The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 21 - 26 September 2010

The Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Contemporary Reading: Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Psalm 146

I Timothy 6:6-19

Saint Luke 16:19-31

      

BACKGROUND

A device that was used to great effect by the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, both before and following the exile in Babylon, and the deportations under the Assyrians, was the oracle.  This device is known in other cultures as well, perhaps better.  The economy of the oracle was that it was simple, direct, sometimes ambiguous, poetic, and assigned to God.  The simplicity is often lost to us in that many of the oracles were later combined into an on-going proclamation by a later editor.  We can, however, see their power in the spare vocabulary, and in the directness of what they have to say.  Amos, whom we encounter once again in today’s readings, used this device quite effectively.  Oracles were not always announcements of “woe” (as is this morning’s first reading), but could also announce “salvation”, or “blessing”.

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,

and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.

Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,

and lounge on their couches,

and eat lambs from the flock,

and calves from the stall;

who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,

and like David improvise on instruments of music;

who drink wine from bowls,

and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,

and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

An ivory panel from a piece of furniture

Last Sunday’s reading was also from Amos, and I commented on the ministry and time of Amos in conjunction with that reading.  Today we have more of the same thought, and in addition a detailed picture of life in 8^th Century Israel.  Positioned where it was, on the coast of the Mediterranean, and in the midst of the Fertile Crescent, Israel made an ideal trans-shipment point.  Using the advantages of this location, where trade from Egypt moved north and trade from the Mesopotamian cultures moved south, Israel became wealthy.  It is the life that derives from this wealth that Amos pictures for us, although the first line “those who are at ease in Zion” indicates the Southern Kingdom of Judah as well.  Amos calls them “loungers”, a people enjoying the results of their labor.  Their “sin” is pronounced in a single line – “(they) are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph” (“Joseph” is a code word for the Northern Kingdom).  The fate of the tribes of Israel seems to be of no matter to them.  Likewise the judgment that flows from their nonchalance is equally brief – “(their) revelry shall pass away.

Breaking open Amos:

1.     How do you spend your leisure time?

2.     Does you time away from work ever involve good works for others?

3.     How does Amos’ oracle make you feel?

Psalm 146 Lauda, anima mea

Hallelujah!

Praise the LORD, O my soul! *

I will praise the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *

for there is no help in them.

When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *

and in that day their thoughts perish.

Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!*

whose hope is in the LORD their God;

Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *

who keeps his promise for ever;

Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *

and food to those who hunger.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;

the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *

the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

The LORD loves the righteous;

the LORD cares for the stranger; *

he sustains the orphan and widow,

but frustrates the way of the wicked.

The LORD shall reign for ever, *

your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.

Hallelujah!

The author of this praise psalm (Hallel) must have looked in awe and wonder at the world that passed through his cities, and down his trade routes.  He dismisses it however, noting that even the rulers of the earth pass away into death.  The implication is that happiness cannot be found in these things of the earth.  The psalmist then lists what does make for happiness or blessedness (the words are interchangeable): existence, divine support, hope, and justice.  Then he comes to more tangible blessings, blessings that humankind has some ability to impart and sustain.  This listing, “sets the prisoners free, etc.” will be seen in other contexts.  Isaiah will find in this list a sign of the messianic age, and Jesus will use a similar list as a defense when the disciples of John the Baptist come and ask him, “are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another.”  This program of justice for the poor is taken on by Luke, who puts it into the mouth of Mary, and into the hands of the apostles.  The psalmist sees these qualities as the hallmark of Israel, a nation in covenant with the God who provides.

Breaking open Psalm 146

1.       Is there a contrast between what you trust in God, and what you trust in the governance of this nation?

2.       Who is responsible for the care of those who have nothing – the Church or the Nation?

3.       Does God really frustrate the wicked?  How?

I Timothy 6:6-19

There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 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 and pierced themselves with many pains.

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time-- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

The author of First Timothy offers us a full panoply of exhortations on several topics.  First there is commentary on wealth, and a nod to stoic philosophy in the comment on “contentment.  The author is not condemning wealth or money, but rather the desire for these things.  He then continues on to exhort Timothy in his ministry.  The word that stands out is the notion of being a “witness”.  The allusions of this word, the court, the trial, and making testimony, ties this exhortation to the witness of Jesus in Pilate’s court, and the necessity of being a witness (this is what Timothy is called to do) to Jesus.  The later part of this paragraph (verses 15 and 16) are probably a quotation from an ancient Christian hymn, “our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time - he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” Then, in the final paragraph, the author again comments on wealth and the desire for wealth, in language that Amos would appreciate.  He notes what are true riches, good works, generosity, and almsgiving.

Breaking open I Timothy:

1. What would contentment in your life mean?  What would it entail?
2. How are you a witness to Jesus?
3. What are the riches of your life?

Saint Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 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.' 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. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Lazarus and the rich man

This story, known only in Luke, comes from a long tradition of literature, proverbs, and storytelling on the subject how to handle money and be righteous at the same time.  The story of the “dishonest manger” (last Sunday) is an example of such a story that is known also in Egypt and among Jewish rabbis.  In this story about Lazarus (this is the only instance where a character in a parable is given a name, and is, perhaps, a later addition) and the rich man, we have the full spectrum of life that Amos so ably describes in the first lesson.  The divide of rich and poor is carefully detailed in this story, and it becomes a device to speak on the results of such lives.  The divide continues with the salvation of Lazarus, and the condemnation of the rich man.  The “great chasm” that the character of Abraham mentions in his comments to the rich man, represents not only the divide of righteous and unrighteous, but also the divide of rich from poor.  Luke does not put much stock into the power of resurrection (an irony, considering the name given to the poor man) for even the evidence of resurrection cannot save.  Equally, knowledge of the Law (read Word of God) and proficiency in quoting it, guarantees nothing.  The entire story seems to be directed against the Pharisees, who are quoted in a verse previous to this reading: “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him.”

Breaking open the Gospel:

1. How are you like Lazarus?
2. How are you like the rich man

Contemporary Reading: Chapter 17 from The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis

If you wish peace and concord with others, you must learn to break your will in many things.  To live in monasteries or religious communities, to remain there without complaint, and to persevere faithfully till death is no small matter.  Blessed indeed is he who there lives a good life and there ends his days in happiness. 

If you would persevere in seeking perfection, you must consider yourself a pilgrim, an exile on earth.  If you would become a religious, you must be content to seem a fool for the sake of Christ.  Habit and tonsure change a man but little; it is the change of life, the complete mortification of passions that endow a true religious.

He who seeks anything but God alone and the salvation of his soul will only find trouble and grief, and he who does not try to become the least, the servant of all, cannot remain at peace for long.

You have come to serve, not to rule.  You must understand, too, that you have been called to suffer and to work, not to idle and gossip away your time.  Here men are tried as gold in a furnace.  Here no man can remain unless he desires with all his heart to humble himself before God.

Thomas à Kempis was born in Kempen, Germany in 1380.  He belonged to a school of mystics who lived in communities along the Rhine from Basel (Switzerland) to Straßburg (Alsace), also in Cologne, and the Netherlands.  Both priest and monk, he copied at least four copies of the Scriptures and wrote devotional works, not the least of which is the Imitation of Christ.

After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.