Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (October 1, 1995)

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	(soft organ music)	0:09
	(muffled choir singing)	0:45
-	Good morning.	3:30
	We'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel	3:31
	and a special word of welcome to the parents and families	3:33
	that are here celebrating Parent's Weekend with us.	3:37
	This morning the choir will be featuring an anthem	3:41
	written by Dr. David Arcus, Let All the World.	3:44
	The description of the anthem is listed	3:48
	on the back of your bulletin	3:50
	and we'll hope you will take the time to read that.	3:51
	Also, today at two o'clock, we will have our annual blessing	3:55
	of the animal service.	3:59
	This is a celebration of the ways that God has blessed us	4:01
	through the nonhuman creatures of creation	4:05
	and you're invited to bring the animals in your care	4:08
	for a service of Thanksgiving and blessing.	4:11
	Let us continue our worship as you stand for the greeting.	4:14
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	4:23
Congregation	And also with you.	4:27
-	The risen Christ is with us.	4:29
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	4:31
	(soft organ music)	4:34
	(muffled choir singing)	5:24
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	5:41
	(muffled choir singing)	5:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	6:04
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	6:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	6:11
	(muffled choir singing)	6:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	6:36
	(muffled choir singing)	6:38
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	6:58
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	7:01
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	7:04
	(muffled choir singing)	7:12
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	7:25
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	7:28
	(muffled choir singing)	7:32
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	7:51
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	7:55
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	7:59
	(muffled choir singing)	8:06
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	8:19
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	8:22
	(muffled choir singing)	8:27
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	8:46
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	8:49
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	8:52
	(muffled choir singing)	9:00
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	9:16
	(muffled choir singing)	9:21
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	9:40
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	9:43
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	9:46
	(muffled choir singing)	9:54
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	10:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	10:09
	(muffled choir singing)	10:14
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	10:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	10:36
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	10:40
	(muffled choir singing)	10:48
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	11:03
	(muffled choir singing)	11:08
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	11:26
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	11:29
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	11:33
-	Let us pray.	11:46
	God of all times and all places.	11:48
	Be present to us, your people, gathered at this time	11:52
	and in this place.	11:54
	Bless all who have gathered here this morning.	11:56
	Mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers,	11:59
	step-parents and step-children, roommates and friends,	12:02
	singled and married, that all might rekindle a vision	12:08
	of what is most important in the living out of our days.	12:11
	Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, and rest upon the heads	12:15
	and hearts of every person within this place,	12:18
	that our spirits might be refreshed and you, O God,	12:21
	might be better known,	12:25
	for it is in Christ's name we ask it, amen.	12:27
	You may be seated.	12:32
-	Let us pray together the Prayer for Illumination.	12:44
	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	12:48
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	12:51
	so that, as the word is read and proclaimed,	12:54
	we may hear your message with joy this day.	12:58
	Amen.	13:01
	The Old Testament reading is from the Book of Jeremiah,	13:04
	chapter 32.	13:07
	The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord	13:09
	in the 10th year of King Zedekiah of Judah,	13:12
	which was the 18th year of Nebuchadrezzar.	13:14
	At that time the army of the king of Babylon	13:17
	was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah	13:20
	was confined in the court of the guard	13:23
	that was in the palace of the king of Judah,	13:25
	where King Zedekiah had confined him.	13:27
	Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me:	13:30
	Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you	13:34
	and say, Buy my field that is at Anathoth,	13:37
	for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.	13:42
	Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard,	13:45
	in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me,	13:49
	Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,	13:51
	for the right of possession and redemption is yours;	13:55
	buy it for yourself.	13:57
	Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.	13:59
	And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel,	14:01
	and weighed out the money to him, 17 shekels of silver.	14:05
	I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses,	14:09
	and weighed the money on scales.	14:13
	Then I took the sealed deed of purchases,	14:16
	containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy;	14:18
	I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah	14:21
	son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel,	14:24
	in the presence of the witnesses	14:27
	who signed the deed of purchase,	14:29
	and in the presence of all the Judeans	14:30
	who were sitting in the court of the guard.	14:33
	And in their presence I charged Baruch, saying,	14:35
	Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:	14:38
	Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase	14:41
	and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar,	14:45
	in order that they may last for a long time.	14:48
	For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:	14:51
	Houses and fields and vineyards	14:54
	shall again be bought in this land.	14:57
	This is the word of the Lord.	14:59
	Thanks be to God.	15:01
-	Psalm 91, on page 810 in the hymnal.	15:08
	Let us stand to sing the Psalm and Glory Responsively.	15:13
	(soft organ music)	15:20
	♪ Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High ♪	15:26
	♪ Who abide in the shadow of the Almighty ♪	15:30
	♪ Will say to the Lord ♪	15:34
	♪ My refuge and my fortress ♪	15:38
	♪ My God, in whom I trust ♪	15:42
	♪ For the Lord will deliver you ♪	15:47
	♪ From the snare of the fowler ♪	15:50
	♪ And from the deadly pestilence ♪	15:53
	♪ And will cover you with his pinions ♪	15:58
	♪ And under his wings you will find refuge ♪	16:01
	♪ His faithfulness is a shield and buckler ♪	16:07
	♪ You will not fear the terror of the night ♪	16:13
	♪ Nor the arrow that flies by day ♪	16:18
	♪ Or the pestilence that stalks in darkness ♪	16:22
	♪ Or the destruction that wastes at noonday ♪	16:27
	♪ A thousand may fall at your side ♪	16:33
	♪ 10 thousand at your right hand ♪	16:36
	♪ But it will not come near you ♪	16:40
	♪ You will only look with your eyes ♪	16:44
	♪ And see the punishment of the wicked ♪	16:49
	♪ Because you have made the Lord your refuge ♪	16:55
	♪ The Most High your habitation ♪	16:59
	♪ No evil shall befall you ♪	17:04
	♪ No scourge come near your tent ♪	17:08
	♪ For God will give his angels charge over you ♪	17:14
	♪ To guard you in all your ways ♪	17:19
	♪ On their hands they will bear you up ♪	17:23
	♪ So that you will not dash your foot against a stone ♪	17:28
	♪ You will tread on the lion and the adder ♪	17:34
	♪ The young lion and the serpent ♪	17:40
	♪ You will trample under foot ♪	17:43
	♪ Because they cleave to me in love ♪	17:48
	♪ I will deliver them ♪	17:51
	♪ I will protect them, because they know my name ♪	17:55
	♪ When they call to me, I will answer them ♪	18:02
	♪ I will be with them in trouble ♪	18:07
	♪ I will rescue them and honor them ♪	18:10
	♪ I will satisfy them with long life ♪	18:14
	♪ And show them my salvation ♪	18:20
	♪ O glory be to you ♪	18:26
	♪ Creator and through Jesus Christ, our Savior ♪	18:28
	(muffled choir singing)	18:33
	♪ As it was their time began ♪	18:40
	♪ It is now and will be forever more ♪	18:44
-	Please be seated.	18:56
	The New Testament reading is from	19:02
	First Timothy, chapter six.	19:03
	Of course, there is great gain in godliness	19:06
	combined with contentment;	19:09
	for we brought nothing into the world,	19:11
	so that we can take nothing out of it;	19:13
	but if we have food and clothing,	19:16
	we will be content with these.	19:19
	But those who want to be rich fall into temptation	19:21
	and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires	19:24
	that plunge people into ruin and destruction.	19:28
	For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,	19:31
	and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away	19:35
	from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.	19:38
	But as for you, man of God,	19:42
	shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness,	19:44
	faith, love, endurance, gentleness.	19:48
	Fight the good fight of the faith;	19:52
	take hold of the eternal life,	19:56
	to which you were called and for which you were made	19:58
	the good confession in the presence of so many witnesses.	20:01
	In the presence of God, who gives life to all things,	20:05
	and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony	20:08
	before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,	20:10
	I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame	20:13
	until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,	20:17
	which he will bring about at the right time,	20:20
	he who is the blessed and only Sovereign,	20:22
	the King of kings and Lord of lords.	20:25
	It is he alone who has immortality	20:28
	and dwells in unapproachable light,	20:30
	whom no one has ever seen or can see;	20:33
	to him be honor and eternal dominion.	20:36
	Amen.	20:38
	And for those who in the present age are rich,	20:40
	command them not to be haughty,	20:42
	or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches,	20:44
	but rather on God who richly provides us	20:47
	with everything for our enjoyment.	20:50
	They are to do good, to be rich in good works,	20:54
	generous, and ready to share,	20:57
	thus storing up for themselves the treasure	21:00
	of a good foundation for the future,	21:03
	so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.	21:05
	This is the word of the Lord.	21:11
	Thanks be to God.	21:13
	(dramatic organ music)	21:18
	(dramatic organ music)	21:59
	(muffled choir singing)	22:13
	♪ My God ♪	25:27
	♪ My God ♪	25:30
	♪ My God ♪	25:33
	(muffled choir singing)	25:39
-	The gospel reading is from Saint Luke, chapter 16.	26:03
	There was a rich man who was dressed in purple	26:08
	and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.	26:10
	And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus,	26:14
	covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger	26:18
	with what fell from the rich man's table;	26:21
	even the dogs would come and lick his sores.	26:24
	The poor man died and was carried away by the angels	26:27
	to be with Abraham.	26:31
	The rich man also died and was buried.	26:32
	In Hades, where he was being tormented,	26:35
	he looked up and saw Abraham far away	26:38
	with Lazarus by his side.	26:40
	He called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me,	26:43
	and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water	26:46
	and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.	26:51
	But Abraham said, Child, remember that during your lifetime	26:55
	you received your good things,	26:58
	and Lazarus in like manner evil things;	27:00
	but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.	27:03
	Besides all this, between you and us	27:07
	a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want	27:09
	to pass from here to you cannot do so,	27:13
	and no one can cross from there to us.	27:15
	He said, Then, father, I beg you to send him	27:18
	to my father's house, for I have five brothers,	27:20
	that he may warn them, so that they will not also come	27:24
	into this place of torment.	27:26
	Abraham replied, They have Moses and the prophets;	27:28
	they should listen to them.	27:32
	He said, No, father Abraham;	27:34
	but if someone goes to them from the dead,	27:36
	they will repent.	27:39
	He said to him, If they do not listen to Moses	27:40
	and the prophets, neither will they be convinced	27:43
	even if someone rises from the dead.	27:47
	This is the word of the Lord.	27:52
	(congregation mumbling)	27:54
-	We've heard a lot about the gaps between the rich	28:08
	and the poor in America.	28:11
	It's old news that the rich get richer	28:13
	and the poor get poorer.	28:16
	We've all seen images which dramatize the contrast	28:19
	between rich and poor.	28:23
	One winter, the Today Show did a story on the homeless	28:26
	in Washington D.C., sleeping on the sidewalks	28:29
	on top of the steaming street gates	28:32
	in front of the White House during subfreezing weather.	28:36
	This most public symbol of the wealth	28:40
	and power of our nation provided a dramatic backdrop	28:43
	for the plight of our nations poor.	28:47
	Then, immediately, following the stories,	28:51
	the camera shifted to Paris where American socialites	28:53
	were selecting designer dresses valued at	28:57
	more than $15,000 dollars each.	29:00
	The disparity was strikingly obvious.	29:03
	As much as we might like to avoid them,	29:07
	we're often confronted with images	29:09
	of the contrast between wealth and poverty.	29:11
	Here at the University, we are surrounded by beauty	29:15
	and the signs of wealth and privilege but we don't have to	29:18
	travel far outside the university walls before	29:23
	we are uncomfortably reminded of the ugliness	29:26
	and the closeness of poverty.	29:30
	Walk down ninth street and a panhandler is likely	29:34
	to hit you up for money.	29:37
	Stroll the neighborhoods around East Campus	29:40
	and it won't be long before you begin to notice	29:43
	a difference in the landscape.	29:45
	Poverty, wherever it exists, is strikingly obvious.	29:48
	We can't get away from it, even when we're watching	29:54
	our favorite television program for a little relaxation	29:56
	and forgetfulness.	30:00
	The images of starving children in Africa	30:02
	and Latin America flash across our TV	30:05
	before we can hit the remote control	30:08
	and change the images to more pleasant pictures.	30:11
	We know that there is a great disparity between	30:16
	the wealthy and the poor but we don't like to dwell on it.	30:20
	The statistics overwhelm us.	30:27
	Between 15 million	30:29
	and 20 million people die of starvation	30:31
	and hunger-related illnesses each year	30:35
	today.	30:41
	Today, Sunday,	30:43
	October 1st, 1995,	30:46
	World Communion Day,	30:49
	over 40,000 people will starve.	30:53
	30,000 of them children.	30:57
	Over one billion people on the planet live	31:01
	in a state of absolute poverty.	31:04
	Some of them in our own city.	31:06
	And each year, 250,000 children are blinded	31:09
	simply because of a vitamin deficiency in their diet.	31:13
	For the most part, we feel helpless to do anything	31:18
	about such massive need,	31:22
	so we try not to think about it at all.	31:24
	We might give occasionally to efforts for relief of famine,	31:28
	we might donate some old clothes to the homeless shelter,	31:32
	we might even make an annual contribution to the United Way	31:35
	or some other charity but, for the most part,	31:38
	we keep our distance from poverty.	31:42
	It's harshness and ugliness and magnitude	31:46
	make us uncomfortable, so it's natural that we try to	31:50
	avoid it when we can.	31:55
	The rich man in the parable was no different than we are.	31:59
	He didn't like to be reminded of what was ugly	32:02
	and painful in life.	32:06
	He built high walls around his estate	32:08
	to keep out the undesirables.	32:11
	Inside, everything was beautiful	32:13
	and pleasing to the eye and desirable.	32:17
	Outside, was everything that was unpleasant and miserable	32:21
	and unclean.	32:27
	When he left his estate, we can imagine him	32:29
	in a long limousine with tinted windows, a driver,	32:32
	and soft, relaxing music.	32:36
	It's not difficult to avoid looking upon the face of poverty	32:39
	if you have the means to surround yourself	32:42
	with what is lovely and pleasant.	32:45
	With a few bold images, Jesus painted a vivid picture	32:49
	of this rich man.	32:55
	It's amazing how much you can tell about a person	32:57
	by the cut and make of their clothes.	32:59
	The rich man projected an image of opulence and wealth,	33:02
	he was habitually aborned and adorned in the best finery,	33:06
	nothing but designer fashions.	33:10
	His undergarment of fine linen was made of an expensive,	33:12
	Egyptian product that was often called woven heir.	33:16
	It was the same fabric that was used to bind	33:19
	the mummified bodies of the Pharaohs	33:22
	and was prized as highly as gold.	33:24
	His outer garments were purple,	33:27
	the color which signified royalty or extreme wealth,	33:29
	for the dye had to be meticulously extracted	33:33
	from oyster shells and was prohibitively expensive	33:36
	to all but the most wealthy and powerful.	33:40
	He also lived in a manner consistent with his clothes.	33:43
	In the NRSV, the text says he feasted sumptuously every day.	33:47
	Another translation says,	33:53
	he was feasting every day brilliantly and magnificently.	33:54
	His was no ordinary fare of bread and lentil soup.	33:59
	The daily menu read more like Antoine's of New Orleans,	34:03
	pheasant under glass, Oysters Rockefeller,	34:07
	Beef Wellington, caviar, and perfectly aged wine.	34:10
	No food was too exotic, no table too lavish,	34:15
	with these few images, Jesus portrayed a vivid picture	34:20
	of someone who had made it to the top of	34:25
	the economic ladder, someone who lived with limitless	34:27
	wealth and indulgent prosperity.	34:30
	Then with equal clarity, Jesus painted the image of Lazarus	34:34
	lying at the rich man's gate.	34:39
	In the Greek, the word (speaking foreign language)	34:42
	implies that he was flung there with contempt and roughness	34:44
	to beg for crumbs from the wealthy man's table.	34:48
	The word for gate, (speaking foreign language),	34:52
	intensifies the sense of contrast between Lazarus	34:54
	and the rich man, for it was used to describe	34:57
	a gate of magnificent artistry and exquisite beauty,	35:00
	offering a hint of the opulence of the estate	35:04
	inside the gates.	35:07
	The gate and the mansion provide a startling backdrop	35:09
	for Lazarus' pitiful plight.	35:14
	He lay there, day after day, covered with oozing sores,	35:17
	an image that's disgusting to us, begging for scraps	35:23
	of bread which fell from the rich man's table.	35:28
	He was sick, starving, and filthy,	35:31
	a pitiful site which no doubt moved passersby	35:35
	to throw a few coins in the cup	35:38
	but also to walk quickly away,	35:40
	lest they have to smell him or look into his eyes.	35:43
	It's not hard to imagine the rich man avoiding Lazarus	35:49
	at his gate, it wasn't a pleasant sight.	35:53
	The text says that the dogs would come and lick his sores,	35:57
	that doesn't tell us whether the dogs were a nuisance	36:01
	or a comfort to him but I prefer to think of them	36:04
	as one, small comfort offered to him in his misery.	36:07
	Some of us have known the loyalty and concern of a pet	36:11
	who stayed with us through an illness or who tried	36:14
	to comfort us when we were upset.	36:17
	And this afternoon, hundreds of people who've been blessed	36:20
	by the animals in their lives will bring them	36:23
	to the Chapel Quad for a blessing of Thanksgiving.	36:26
	Sometimes, animals show more pity and compassion	36:29
	than human beings, so perhaps the dogs	36:33
	were a comfort to Lazarus.	36:37
	No one else was.	36:39
	With a few descriptive phrases,	36:42
	Jesus strikingly portrayed the discrepancy between	36:45
	the life of the rich man and Lazarus.	36:48
	Then he shifted the narrative to death,	36:53
	the great equalizer.	36:56
	Both men died.	36:59
	The rich man was buried and though the Scripture doesn't	37:01
	give us any detail, we know that his status in life	37:04
	would have afforded him an opulent funeral.	37:07
	On the other hand, because of his poverty and status	37:11
	as one unclean and outcast,	37:14
	Lazarus would have been thrown naked onto the fires	37:17
	outside the city walls where the garbage was burned.	37:19
	One was buried with honors,	37:24
	the other burned with ignominy.	37:26
	But the next scene in the drama reveals a startling reversal	37:30
	in their positions.	37:34
	Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham	37:35
	and the rich man is in the agony of flames and Hades.	37:38
	Lazarus is on the inside	37:42
	and the rich man is on the outside,	37:46
	looking across a great chasm, begging for mercy.	37:48
	Now, some preachers have interpreted this parable	37:55
	as a literal depiction of the righteous in heaven	37:58
	and the evil in hell and preach it as a stern warning	38:01
	about the eternal hellfires of damnation.	38:05
	But as with all parabolic language, this vision of heaven	38:09
	and hell should not be taken literally but symbolically.	38:14
	Through this parable, Jesus offers us a window	38:19
	in which the curtain of time is pulled back	38:23
	and we have the opportunity to glimpse eternity.	38:27
	In eternity, God's kingdom,	38:32
	things get rearranged	38:35
	and those who appear to be powerful and on top of it all	38:38
	sometimes find themselves on the bottom	38:42
	and those who appear to be weak and powerless and least	38:46
	sometimes find themselves on top.	38:52
	In the kingdom of God, appearances pass away	38:57
	and the truth about life is revealed.	39:01
	It is evident who is close to God	39:05
	and who is far away.	39:08
	What was true but hidden in life is revealed	39:11
	through the parable.	39:16
	Several interpretations have been offered	39:19
	for the reversal of the circumstances	39:22
	between Lazarus and the rich man.	39:24
	Some have said that it is a great squaring of accounts,	39:27
	the rich man got what he deserved, justice at last.	39:31
	The implication is that there's something inherently wrong	39:36
	with being rich and that those who are rich in life	39:39
	will be punished and that those who are poor and miserable	39:42
	in life will be rewarded but that's too simplistic	39:46
	in interpretation,	39:51
	it doesn't take into account Abraham,	39:54
	Abraham in whose arms Lazarus is comforted,	39:57
	the patriarch who was blessed with land, animals,	40:00
	and great wealth.	40:05
	Having wealth is not what condemned the rich man.	40:07
	Others have pointed out that this parable has sometimes	40:13
	been used with the evil motive of reconciling	40:15
	the miserable to their lot.	40:19
	The message is, hang on, accept whatever life gives you,	40:21
	and you'll be rewarded in the next life.	40:26
	In Alice Walker's book, The Color Purple,	40:29
	Celie spouses this view when she tells Sofia,	40:32
	her daughter-in-law,	40:35
	that she lets Mister beat her	40:37
	because, after all, this life is fleeting	40:40
	and she believes that in the end, she'll be rewarded	40:43
	in heaven which lasts eternally.	40:46
	Always one to take hold of her own destiny,	40:50
	Sofia tells Celie that she'd be better off	40:53
	busting Mister's head and letting heaven	40:56
	take care of itself.	40:58
	There is nothing inherently good about being poor	41:02
	and powerless and there is nothing inherently evil	41:06
	about being rich and powerful.	41:10
	So, what does the parable mean?	41:16
	The key to unlock the meaning of this parable	41:20
	is in the exchange between Abraham and the rich man.	41:23
	Still used to having people at his beckon call,	41:28
	the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger	41:31
	in the water and cool the tip of his tongue.	41:36
	In response, Abraham tells him to remember.	41:40
	Remember his life and relationship to Lazarus.	41:45
	Remember that he had nothing but good things.	41:51
	Remember that Lazarus had nothing but evil things.	41:56
	Through remembering, he saw the truth of his life	42:01
	in relationship to Lazarus for the first time.	42:07
	In life, Lazarus was powerless to bridge the distance	42:12
	between them, he was on the outside of the gates,	42:15
	looking across a chasm,	42:18
	longing for a share of life's blessings.	42:20
	The rich man could easily have crossed the chasm	42:25
	but he chose to insolate himself against having	42:29
	to see Lazarus' need.	42:31
	The distance between them which had been determined in life	42:34
	became fixed in death.	42:39
	The time for response was past and there was nothing that	42:42
	he could now do to establish a relationship between them.	42:46
	It isn't that the rich man was harshly condemned	42:52
	or indicted because he was rich.	42:55
	It isn't that he persecuted Lazarus or deliberately refused	42:58
	him food or sponsored legislation to rid his gates	43:02
	of the poor.	43:06
	No, the key is that he never even saw Lazarus.	43:09
	The difficulty with their relationship all those years	43:15
	on earth is that he never saw Lazarus, though he passed	43:18
	him by every day.	43:22
	His wealth had so distorted his vision	43:25
	that he was unable to perceive the plight of the beggar	43:28
	at his gate to identify with his suffering	43:31
	and ease his predicament.	43:35
	In shutting his eyes to human need,	43:39
	he had also shut out the God who is consistently	43:42
	portrayed in Scripture as a friend of the poor,	43:46
	a helper of the weak, and a comfort to the needy.	43:49
	This is the great danger in wealth.	43:54
	It can so easily cause blindness.	43:57
	Prosperity has a way of limiting our perspective,	44:01
	of pulling down the shades on the distasteful,	44:05
	so as not to disturb our enjoyment of life.	44:09
	And when we close ourselves off from human need,	44:13
	no matter how distasteful, we also close ourselves	44:16
	off from God who is most often	44:20
	found close to those in need.	44:24
	It is not a new story but an age old one.	44:27
	The rich man who was now the one powerless	44:34
	to change his own circumstances, pleaded with Abraham	44:37
	to send Lazarus to warn his brothers to change their	44:40
	lifestyle, lest they also come to the place of torment.	44:43
	Abraham replied that they already had Moses	44:48
	and the prophets but the rich man pressed the point.	44:51
	That's not enough.	44:54
	I didn't listen to Moses and the prophets	44:56
	and neither will they.	44:58
	The implication is that if he'd had a more dramatic warning,	45:01
	he would have changed.	45:05
	Likewise, if someone should go to his brothers	45:08
	from the dead, they would be convinced	45:10
	and they would repent but Abraham responded,	45:14
	if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,	45:19
	neither will they be convinced	45:22
	even if someone should rise from the dead.	45:24
	As James Denney paraphrased it,	45:29
	if they can be inhuman with the Bible in their hands	45:32
	and Lazarus at their gate, no revelation of the splendors	45:37
	of heaven or the anguish of hell	45:42
	will ever make them anything else.	45:44
	God's revelation in the Scriptures was available	45:50
	to the five brothers as it had been for the rich man.	45:53
	They, too, would be accountable for whether they lived	45:57
	according to its principles of love and justice.	46:00
	God invites but does not compel belief.	46:05
	Everything necessary for salvation has already been given.	46:10
	In our case, we have Moses and the prophets	46:14
	and even the one who was raised from the dead.	46:17
	But none of these can compel belief or faithful living.	46:21
	Jesus knew that even after his death and resurrection,	46:27
	it would still be easy for us to ignore the demands of love.	46:30
	It is still just as easy for us to shut our eyes to misery.	46:36
	We miss the point of the parable if we simply sit	46:42
	in judgment on the rich man for all of us are rich	46:44
	and at some point must face the question of whether	46:48
	we've turned a blind eye to the needs of our neighbors.	46:51
	How easy it is for us to plan our lives in such a way	46:57
	that we never have to come face to face with the poor.	47:00
	We may read about the latest crime in the Projects	47:04
	or the increase in the homeless population	47:07
	or even walk quickly past the beggar on the street	47:10
	but we rarely if ever meet them face to face.	47:13
	Like the rich man, we're afraid to come too close to misery.	47:19
	We're especially afraid of the sight of poverty	47:24
	for it is always a challenge to our style of life.	47:27
	It has a way of waking the gloss off our standard of living	47:32
	and making us reexamine our values.	47:37
	The sin of the rich man was not deliberate mistreatment	47:42
	of Lazarus but simply not seeing him.	47:46
	Every day he and his friends walk past this charity case,	47:50
	maybe even stepping over the destitute man	47:54
	but he was so absorbed in selfish indulgence,	47:57
	he never really saw a fellow human being hungry and in pain.	48:00
	Because he never noticed this neighbor on his doorstep,	48:06
	he cut himself off from God and humanity.	48:09
	For the Scriptures demand that if we would love God,	48:13
	we must also love our neighbor.	48:16
	If we would be close to God, we must also be close	48:18
	to those who are in need because God is there with them.	48:21
	In another parable, Jesus said,	48:27
	whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.	48:29
	The statistics of poverty bear witness to our failure	48:35
	to love God or neighbor adequately.	48:40
	The starving masses or vivid testimony to how we've treated	48:44
	the least of these but when we focus only upon	48:47
	the statistics, when we keep the poor anonymous,	48:52
	it can blind us to Lazarus on our own doorstep.	48:58
	In this parable, Lazarus wasn't simply one of the anonymous	49:03
	suffering masses, he wasn't simply a nameless statistic.	49:07
	In fact, in the story, he was the only one given a name.	49:12
	He was a particular individual with particular needs	49:17
	on a particular rich man's doorstep.	49:21
	If we are ever to learn to be neighbors to one another,	49:26
	if we are ever to get past our fear	49:30
	and avoidance of poverty,	49:32
	we must take the risk of putting faces on the needy.	49:34
	We must learn to see those on our own doorstep.	49:38
	It's not enough to send in our check to charity	49:43
	but that is part of what is needed.	49:46
	Sharing our resources is a good thing	49:48
	but it doesn't take the place of face-to-face contact.	49:52
	It is only when we truly see Lazarus,	49:56
	the particular person in need at our gate	49:59
	that a relationship can be established between us.	50:03
	It is only when we look into one another's eyes	50:07
	that we can begin to see each other as human beings	50:10
	and neighbors.	50:14
	We can be overwhelmed and paralyzed by the scope	50:17
	of human need and yet all that is required is that we become	50:20
	a neighbor to Lazarus.	50:25
	It means establishing relationships and bridging chasms	50:28
	one by one.	50:32
	We can't change the whole world	50:36
	but we can make a difference in our part of it	50:39
	and God can take and multiply our small efforts	50:42
	until our families and communities and nations	50:46
	and systems are transformed into a more humane world.	50:49
	All around us, I see signs of hope.	50:56
	I know students that spend two afternoons a week	51:00
	tutoring children from deprived backgrounds.	51:02
	I know a religious life group that has made a year long	51:06
	commitment to be involved with the homeless shelter in town.	51:08
	I know congregation members who have helped	51:12
	a family build a house.	51:15
	I know recent graduates that are living with mentally	51:17
	and physically handicapped adults in the L'Arche community.	51:20
	I know students that spend their spring break	51:24
	getting up close and personal with the poorest	51:26
	of the poor in Honduras, Lumberton, Atlanta, Washington D.C.	51:29
	I know a doctor who vacations with his family in Haiti	51:34
	doing mission work.	51:38
	The amazing thing is that each time people meet	51:41
	face to face, the chasm of economics	51:45
	and education and race and language,	51:49
	whatever separates them, begins to collapse	51:52
	and they discover that they are neighbors,	51:55
	human beings who share in the blessings	51:58
	and burdens of life.	52:01
	You and I are the five brothers in the parable.	52:06
	It is not too late for us to learn to see.	52:10
	We have Moses and the prophets	52:15
	and Jesus to show us what is required.	52:17
	Lazarus is at our gate.	52:22
	How will we respond?	52:25
	(soft organ music)	52:33
	(muffled choir singing)	53:21
-	You may be seated.	56:41
	The Lord be with you.	56:49
Congregation	And also with you.	56:51
-	Let us pray.	56:52
	God who created this world with such variety	56:59
	and complexity, we can scarcely comprehend it.	57:02
	We come before you this morning to pray	57:05
	on behalf of all creation.	57:07
	For those who have much and for those who have little	57:09
	and for those who do not know what they have,	57:12
	Christ in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these.	57:16
	For this earth, its beauty and its majesty	57:31
	as well as its ugly hurting places,	57:34
	God, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these.	57:38
	For the powerful and the powerless,	57:54
	and for those who do not know their own power,	57:57
	God, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these.	58:00
	For those who have lost their way	58:20
	and for those who we have lost upon our way,	58:23
	for those who do not yet know how lost they are,	58:26
	Christ, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these.	58:30
	For those whose bodies are not well,	58:48
	for those whose minds are confused,	58:51
	for those whose wounds whether physical, emotional,	58:54
	or spiritual, have not been bound up,	58:57
	O Christ, in your mercy, hear our silent prayers for these.	59:00
	And now O Spirit of the living God,	59:19
	utter for us those prayers which have no words	59:22
	but which can only be felt.	59:26
	O Spirit in your mercy, pray for us.	59:28
	For it is in Christ's name we pray, amen.	59:51
	You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,	59:56
	though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor	59:59
	so that by his poverty, you may be made rich.	1:00:03
	Come, let us worship God,	1:00:07
	let us bring to God our tithes and our offerings.	1:00:09
	(soft organ music)	1:00:13
	(dramatic organ music)	1:01:03
	(muffled choir singing)	1:01:12
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:20
	♪ To the glory of their king ♪	1:01:23
	(muffled choir singing)	1:01:28
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:35
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:38
	(muffled choir singing)	1:01:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:53
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:55
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:57
	(muffled choir singing)	1:02:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:02:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:02:19
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:02:21
	(muffled choir singing)	1:02:27
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:02:49
	(muffled choir singing)	1:02:50
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:03:20
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:03:22
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:03:24
	(muffled choir singing)	1:03:30
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:03:43
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:03:45
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:03:47
	(muffled choir singing)	1:03:52
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:03
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:08
	(muffled choir singing)	1:04:15
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:19
	(muffled choir singing)	1:04:24
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:31
	(muffled choir singing)	1:04:37
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:43
	(muffled choir singing)	1:04:47
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:54
	(soft organ music)	1:04:58
	(muffled choir singing)	1:05:20
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:05:52
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:05:54
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:05:56
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:05:59
	(muffled choir singing)	1:06:09
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:46
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:48
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:52
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:56
	(soft organ music)	1:07:13
	(muffled choir singing)	1:07:34
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:07:46
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:07:49
	(muffled choir singing)	1:07:54
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:09
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:12
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:15
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:18
-	Let us pray.	1:08:30
	O gracious God, help us to know the things	1:08:32
	that money can buy	1:08:34
	and the things that money cannot buy	1:08:36
	that in the clarity of these two realms,	1:08:38
	we can respect money and yet seek for the fruits	1:08:40
	of the spirit, faith, hope, and love, and now hear us,	1:08:43
	O God, as together we pray.	1:08:48
	Our Father who art in heaven,	1:08:50
	hallowed be thy name.	1:08:53
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	1:08:55
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:08:59
	Give us this day, our daily bread,	1:09:01
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:09:04
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	1:09:06
	and lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil	1:09:10
	for thine is the kingdom and the power	1:09:14
	and the glory forever, amen.	1:09:18
	(soft organ music)	1:09:22
	(muffled choir singing)	1:09:57
	(dramatic organ music)	1:12:20
-	Go forth in peace to serve God and your neighbor	1:13:11
	in all that you do.	1:13:13
	By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,	1:13:15
	and the communion of the Holy Spirit,	1:13:18
	be with you and keep you.	1:13:20
	(muffled choir singing)	1:13:27
	(soft organ music)	1:15:15

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (October 1, 1995)

Description:

Sermon start time: 28:08. Sermon end time: 52:29.
Preaching on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the preacher ncourages us to not be blind to the suffering of those but to work to alleviate that suffering. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: It is still just as easy for us to shut our eyes to misery. We miss the point of the parable if we simply sit in judgement of the rich man. For all of us are rich, and at some point must face the question of whether we turned the blind eye to the needs of our neighbors. How easy it is for us to plan our lives in such a way that we never have to come face to face with the poor.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r40c4t05q

Date:

October 1, 1995

Speaker:

Brazzel, Debra K.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0445
ref9640_cks
uachapelsermaud
duke:321478
dcrmv001422
ark:/87924/r40c4t05q
05484c0f-dd2d-4d14-a356-d4ff8e446568

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

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This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (October 1, 1995)

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