Today in the Spirit: Proper 21C
The assigned Scripture readings for the Season after Pentecost, Proper 21C, expose the church to a second consecutive week of contemplating the dangers of a love of worldly wealth. The Gospel reading for this Sunday is from Luke 16:19-31, Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The first part of the parable (19-26) narrates the contrasting eternal destinies of the two men. The second part (27-31), the dialogue between the rich man and Abraham, serves as a compelling platform from which Jesus teaches on the devastating power of greed to deafen those under its influence from hearing the word of God. In response to the rich man’s plea on behalf of his brothers: “[Abraham] said to [the rich man in hell], ‘If [your rich brothers on earth] do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead’” (31).
For a second consecutive Sunday, we have an assigned OT reading from the book of Amos, this time Amos 6:1-7. Again, we will hear in our worship an oracle of woe against the prosperous in Samaria (the capital of Israel). However, this week the word is directed, not to the merchants exploiting the poor face-to-face in the marketplaces, but to the detached wealthy “who are at ease in Zion” (1). Much like the rich man in our Lord’s parable, they bring about “the ruin of Joseph” (6) through their neglect of the poor around them.
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The appointed Psalm 146 appears often in the three-year cycle (also at Advent 3A, Proper 18B, Proper 27B). It is the first of the five “Hallelujah” (“Praise the LORD”) psalms at the end of the Psalter. In contrast to God’s contempt toward the rich found in Amos, the psalm celebrates God’s love for the poor and oppressed: “The Lord helps those who have fallen; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord cares for the strangers in the land; he defends the fatherless and widow; but the way of the ungodly he makes crooked (9-10).”
At Proper 21C, the third reading in the Year C series from the pastoral epistles is 1 Timothy 6:11-19. In the first portion of this reading, Paul makes the second of two “charges” in the letter to Timothy to keep his instructions (see also 5:21). In this instance, Timothy is to “flee [ungodliness] and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (a list similar to that of the fruit of the Spirit passage in Gal. 5). The second part contains exhortations the young pastor should give to the wealthy: the command that they should “be generous and ready to share” will make for a strong counterpoint to the behavior of the rich man in the reading of the Gospel.
The assigned Collect makes use of the alliterative phrase “pardon and peace” to create in us as worshipers the desire for life and health because of the saving work of Christ. The petition is similar in content and attitude to the last line of the Agnus Dei in the Communion liturgy: “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us your peace.”
The Collect
O merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Woe to Those Who Are at Ease in Zion (Amos 6:1-7)
1 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes!2 Pass over to Calneh, and see,
and from there go to Hamath the great;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory,3 O you who put far away the day of disaster
and bring near the seat of violence?4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,6 who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
Amos 6:1-7
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
The class of evildoers in this week’s reading from Amos last week is not those “who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end” (8:4), but rather the wealthy detached, those “who are at ease in Zion…who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches” (1,4). Both the hardened middle-class merchants and the complacent upper-class members of society receive the same message of “woe.” Those who believe themselves to be blameless for the plight of the poor because they have no contact with them (much like the rich man in Jesus’ parable) will be utterly surprised by the fact that they are “the first of those who go into exile” (7).
Devotionally, we all find it harder to acknowledge our guilt in sins that we are responsible for, either second- or third-hand, or those in which we participate (we think) only through societal structures and not in person. Here is where the words found in 1 John speak so profoundly: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1:8). Like the comfortable in Samaria, we may want to say “we have no sin,” but it is pure deception. Thus, we are prompted by the life of Jesus in us to “confess our sins,” counting on the faithfulness of God through Christ to forgive us for “all unrighteousness.”
Today, in the Spirit, we plead the blood of Jesus over the sin we commit in blind comfort.
For There Is No Help in Them (Psalm 146)
1 Praise the Lord, O my soul;*
Psalm 146, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
while I live I will praise the Lord.
2 Indeed, as long as I have my being,*
I will sing praises unto my God.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of man,*
for there is no help in them.
4 For when one breathes his last, he shall return again to the earth,*
and in that day all his thoughts perish.
5 Blessed is the one who has the God of Jacob for his help*
and whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is therein;*
who keeps his promise for ever;
7 Who does right to those who suffer wrong;*
and who feeds the hungry.
8 The Lord sets prisoners free;*
the Lord gives sight to the blind.
9 The Lord helps those who have fallen;*
the Lord loves the righteous.
10 The Lord cares for the strangers in the land; he defends the fatherless and widow;*
but the way of the ungodly he makes crooked.
11 The Lord shall be King for evermore,*
even your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Or, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (3, ESV). Among the five “Hallelujah” (“Praise the LORD”) songs at the end of the Book of Psalms, this one is unusual for demanding from the worshiping community, right up front, a firm renunciation of trust in human beings, particularly ruling authorities. There can be no adoption here of a singular faith in YHWH before denouncing all other human allegiances. Today, Christians often use the word “salvation” only to refer to spiritual help or gaining heavenly residence; but–make no mistake–the psalmist would have us understand all forms of deliverance, earthly or heavenly, as coming from God. Neither we, nor “princes,” nor presidents should presume to take credit for them.
How shall we respond to the call of the psalmist in our worship this Sunday? We must leave our human allegiances–either to ourselves or any human being–at the door of the church. We put them there and refuse to pick them up again on the way out. We declare that only in God is our salvation, our healing, our well-being, and in him alone we will trust. We will pray for our governing authorities, bosses, and parents, but our hope remains on the Lord alone.
Today, Holy Spirit, inspire us to hear and respond to the call of the psalmist to trust in you alone, with the Father and the Son, as “King for evermore” (11).
Flee…Pursue…Fight (1 Timothy 6:11-19)
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you 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, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:11-19
Take note of the succession of verbs in this passage: “flee” (11)… “pursue” (11)… “fight” (12)… “take hold” (11,19)… “guard” (20). They are every bit as intense in Greek as they are in English. We can imagine Paul addressing Timothy here as if he were a boxing coach speaking to his prize fighter between rounds in the middle of a close match. That is how the apostle sees the situation of Timothy in Ephesus (recalling too the intense armor of God discourse in Ephesians 6). The young pastor is in a hard battle against evil forces that present themselves against the servants of the gospel inside and outside the church.
Devotionally, we must not distance ourselves from the force of this counsel given to a high-level church elder. The directives to “flee” from temptation and keep up your “guard” against those who would destroy the faith of the believer apply equally to all Christians. Hear the intensity similar to Paul’s in Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ: “The fervent and diligent monk is ready for any and everything, whatever, to rip. The rigors of the soul vastly outsweat the labors of the body. Whoever stubs his toe on small vices will take a header on large defects. You’ll enjoy the evening only if you spent the day making progress. Vigilate, Actuate. Remonstrate.”
Today, in the Spirit, who arms us to “fight the good fight,” we take our stand in the power of God.
Neither Will They Be Convinced (Luke 16:19-31)
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Luke 16:19-31
In the parable, the rich man claims his brothers will “repent” (30, Gk. metanoeō, i.e., change their minds about the poor at their gates and help them). Abraham’s response is a decisive rejection of the idea: they will not “be convinced” (31, Gk. peithō, “persuaded,” put their confidence in”). The dialogue in the parable communicates the same message to the disciples that Jesus will give them later in plain teaching: “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (18:25). Humanly speaking, the repentance of the rich is impossible. They are in bondage, hopelessly too comfortable and too closed to register any word from God. They have no ears to hear.
But God, brothers and sisters. Anyone who is upwardly mobile in society must remain ever grateful to the Father God through Jesus Christ for rescuing us from an inescapable snare. Our Lord’s repeated teaching on the impossibility of self-deliverance from the corrosive power of money must be believed. Affluenza is a death sentence. Verbal warnings (“Moses and the Prophets”) are not enough to turn our greedy hearts; even the fact that Jesus has risen is not sufficient to deliver us. Faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ for our sin is the only hope.
Today, worshiping in the Spirit, we hear the ominous warnings of Scripture against “all kinds of greed” (Lk. 12:15) and pray for an ever softer heart toward the plight of the poor around us.
Today in the Spirit
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