Betsey Moe Sermon 9.25.22 [proper 21] The Chasms Between Us Luke 16:19-31 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 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. 26 Besides all this, between yo
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Proper 20. September 18, 2022 Luke 16:1-13 Rev. Neli Miranda Today we read a very intriguing parable. . . through this parable Jesus speaks to us about wealth. Jesus never condemned wealth, but he did speak about the structures that allowed the accumulation of wealth in a few hands, and always taught about sharing wealth with the poor, who were most of the population in Jesus’ time. Today’s parable, with all the questions it raises, must be read in the context of the economic system in the Roman-occupied Palestine of the first century. By this time, most of the land had been expropriated from its original owners, the people, and given to local elites and Roman rulers living in Palestine. So, land was concentrated in a few hands, while most of the people had to lease land or work for landowners. In addition, although God’s law forbade it, the system allowed the landowners to charge exorbitant interest rates to amass more land and to throw peasants off their family land. By th
Proper 19, September 11, 2022 Luke 15:1-10 Rev. Neli Miranda Today´s Gospel begins saying that, A ll the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them…” This is the context where Jesus tells us three of his most beautiful parables: the found sheep, the found coin, and the parable of the loving father who welcomes his son who returns home after being lost. Today, we reflect only on the first two. In the preceding chapters Luke tells us that Jesus shared with the Pharisees who invited him for meals. They considered Jesus a Rabbi, a teacher, and it seems they held him in high esteem and considered his teachings important. They were comfortable with Jesus until they saw the venerable Rabbi sharing with the despised tax collectors and all those considered sinners . The term sinner included a broad category of people—those who behaved in immo
Proper 18. September 4, 2022 Lucas 14:25-33 Rev. Neli ML Large crowds were traveling with Jesus … Luke does not mention in this passage where they are traveling to, but let us remember that Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem to the Feast of the Passover. There, he will be arrested by the Jewish authorities and handed over to the Romans for execution due to his proclamation. Many pilgrims also traveling to Jerusalem have joined Jesus on the way, attracted by his powerful message and great deeds. Unfortunately, it seems the large, enthusiastic crowds have great expectations about Jesus but still do not understand the radicality of Jesus’ message. Thus, along the way, Jesus took some time to warn them about the seriousness of taking the journey to Jerusalem: they must be willing to “hate” their family, to carry the cross, and to relinquish possessions. Mmmmm… Jesus, I don't think this is a good strategy to attract more disciples. “ Whoever comes to me and does not hate fa