one of God's children, within the covenant, and a recipient of grace.
Let me put it, then, in the starkest possible terms. Those without compassion are without grace and end up in hell. And those with compassion are full of grace and end up in heaven. Compassion, then, proves the reality of faith. Charity shows the presence of grace. And generosity indicates a close walk with the Lord.
II. Wealth, Hunger, Compassion, and Us
We may not like to admit this, but the parable of the rich man and Lazarus could very well be a parable about North America and most of the rest of the world. We in North America are 5% of the world's population; yet we use 87% of this earth's food, shelter, clothing, and other resources. We are the rich man, and outside of our gates, our borders, lie the world's poor and hungry: Somalia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mexico. These people are so hungry and so desperate that, like Lazarus, they long to eat what falls from our tables.
Sometimes we may fool ourselves into thinking we are poor, that times are tough, that we have to struggle. "I'm not rich," you may say. "I have a hard time making ends meet. With house payments, car payments, growing children, braces, and Christian school tuition, there is precious little left." Yet make no mistake about it -- compared to 90% of the world we are rich, fabulously rich, richer than they can even imagine in their dreams.
"But we deserve this," you may say. "We work hard, get ourselves educated, practice good management, and are not lazy and shiftless." The Lord quickly sets us straight when we dare to think and talk this way: "You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
On this World Hunger Sunday, Jesus warns us against the indifference of the rich man. He warns us against erecting our walls and locking our gates in order to keep the hungry out. He warns us against being greedy and selfish with our wealth. He warns us against not sharing with those in need.
We're good, really good, at talking about this. Every year we observe World Hunger Sunday. But the Lord wants us to do more than talk and listen. The Lord wants us to do more than get spasms of good intentions. I came across these lines this past week:
Topic: Hypocrisy
I WAS HUNGRY and you circled the moon.
I WAS HUNGRY and you told me to wait.
I WAS HUNGRY and you set up a commission.
I WAS HUNGRY and you talked about bootstraps.
I WAS HUNGRY and you told me I shouldn't be.
I WAS HUNGRY and you had napalm bills to pay.
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Machines do that kind of work now."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "The poor are always with us."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Law and order comes first."
I WAS HUNGRY and you blamed it on the communists.
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "So were my ancestors."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "We don't hire over 35."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "God helps those who help themselves."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Sorry, try again tomorrow."
-- T. T. Crabtree, 1985 Pastor's Manual (Zondervan, 1985), p. 91
This was written in the '70s, but I don't think things have changed all that much. The point is that those who consider themselves to be one of God's children in Christ must share with the needy. Those who worship God must show compassion to the hungry. This is not an option. This is a requirement from the Lord for those who are saved by grace through faith. Showing compassion is a test of the reality of our faith.
What exactly can we do? How can we show compassion to the world's poor and hungry? We can pray, of course. But, through Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and Peter Fish, we can also give. We can join CRWRC's "Free a Family" program.
I am sure you all realize we are not to show compassion just to families in Africa or Asia. There are poor people in Visalia and the area who also need our compassion. Hardly a week goes by, for instance, that someone does not call the church office looking for help. Love INC, Sister Ursula's Kitchen, Visalia Rescue Mission, Visalia Emergency Aid, the local Red Cross, and food pantries cannot keep up with all the needy people in our community.
I like what my parents and a couple of my aunts and uncles do at Christmas -- they have done this for two or three years now. They buy Christmas presents for the smallest children, and for all the rest they donate money on their behalf for relief work in Haiti.
I read this past week of a family that made a commitment to support several poor children in Haiti. A little more than $100 a month was enough to feed, clothe, and educate five orphan children who otherwise would have had no hope. In order for the family to carry out its commitment, there were sacrifices to be made. The children rode secondhand bikes. At Christmastime their presents were not as big and as many as what their friends got. Nevertheless, the family stayed with their commitment for almost 10 years.
One day the father came home with some exciting news. His company was sending him on a business trip to Haiti, and his family could travel along. The children -- who by now were teenagers -- were thrilled that they would finally be able to meet the five orphans their family had supported for such a long time. The second day in Haiti the family hired a jeep and drove five or six hours to the village where their young friends lived. What joy they all experienced at the meeting. On the drive back to the capital city, the two children were strangely quiet. Their silence seemed so puzzling and strange that their father asked them what was wrong. "Nothing's wrong," answered his daughter. "I was just thinking that there is nothing we could have done with our money over the last ten years that would have made us happier than we are right now."
She was right, of course, because it is always more blessed to give than to receive. It is blessed to have compassion.
III. How We Get Compassion
When we look at the second half of our scripture lesson we see the rich man begging for Lazarus to be sent to his brothers, to warn them to repent and change their lives before they also die and end up in the torments of hell. Abraham points to the law and prophets, and replies that if they are not enough to call people to repentance, then the return of a dead person is not enough either.
God's law is filled with commandments about the poor and suffering. I read some of them this morning. I also read from the prophet Micah's call for justice (Micah 6:8). Over and over again we hear the prophets calling God's people to justice and righteousness. In the law and prophets we hear all we need to hear about showing compassion.
So if the law and prophets are not enough, and if a dead person brought to life is not enough, what is needed to make someone show compassion? You all know -- or should know. You need a new heart. You need to be born again by the blood and Spirit of Christ. You need to have the seed of faith and love planted in your soul. Then you are not only able to show compassion, but you are also eager to show compassion.
Conclusion
Make no mistake about it, congregation: we are the rich man in Jesus' parable. And all around us we can find Lazarus: in Visalia, Orange Cove, Dinuba, Los Angeles, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Now, the question is: Will the Lord have to condemn us for a lack of compassion? Will the Lord have to say to us: "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me" (Matthew 25:41-43). Or will the Lord say to us: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothe! d me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me" (Matthew 25:34-36).
As evidence of God's grace in you, I urge you to show compassion. This is not an option. This is a requirement from the Lord for those who are saved by grace through faith. Don't forget, showing compassion is a test of the reality of our faith. So as evidence of God's grace in you, I urge you to show compassion to the poor and hungry around the world and here at home as well.
Adrian Dieleman has pastored for 25 years in the Christian Reformed Church, and for the past 7 years has served Trinity CRC in Visalia, California. Adrian grew up in Canada, but is now a U.S. citizen. A graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary, Adrian has published numerous articles in The Banner (the CRC publication) and in Reformed Worship. He has been married to Ruth for 28 years, and they have 3 sons (aged 23, 21, and 19). His interests include cycling, computers, reading, theology, and early child brain development.
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New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Jodie Felton, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. Click on the title above for information about how to order. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A, which begins in December.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
You can order any of our books on the CSS website; they are also available from www.amazon.com and at many Christian bookstores. Or simply e-mail your order to orders@csspub.com or phone 1-800-241-4056. (If you live outside the U.S., phone 419-227-1818.)
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StoryShare, September 26, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
On September 11, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reminded the nation that "as we commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, let's remember that almost as many people are dying in Darfur [in the African country of Sudan] every week as died in the World Trade Center attack." Kristof writes:
"On my last visit to the Darfur area in June, I found a man groaning under a tree. He had been shot in the neck and jaw and left for dead in a pile of corpses. Seeking shelter under the very next tree were a pair of widows whose husbands had both been shot to death. Under the next tree I found a 4-year-old orphan girl caring for her starving 1-year-old brother. And under the tree next to that was a woman whose husband had been killed, along with her 7- and 4-year-old sons, before she was gang-raped and mutilated. Those were the refugees sheltering under just four adjacent trees. Thousands of other victims with similar stories stretched as far as the eye could see...
"One of the people I met was Hatum Atraman Bashir, who was pregnant with the baby of one of the 20 Janjaweed raiders who murdered her husband and gang-raped her. A few days ago, I received an e-mail note from an aid worker in the International Rescue Committee, which is assisting Ms. Bashir, saying that she had given birth but could not produce milk for the baby -- a common problem because of malnutrition." ("Reign of Terror," New York Times, September 11, 2004, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/opinion/11kristol.html)
There is so much need in the world, so many who are hungry and hurting, so many like Lazarus in Jesus' parable from Luke's Gospel. What are we "comfortable, well-off" followers of Jesus to do? Adrian Dieleman has some practical suggestions in "The Rich Man and Lazarus," a moving sermon in this week's Scrap Pile. And check out "The Rich Woman and the Bag Lady," John's powerful retelling of the parable in Good Stories.
A Story to Live By
The Ex-Tither
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith...
1 Timothy 6:9-10a
John was a faithful member of his church. He regularly gave 10% of his income, but he was far from rich. In fact, he could barely keep his head above water, what with the rapid growth of his kids' feet; new shoes cost more each year! And how they did eat! The bills seemed to have no end. So John went to his pastor to ask advice. The pastor said, "John, get down on your knees." So the two men knelt (in those times pastors were, alas, only men), and the pastor prayed that John would have enough money -- more than he currently had. Well, it worked. John became really rich. But he no longer gave 10% of his income -- he gave the same amount he had given before. So the pastor asked John to come in to the study, and again told him to get down on his knees. "Why, Pastor?" John asked. "I have enough money now." "Just kneel," the pastor answered. So they knelt, and the pastor prayed fervently that John would only have enough money so that he could still give 10%.
Shining Moments
The Faith of a Child
by Jane Moschenrose
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Psalm 91:14-16
As an eleven-year-old pitcher for the Rockies Little League softball team, Karen was having a great night. The Rockies were winning, and Karen was taking an active role in her team's progress toward the championships in our mid-size midwestern community.
With the bases loaded and two outs, the pressure was on Karen. She pitched a ball outside home plate, the catcher missed it, and the player on third base started running for home. Karen ran up to cover home plate, and she caught the ball thrown by the catcher just as the runner was coming into home. As she was tagging the runner out, however, something very strange happened. The ball popped up in the air and Karen collapsed, screaming out in pain. As any mother would, I ran to her. She pointed to her right leg. I took hold of her foot and it flopped loosely, connected to her leg only by the flesh.
The EMTs were unable to splint Karen's leg or ankle, and could only support it loosely with a blanket. As we rode over the bumpy field and poorly maintained road to the hospital, Karen continued to scream out in pain. About halfway to the hospital, however, she suddenly became silent. I was sitting next to her, holding her hand, and I looked at her, then at the EMT holding her leg. He seemed not to notice the change in Karen. She had an odd look on her face; her eyes weren't quite closed and they seemed focused toward her left leg. For a moment I thought maybe she had died. I said, "Karen, are you still with us?" She ever so gently squeezed my hand, and somehow I knew she was OK. She was silent the rest of the trip, and seemed oddly at peace.
After getting her settled in the emergency room, I asked her about the sudden silence. She calmly said, "Oh, Jesus came to me and told me I was going to be all right. I have five angels surrounding me."
Totally taken by surprise, I said, "You do?"
"Why, yes, can't you see them?" And she proceeded to describe where they were, surrounding her bed.
Early the next morning as she was being prepared for surgery, Karen asked me a question. "Mama, what if the reason Jesus came to me last night was because he is going to take me home?"
Karen is our only child. I have always thought losing one's child was the worst, most intolerable thing that could happen to a parent. But somehow that morning I had no fear. Probably because God had blessed my Punkin with His presence, I was filled with an indescribable peace. I looked at Karen, right in the eyes, and said, "Punkin, don't you worry about a thing. If you see a bright light, you go for that light, because it will mean that is what's best." She seemed satisfied with that answer.
It was one thing to get through all of this and not submit to the tears that were begging for release. I let them flow when we were just outside of the operating room together. Karen suddenly quoted several scripture verses. I didn't know she had any memorized! Her father calmly said, "Are those the verses you're going to take into surgery with you?" She said, "Yes," and my tears broke loose, not in fear but in awe. I was in awe of the faith of this child, and understood in a new way what Jesus meant when he taught that we must have the faith of a child in order to see the kingdom of heaven. Karen looked up at me, saw my tears, and said, "Don't worry, Mama, the angels will take care of you."
"Are there angels here?"
"Of course, Mama! Don't you see them? There's two right there by your head!"
Naturally, Karen came through the surgery and recovery just fine.
Several months later, I asked Karen if the experience had changed her, faith-wise. I knew that my faith was much greater! She thought about it for a minute, shrugged, and said, "Oh, I don't know. I've always believed in God."
Karen had never had a serious accident or injury before, and it just made sense to her that God would come to her in her need.
"Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).
Jane Moschenrose has served since 1998 as pastor of Wellspring Church, an American Baptist congregation in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School. You can e-mail her at jmoschenro@aol.com.
Good Stories
The Rich Woman and the Bag Lady
by John Sumwalt
"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.' "
Luke 16:25
There was a rich woman who lived in the penthouse of a big city apartment building. And in the park across the street there lived a poor bag lady named Clara who wanted nothing more than to pick through the rich woman's garbage. Clara was crippled, and could walk only with the aid of a shopping cart, in which she kept all of her earthly possessions. Moreover, little children used to taunt her as she went about her daily rounds.
The poor bag lady died and was carried by the angels to heaven to sit at the right hand of Jesus. The rich woman also died, was buried, and went straight to hell, and there in torment she looked up and saw Jesus, afar off, and Clara sitting beside him with her head on his shoulder.
And the rich woman called out, "Dear Jesus, have mercy on me and send Clara to put an ice cube on my tongue, for I am in anguish in this place." But Jesus said, "Remember in your lifetime you received your good things, and Clara received evil things, but now she is comforted here and you are in anguish. And besides all of this, between us and you there is a great gap, in order that those who would go from here to you may not be able, and no one may cross from there to us."
And the rich woman said, "Then I beg you, dear Jesus, to send Clara to my sisters at the club so that she may warn them, so that they may avoid this place of torment." But Jesus said, "They have bag ladies aplenty living among them; let them hear them." And the rich woman said, "No, dear Jesus, if someone goes to them from the dead, they will listen." Jesus answered, "I have risen from the dead and I live among them in all of the poor and homeless throughout the world. If they cannot see me, neither will they be convinced if someone else should rise from the dead."
Scrap Pile
The Rich Man and Lazarus
by Adrian Dieleman
Introduction
Try to imagine the population of North America -- around 316 million people. Now try to imagine a population almost three times bigger. That is the number of people worldwide that do not get enough food -- over 840 million people. We are told that about 1.1 billion people do not have clean drinking water. About 25,000 people -- 25% of the people of Visalia, California -- die each day from hunger or causes related to hunger. Can you imagine an entire city like Visalia being wiped out every four days?
Hunger does not just happen overseas. We are told that 31 million people, 12 million of them children, live without enough food here in the United States.
I. The Rich Man's Sin
In the first scene of his parable, Jesus tells us about a rich man "who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day" (Luke 16:19). This sort of description tells us he wasn't just prosperous or well-off. Rather, he was enormously wealthy. He lived like a king. He was the Bible-era equivalent of a Kennedy or Rockefeller or Bill Gates. Whatever he wanted to do or get was well within his financial means. He wore fine clothes, had a mansion of a home with fine furnishings, was waited upon hand and foot by servants, and never once knew physical hunger or want. It was obvious that he was well-fed and fully satisfied with life. To guard his wealth and protect his physical well-being his estate was surrounded by a wall. The entrance was blocked by a gate and armed soldiers. You see, back then, just like now, many people wanted to share in his wealth and envied him his success.
Jesus also tells us about a beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus laid at the rich man's gate. Through the gate's bars he caught glimpses of the mansion and gardens within. Each and every day Lazarus saw the rich man coming and going, eating and drinking, entertaining and partying, while his own body wasted away due to hunger. Lazarus was covered with sores and longed to eat what fell from the rich man's table.
What do we do with food that falls on the floor? Our normal response is to throw it in the garbage or feed it to our dog or cat. That's our normal response because we consider food that has fallen on the floor to be unclean. Lazarus, however, was so hungry he didn't worry whether the food was clean or covered with dirt or hair or germs. Lazarus was so hungry he longed to eat what fell from the rich man's table.
But in the next scene Jesus tells us that both Lazarus and the rich man died. Lazarus is carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man, on the other hand, ended up in the torments of hell where he begged for even one drop of water with which to cool his tongue.
What a reversal of fortune we see. Or, as Abraham puts it to the rich man: "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" (Luke 16:25).
Why this reversal of fortune for the rich man? What has he done to deserve such a fate? Jesus wants to make the point here that the rich man was uncaring, that he showed no compassion, that he was greedy with his wealth and his possessions. Notice that the dogs showed more love, compassion, and care for poor Lazarus than does the rich man. At least they came and licked his sores and eased his pain and discomfort. But the rich man, he did his best each and every single day to ignore the pleas, the stares, the hunger, and the needs of Lazarus. He didn't even give Lazarus the leftover scraps from his table.
Now we see the real purpose of the wall and the gate. It wasn't just to keep the thieves out, but also to keep the needy out. The rich man didn't want to see them. He didn't want to hear them. He didn't want the comfort of his existence or the peace of his conscience to be disturbed by their shrunken forms and outstretched hands.
The rich man ended up in the fires of hell because his greed and lack of compassion clearly marked him as a man outside of God's grace. The rich man ended up in the fires of hell because his indifference to human suffering showed him to be unjust and loveless. The rich man ended up in the fires of hell because his failure to share showed him to be outside of the covenant and without faith. That's the negative message Jesus wants to bring by means of this parable.
But there is also a positive message. If those without compassion end up in hell, then those with compassion end up in heaven. Of course, they don't end up in heaven because of their compassion -- for no one can ever earn their way to the side of Abraham; rather, they are in heaven because their compassion reveals them to be one of God's children, within the covenant, and a recipient of grace.
Let me put it, then, in the starkest possible terms. Those without compassion are without grace and end up in hell. And those with compassion are full of grace and end up in heaven. Compassion, then, proves the reality of faith. Charity shows the presence of grace. And generosity indicates a close walk with the Lord.
II. Wealth, Hunger, Compassion, and Us
We may not like to admit this, but the parable of the rich man and Lazarus could very well be a parable about North America and most of the rest of the world. We in North America are 5% of the world's population; yet we use 87% of this earth's food, shelter, clothing, and other resources. We are the rich man, and outside of our gates, our borders, lie the world's poor and hungry: Somalia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mexico. These people are so hungry and so desperate that, like Lazarus, they long to eat what falls from our tables.
Sometimes we may fool ourselves into thinking we are poor, that times are tough, that we have to struggle. "I'm not rich," you may say. "I have a hard time making ends meet. With house payments, car payments, growing children, braces, and Christian school tuition, there is precious little left." Yet make no mistake about it -- compared to 90% of the world we are rich, fabulously rich, richer than they can even imagine in their dreams.
"But we deserve this," you may say. "We work hard, get ourselves educated, practice good management, and are not lazy and shiftless." The Lord quickly sets us straight when we dare to think and talk this way: "You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
On this World Hunger Sunday, Jesus warns us against the indifference of the rich man. He warns us against erecting our walls and locking our gates in order to keep the hungry out. He warns us against being greedy and selfish with our wealth. He warns us against not sharing with those in need.
We're good, really good, at talking about this. Every year we observe World Hunger Sunday. But the Lord wants us to do more than talk and listen. The Lord wants us to do more than get spasms of good intentions. I came across these lines this past week:
Topic: Hypocrisy
I WAS HUNGRY and you circled the moon.
I WAS HUNGRY and you told me to wait.
I WAS HUNGRY and you set up a commission.
I WAS HUNGRY and you talked about bootstraps.
I WAS HUNGRY and you told me I shouldn't be.
I WAS HUNGRY and you had napalm bills to pay.
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Machines do that kind of work now."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "The poor are always with us."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Law and order comes first."
I WAS HUNGRY and you blamed it on the communists.
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "So were my ancestors."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "We don't hire over 35."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "God helps those who help themselves."
I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Sorry, try again tomorrow."
-- T. T. Crabtree, 1985 Pastor's Manual (Zondervan, 1985), p. 91
This was written in the '70s, but I don't think things have changed all that much. The point is that those who consider themselves to be one of God's children in Christ must share with the needy. Those who worship God must show compassion to the hungry. This is not an option. This is a requirement from the Lord for those who are saved by grace through faith. Showing compassion is a test of the reality of our faith.
What exactly can we do? How can we show compassion to the world's poor and hungry? We can pray, of course. But, through Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and Peter Fish, we can also give. We can join CRWRC's "Free a Family" program.
I am sure you all realize we are not to show compassion just to families in Africa or Asia. There are poor people in Visalia and the area who also need our compassion. Hardly a week goes by, for instance, that someone does not call the church office looking for help. Love INC, Sister Ursula's Kitchen, Visalia Rescue Mission, Visalia Emergency Aid, the local Red Cross, and food pantries cannot keep up with all the needy people in our community.
I like what my parents and a couple of my aunts and uncles do at Christmas -- they have done this for two or three years now. They buy Christmas presents for the smallest children, and for all the rest they donate money on their behalf for relief work in Haiti.
I read this past week of a family that made a commitment to support several poor children in Haiti. A little more than $100 a month was enough to feed, clothe, and educate five orphan children who otherwise would have had no hope. In order for the family to carry out its commitment, there were sacrifices to be made. The children rode secondhand bikes. At Christmastime their presents were not as big and as many as what their friends got. Nevertheless, the family stayed with their commitment for almost 10 years.
One day the father came home with some exciting news. His company was sending him on a business trip to Haiti, and his family could travel along. The children -- who by now were teenagers -- were thrilled that they would finally be able to meet the five orphans their family had supported for such a long time. The second day in Haiti the family hired a jeep and drove five or six hours to the village where their young friends lived. What joy they all experienced at the meeting. On the drive back to the capital city, the two children were strangely quiet. Their silence seemed so puzzling and strange that their father asked them what was wrong. "Nothing's wrong," answered his daughter. "I was just thinking that there is nothing we could have done with our money over the last ten years that would have made us happier than we are right now."
She was right, of course, because it is always more blessed to give than to receive. It is blessed to have compassion.
III. How We Get Compassion
When we look at the second half of our scripture lesson we see the rich man begging for Lazarus to be sent to his brothers, to warn them to repent and change their lives before they also die and end up in the torments of hell. Abraham points to the law and prophets, and replies that if they are not enough to call people to repentance, then the return of a dead person is not enough either.
God's law is filled with commandments about the poor and suffering. I read some of them this morning. I also read from the prophet Micah's call for justice (Micah 6:8). Over and over again we hear the prophets calling God's people to justice and righteousness. In the law and prophets we hear all we need to hear about showing compassion.
So if the law and prophets are not enough, and if a dead person brought to life is not enough, what is needed to make someone show compassion? You all know -- or should know. You need a new heart. You need to be born again by the blood and Spirit of Christ. You need to have the seed of faith and love planted in your soul. Then you are not only able to show compassion, but you are also eager to show compassion.
Conclusion
Make no mistake about it, congregation: we are the rich man in Jesus' parable. And all around us we can find Lazarus: in Visalia, Orange Cove, Dinuba, Los Angeles, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Now, the question is: Will the Lord have to condemn us for a lack of compassion? Will the Lord have to say to us: "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me" (Matthew 25:41-43). Or will the Lord say to us: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothe! d me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me" (Matthew 25:34-36).
As evidence of God's grace in you, I urge you to show compassion. This is not an option. This is a requirement from the Lord for those who are saved by grace through faith. Don't forget, showing compassion is a test of the reality of our faith. So as evidence of God's grace in you, I urge you to show compassion to the poor and hungry around the world and here at home as well.
Adrian Dieleman has pastored for 25 years in the Christian Reformed Church, and for the past 7 years has served Trinity CRC in Visalia, California. Adrian grew up in Canada, but is now a U.S. citizen. A graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary, Adrian has published numerous articles in The Banner (the CRC publication) and in Reformed Worship. He has been married to Ruth for 28 years, and they have 3 sons (aged 23, 21, and 19). His interests include cycling, computers, reading, theology, and early child brain development.
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New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Jodie Felton, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. Click on the title above for information about how to order. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A, which begins in December.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
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StoryShare, September 26, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
