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Focused Prayer Makes a Difference

It is the season for financial stewardship campaigns in the church. This blog is focused on prayer; one of the primary values you need to make your financial commitment.

Over my years in ministry, I have met few people who have given God thanks for the opportunity to give. Today, I want to explore the opportunity to not only to give but to focus on God, the giver of all good gifts, in and through prayer.

For most of us, prayer is difficult. It is so difficult that we can only take it in small doses and usually with humor. So, let’s begin.

Mastering Prayer

Two women met unexpectedly one day in the parking lot of a local bookstore. One had a bundle of books in her arms.

Her friend asked her, “What in the world are you doing? Opening your own bookstore?”

The woman with the books replied, “No, these are all books about prayer. All my life I have been hearing about the importance of prayer, so I finally decided to learn how to pray. I have bought fourteen books on the subject. And not only that, but I have also signed up for two courses in prayer, one at my church and one at a friend’s church. I am really going to master the subject!”

Several weeks later, the friend ran into the woman again, this time at the grocery store. “How is the big project going?” the friend asked. “Have you learned to pray?”

The woman hung her head and made a gesture of despair. “It was too complicated, and I gave it up.” As an afterthought, she added, “Now I’m taking a course in yoga.”

The Difficulty of Prayer

Is prayer really that difficult? I know that often we turn to prayer when we are in distress. I heard about a football coach in a re-building season, who was desperate.

Someone asked him, “Coach, I hear you keep a chaplain on the bench to pray for your team during the games. Would you mind introducing me to him?”

The coach replied, “I’d be glad to. Did you want to meet the offensive chaplain or the defensive chaplain?”

All of us utter desperate prayers in times of distress. But prayer is not just for the crisis in our lives. Prayer is an ongoing part of life. It is a fundamental value as a follower of Jesus.

Prayer was so important to the gospel writer, Luke, that he wrote about the prayer life of Jesus and recorded several stories Jesus told using prayer as the subject. Let’s start with one of those parables.

Read Luke 18:1-8

18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Reflect on Luke 18

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” To understand the depth of the parable there are a couple of things to remember. Parables are reflections of reality as opposed to being mirrors of morality. Said another way, parables do not tell us what we should be doing but rather what we are doing. At a deeper level, parables show us who God is and reflect who we are in relationship to God and God’s action.

With that in mind, this parable is not about praying more or praying harder. The instruction to “pray always and not lose heart” reflects a greater reality.  The parable is about focusing on God. Let’s look at the parable.

Will Not God Grant Justice?

There are two characters. The first is a judge who “neither feared God nor had respect for people.” By biblical standards he was a bad judge. The judge’s responsibility was to settle disputes fairly and to restore justice. The weaker members of the community were dependent on him.

The second is a widow who was one of the weaker members of the community. Widows in the Israelite tradition were extremely vulnerable. They could not inherit their husband’s property, there was no organized social welfare program, and there was no opportunity for employment. Since they were easily victimized, widows were dependent on the judge for protection and fairness. In this story the judge is the woman’s only hope for justice.

So, “the widow kept coming to the judge asking for justice.” For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, “I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”

The words “so that she may not wear me out” literally mean “hit me the eye” or is a metaphor for “give me a black eye.” The judge responded to the widow’s persistence, not with justice or compassion, but with concern for his reputation with the public. Part of the reflection of reality is, even the bad judge does the unexpected thing of granting justice in response to a powerless widow.

“Will not God grant justice?” If an unjust judge responds, not based on justice and compassion, but merely because of persistence, how much more will the just and loving God respond to those who appeal to him.

This is the reflection of reality. God will not hesitate, as did the unjust judge, to respond to those who call on him.

Respond to Luke 18

Prayer is mentioned in each of the gospels. Both Matthew and Luke record “the Lord’s prayer.” John records a prayer by Jesus in the 17th chapter of his good news. But only Luke focuses on the prayer life of Jesus.

The Focus of Prayer

Luke points out that Jesus had a pattern of doing ministry and then retreating to pray. Jesus would feed people, teach them, and heal them and then go to a lonely place to pray.

Luke records Jesus praying after his baptism. While he was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit came down on him in the bodily form of a dove. And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my beloved son….” While he was praying, Jesus received his call to ministry.

Still wet from his baptism, he goes off to a deserted place, the wilderness, to pray. He goes to focus on God’s call for his life. And he is tempted. Is he to be a humanitarian or a politician? Is he to keep the crowds happy by doing more spectacular things? He had experienced success. I think his temptation was to stay with the crowds. But he prayed to keep his focus upon God’s call. Do I go with the crowd, or do I go to the cross?

Jesus’ Pattern of Prayer

On one occasion, he went to the mountain to pray and prayed to God all night long. Early the next morning he called together his disciples. He focused his prayer upon God and God’s purposes in an all-night prayer vigil before choosing his disciples.

On another occasion, he was in his pattern of going off to pray and returning to minister. When he had finished praying, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray…”

As Jesus had kept his focus upon God’s call, his followers were now asking him to teach them to keep that focus. Jesus gave them a prayer, but he did not instruct them on a certain posture. He gave them a pattern to help them keep focus.

God’s Generosity

Luke even has Jesus telling parables, using prayer as an example. Immediately after giving them the pattern of the “Lord’s prayer,” he tells the story of the grouchy neighbor. Then he says, “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. To everyone who knocks, the door is opened. The reflection? If a grouchy neighbor responds after saying “no,” how much more will God give to those who ask. The focus is upon God’s generosity.

The parable of the judge and widow is similar. Jesus uses prayer to keep focus upon God. Let’s look at the widow. Because she is marginalized and powerless, she is vulnerable. Is she the main focus of the parable? What is the reality being reflected? She persists in her asking the judge for justice but is the parable telling us we should care for the marginalized and powerless? Or does it reflect the need to focus our prayer upon the One who responds quickly?

Care for One Another

Let’s look at the judge. He has the power. Is he the main focus of the parable? Does he represent the government that has the power to provide feeding programs for children, care and support for women, healthcare for the elderly?

Does he represent the church that has the opportunity to provide care and compassion through missional giving (apportionments)?

Does he represent those of us who make up the body of Christ, the church? We are in the middle of another stewardship campaign, doing the best we can do to convince ourselves of our need to give.

The judge represents all the above. He represents all who must be asked over and over, whether government, church, or individuals, to give so we can be faithful in our care for one another.

Focus Your Prayer

Take that reality and listen to the words of the parable, “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you; he will quickly grant justice to them.”

The reflection of reality is, if we receive from all our asking from the government, for the church, and from individuals, how much more will we receive from the God who loves us. So, where do we focus our asking, our prayers?

Thank you, Lord

Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners magazine and of the Sojourners community located in Washington, D.C., talks about a group of Christians who were doing their part to respond to the needs of people. It was a Saturday morning. The food line had formed early outside the Sojourners Neighborhood Center, just one‑and‑a‑half miles from the White House. Three hundred families stood in line to receive a meal and a bag of groceries that would get them through the week.

Just before the doors opened, those who had prepared food and were going to hand out the groceries, joined hands in a circle to pray. The one who usually led the prayer was Mary Glover, a sixty-year-old black woman who knew what it meant to be poor. She was known as the best person to pray in the group because she talked to God like she knew who she was talking to.

On this particular Saturday, she first gave thanks for the day, “Thank you, Lord, for another day to serve you.” Then she said, “Lord, help us be focused. We know that you’ll be coming through this line today, so help us to treat you well.”

So, where will you focus your prayers? In the pattern of Jesus, go off to a lonely place and focus upon God’s call to love as you have been loved, and to give as you have received. Then come back to do ministry. Be as generous with the people around you as God has been generous to you!

Return

Give God thanks for the people you encountered today. How did you focus your prayers? What did you learn about yourself? What will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the people who have helped you become more who God created you to be.

Prayer

Blessed are you O God, giver of all good gifts to me, my family, friends, and colleagues. Thank you for the opportunity to be in partnership with you in loving your people at Christ Church, in Charleston, the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia, and the world. You have been so good to me through so many people and through so many circumstances. I am grateful. I give you thanks, for the opportunity, to give as you have given to me. I offer myself and my financial stewardship to you in the name of Jesus. Amen

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The Value of Gratitude

It is the season of Financial Stewardship campaigns. This blog is focused upon the primary value in making a financial commitment to the church. Two companion blogs are: 

Effective Leadership Begins with Gratitude and The Grace in Gratitude. 

If I could give one quality gift to you, I would give you the gift of gratitude. Throughout my years of ministry, I have never encountered a grateful person who was also bitter, hurtful, mean, or vengeful. When you are grateful you are living out the fundamental value of being a follower of Jesus. Your gratitude grows out of your experience of God’s grace.

Gratitude has the potential to transform your life, impact your relationships, and reshape the world. As a follower of Jesus, gratitude is an integral part of your life.

Cultivate Gratitude

When it comes time to focus upon financial stewardship, of all the characteristics named, discussed, and implemented, gratitude is the easiest to dismiss. Too often it is seen as something extra and soft. It is for that very reason, gratitude must be cultivated and practiced. You might think that you will automatically feel gratitude when you have reached a particular stage in life, or accumulated enough money, or made the right financial decisions. The assumption is that gratitude is a mysterious force that shows up when you succeed or when you feel all is right with the world. 

The reality is gratitude does not appear at the moment things are unfolding perfectly. It is not magically bestowed on some and not on others based upon whether you are successful or not. It is not dependent on what is happening around you. Gratitude is something you cultivate. It is a foundational building block to who you are as a person. It is so foundational that you might think it is too simplistic or basic to be included in your decisions regarding your giving. You might also think that expressing gratitude is obvious, but let me say again, gratitude is something you cultivate as you practice it. 

Gratitude Brings Perspective

When you have every excuse to focus on what is not going right, gratitude allows you to see things from a new perspective. The more you practice it, the more you adapt to feeling and expressing it. Developing a practice of gratitude gives you the opportunity to always share the love of God regardless of situations or circumstances.

As a follower of Jesus, gratitude impacts the people you encounter each day. So, to become more the Christian witness needed for this time, develop a practice of gratitude. Here are four benefits to gratitude. 

Four Benefits of Gratitude 

Gratitude helps you appreciate where you are and what you are doing. 

Think about a time when you felt like you were in an unfamiliar place. Whether geographically or relationally, you felt uncomfortable and unsure of yourself. Maybe you were in a new place surrounded by people you didn’t know. Maybe you were responsible for some unpopular decision. Or maybe you just wanted people to be happy with you and you could not control their perceptions or reactions. Whatever the situation, you just didn’t feel good about being there. 

As you reflect upon that time, what are your thoughts and feelings? What makes you uncomfortable or unsure of yourself? What about that experience can help you be a more loving person?

Now, take a moment to give God thanks for the experience. It might not be easy. You might not want to. But giving thanks will help you put the experience into perspective. It will help you focus more upon being the person you are created to be.

If you are spending your time wishing you were somewhere other than where you are, doing something other than what you are doing, you are creating anxiety for yourself and for the people around you that is unnecessary besides being unhealthy. 

You don’t have to like where you are. You don’t have to like what you are doing. But if you are grateful for the places you find yourself and for the opportunities presented to you, you will be able to face the challenges before you. The truth is, even in the midst of the unfamiliar and unknown, you can always find things for which you are grateful.

O God, put me where you want and help me be content. If I can’t be content, make me faithful. Thank you for being with me wherever I am and with whatever I am doing. Amen

Gratitude helps you love your neighbor. 

Think about the people in your life you like being around. What do they do that draws you to them? Do they help you feel good about yourself? Do they offer you affirmation and support?

Now think about a time that you gave someone praise and affirmation. How did it make you feel? How did the person respond to you?

Gratitude is infectious. It celebrates the goodness of God found in the people you encounter. Gratitude helps to build and repair relationships. It draws people in, encourages them to engage, and models for them the practice of gratitude.

So, let’s go one step farther. Who are the people you try to avoid; the people that drain you of positive energy, who are combative, and disagreeable? 

As you think about each person, what are you learning about yourself? What is it that makes you feel good about some people and causes you to avoid others? How does your relationship with each person help you be a more loving and generous person?

Now, take a moment to give God thanks for each person who has come to mind. It will not be easy. You might feel that you have tried to get some of these people out of your life altogether. But giving thanks will help you put those relationships into perspective. You might even begin to love others as God in Christ has loved you. It is that perspective that will help you become the person you are created to be. 

Whether it is a feel-good experience or an experience you want to avoid, expressing your gratitude helps make you become more aware of the gifts people offer in and through each encounter. The truth is each person contributes to your wholeness as a person.

O God, make me aware of the people around me today. As I give you thanks for each person I meet, make me a blessing to someone, somewhere today. Amen.

Gratitude improves your health. 

Like the muscles in your body, you can develop an attitude of gratitude. Research has shown that practicing gratitude creates a less critical and more compassionate relationship with others and a less punishing and more affirming relationship with yourself. When you practice gratitude, you become more emotionally healthy and are less likely to experience depression and anxiety. 

Dr. Robert A. Emmons, from the University of California in Davis, studied the impact of gratitude on physical health, psychological well-being, and relationships with others. What he found was that gratitude helps develop stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep patterns. 

He found that persons who practice gratitude are more alert and have a healthy self-awareness. They experience deeper joy, greater happiness, and are more hopeful than those who do not practice gratitude. He also found that gratitude helped people be more generous and compassionate and as well as more forgiving. The people who practiced gratitude were less lonely and isolated. The truth is gratitude is a healthy practice of healthy people.

O God, I am grateful for the ways you are shaping my life in and through the people around me. Give me eyes to see how you come through each of them to help me become who you created me to be. Amen 

Gratitude makes you less fearful and more courageous. 

As simple as it might sound, you cannot listen to the voices of gratitude and fear at the same time. Your attention is either on one or the other. 

The times I struggle with gratitude the most are when I do not see my place in the bigger picture. When I am in the muddy and murky waters of fear, disappointment, and scarcity, I usually don’t see the opportunities and possibilities around me. But on the other hand, when I focus on gratitude, I am more optimistic, cooperative, and energized. 

Think about a particular challenge you are facing. Get the situation and/or the person clearly in your mind. Focus on the challenge. 

Now, with the situation or person in mind, name three things about the situation or the person for which you are grateful. Place these five things in your heart and mind. Now, what has happened to your fear? 

You simply cannot listen to the voices of gratitude and fear at the same time. Your attention will either be on one or the other. As a healthy human being it is your choice to make. 

When you consciously practice gratitude, in all situations and circumstances, you are a happier, more fulfilled person, and you model for the people around you. You actually are changing the world around you.

O God, your perfect love casts out my fears. I give thanks for the situations and circumstances in which I am living, and for the people through whom you reveal your love. Help me be so aware of your presence that all I say and do brings you glory and works for the good of the people you have given me to love and serve. Amen. 

Your Financial Stewardship Starts with Gratitude

It is time to take the next step. Regardless of your position or your church, you will be making decisions regarding your financial commitments for the next year. Here is what I want you to do:

  • Over the next 5 days, make time each day to think about being grateful. 
  • Take note of the people who inspired you. What did you see that made you smile or to take notice of their actions?
  • Keep in mind that no person or experience is insignificant. From the person who started a friendly conversation to the laughter of children, they are all part of what makes you who you are. The small joys are just as valuable as all the others. 
  • Think about what makes your life easier? The alarm that reminds you to get up each morning? The water in the shower? Car? Umbrella? Cellphone? The list goes on. For what are you grateful at this moment? 
  • Consider past relationships. Upon whose shoulders are you standing? What did the person do to make life better for you? Why are you better off for having known that person? 
  • Give thanks for the toughest relationship of the day. On my best days, I have come to experience sincere gratitude, even for difficult people, by looking for the good in my encounter with them.

Add to your gratitude list something you are grateful for about yourself. This might feel uncomfortable. Most of the time you quickly focus upon things you do not like about yourself. When you practice gratitude, you can alter that negative cycle. What would happen if you, instead of focusing upon your flaws, would pay attention to what makes you most proud of yourself?   

O God, I give you thanks for family, friends, and colleagues who, through their gratitude, are helping me become more who you created me to be. I am grateful. Amen.

Give Thanks

Now, give thanks for the opportunity to be in partnership with God in God’s work in your church, your community, and the world. Focus upon the grace you have received and the grace you have to offer. I know this sounds strange but say grace over your finances.

Blessed are you O God, giver of all good gifts to me, my family, friends, and colleagues. Thank you for the opportunity to be in partnership with you in loving your people at Christ Church, in Charleston, the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia, and the world. You have been so good to me through so many people and through so many circumstances. I am grateful. I give you thanks, for the opportunity, to give as you have given to me. I offer myself and my financial stewardship to you in the name of Jesus. Amen

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Love Your Neighbor: A Call to Empathy

Empathy is an essential response in loving your neighbor. Brené Brown defines empathy as “the skill to connect with the emotions of other persons’ experiences by tapping into your own experiences to understand their feelings.” She adds that this is done without judgment.

For Brown, empathy involves a non-judgmental perspective of recognizing the emotions of others that you have felt yourself and of communicating that recognition to them. She says empathy is a vulnerable, active choice that fuels connection. She also says that empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy drives connection. Sympathy drives disconnection and is a feeling of pity or feeling sorry for someone.  

That is why I say empathy, not sympathy, is an essential response in loving your neighbor. Empathy is rooted in the teachings of Jesus. We read more of empathy than we do of sympathy in his responses to the needs of people.

Look at Luke’ good news:

Read Luke 6:31

Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

Reflect on Luke 6

These words are part of the Sermon on the Plain in Luke. They can also be found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Luke has them coming immediately after the teaching to love your enemies. In this context, love in the Greek word “agape.” Luke uses “agape” as the love of God revealed in Jesus. So, as God loves even the enemy and is kind to the ungrateful and wicked, we love others without regard to whether the love is accepted or returned. We love because that is who we are as followers of Jesus.

In this context, as followers of Jesus, we do not seek revenge but seek the positive good of those who abuse us. Jesus lived out this expression of God’s love for those who missed the point or misunderstood God’s love.

The Golden Rule

Then the words, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you,” follow. For followers of Jesus, this is the expression of unselfish, uncalculating love for others. It has come to be known as the “Golden Rule” and is found in both positive and negative forms in various Jewish and pagan cultures.

This teaching is not about good manners. It is about living the love of God. Jesus loved and forgave, even those who mistreated him. As followers of Jesus, we treat others with that same grace. In John’s good news, Jesus said it this way, “Love one another. By the way you love one another, people will know that you are my followers.”  By doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, you are being the human touch of God’s love.

Respond to Luke 6

When did you first hear the words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” They are simple enough to remember, but not always easy to live. Even though you might have learned them as a moral saying, they are saying more. The words are the very heart of the teachings of Jesus.

They call to work for the good of others. They challenge you to move from self-centered living to other-centered love. Jesus said, “Do unto others…” It is love in action. In other words, it is not about avoiding doing harm to others, it is taking the initiative to do good to and for others.

A Call for Empathy

They call for empathy. They challenge you to ask the question, “How do I feel when I am in their situation or circumstance?” When you pause to see life through another’s eyes, your reactions change. When grace replaces irritation and understanding replaces judgment, you respond with love. The kind of loving response you want to receive when you are in the same situation.

This week try putting “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” into action.

  • At home: Treat your family with the same respect you desire in return. Speak kind, caring, supportive, encouraging words. And love the way you want to be loved.
  •  At work: Be the kind of coworker you want others to be to you. Be patient and kind, be encouraging and trustworthy. Listen before you speak and be generous in your assessment of others.  Put yourself in their position to understand what they are feeling and experiencing.
  •  On social media: If you need to respond, respond only in ways you want people to respond to you. Be aware to whom you are responding. You have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the way you respond. And remember, your words reflect who you are as a follower of Jesus.
  • In the community: Choose kindness in the small moments. Practice kindness and patience in traffic, at the grocery store, and in the line to get your coffee.

I am sure you can name other ways to respond. Just keep in mind that each moment is an opportunity to live out Christ’s love in real time.

Loving Your Neighbor

Empathy is an essential response to loving your neighbor. It might sound simple, but it has the power to transform hearts and communities. When you live it out, you make the love of God real in human form.

Just simple acts of kindness will make the difference.

It was a rainy Monday morning. Jane felt rushed and stressed. As she stood in line at her favorite coffee shop, she began to get anxious. She was running late for work and the line was not moving. At that moment, the barista dropped a full cup and coffee. People in the line groaned audibly.  

Jane felt the tension and irritation rise. But in that moment, she sensed a quiet reminder:

“How would I want someone to treat me if you were the one who dropped that full cup of coffee?

Instead of snapping a snarky response, she smiled and said kindly, “It’s okay. We all have mornings like this.”

The barista looked up and smiled weakly. Jane paid for her drink and then decided to cover the cost for the person behind her. She didn’t stay to see what happened next, but her one small act of kindness brought smiles to the faces of the people in line behind her.

That morning, Jane learned something deeper than caffeine could ever offer. She learned that when you treat others the way you want to be treated, you become a blessing to others by letting God’s love shine through you. She realized that her kind response changed her too.

Every day you face small choices that test your patience, grace, and compassion. Jesus’ words of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” are an invitation to pause, imagine yourself in the other person’s place, and to act with the same kindness and understanding that you want. One act of grace can start a chain reaction of kindness.

Empathy is an essential response in loving your neighbor. It connects you with the emotions of others’ experiences by tapping into your own experiences to understand their feelings. Your response of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” will change the world.

Return at the end of the day

Give God thanks for the people you encountered today. How did you respond by “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you?” What did you learn about yourself? What will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the experiences that have helped you become more who God created you to be.

Prayer

O God, teach me to see others as you see them. When I am tempted to react with frustration, fill me with self-awareness and compassion. Help me love as I have been loved in every action and attitude. Help me reflect your love and mercy in every situation and circumstance.

Amen.

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Being a Good Neighbor – Part 2

Read Being a Good Neighbor Part 1 here.

As I write these words, we have had four more shootings in public places like churches and bars. Such events create anxiety and fear within us. Last week I was contacted to make sure we still have a police presence on Sunday mornings. It is in times like these, we want to know we are surrounded by people who we trust, especially in the places we live, work, play, and worship.

As I have reflected upon these events, I have asked myself “How can I be a good neighbor to the people around me?” “How can I be an agent of the “perfect love that casts out fear?” 

The Dead Sea & Neighboring Well

I know this will sound strange, but in my reflection, I was reminded of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. It is nine times saltier than the ocean, making it unfit for sustaining plant and animal life. The Jordan River constantly fills it, yet it has no outlet. Because it only receives but never releases, it has become stagnant and lifeless.

Now, what does that have to do with being a good neighbor? We are living in some low times in the history of our country. It is hard to feel productive when you don’t feel safe in the places you associate with people. When you don’t feel safe, the world shrinks, and you become less aware of the people around you. Much like the Dead Sea, you are taking things in but putting little out.

As I have reflected upon it, being a good neighbor is about what I pass on more than what I gain. It is about sharing what I have received. It is about developing lasting relationships built on contribution, rather than accumulation.

To get an insight into being a good neighbor, read this story told by Jesus.

Read Luke16:19-31

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.[a] 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 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.’ 27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 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.’ ”

Reflect on Luke 16

In this parable when Jesus says, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day,” he is describing a person who has expensive clothes and who lives in luxury.

When he says, “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…,” he is pointing out that most of the man’s blessings got clogged in his own hand and rarely flowed through his life to others.

So, this story begins to reflect that a lot of life’s blessings flowed into this man’s life and that nothing flowed through him to other people.

Being a Blessing 

With that in mind, have you considered that the blessings you have received might have been given to you to bless others? Could it be that you have been blessed to be a blessing? That you are loved for the purpose of loving others?

Again, being a neighbor is about what you pass on more than you gain. It is about sharing what you have received, and developing relationships built working for the good of others.

So, how will you be a neighbor to the people around you? And how will you be an agent of the “perfect love that casts out fear?” The question I ask myself is, how do I create safe places in the midst of fear and confusion?

Being a Good Neighbor

One way of being a neighbor is by allowing God’s love and healing flow through you to the people around you. In Luke’s gospel, when Jesus started his ministry, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s power and blessing flowed through him for the good of others. He became a blessing to others.

In the story, Jesus never once faulted the man for being rich. The man’s tragedy was that he was unaware of the people around him. All he had received stayed with him. He was blessed, but he never became a blessing to others.

In other words, he did not practice good stewardship. What was only loaned to him he thought he owned. He stopped the flow, the exhilaration, the fulfillment, the purpose, and the joy of life when he became a container instead of an instrument.

With that in mind, where will you become an instrument of God’s love and healing? In the midst of the pain and crisis of our day, how will you become a good neighbor?

Look around you in the places where you spend your day. See the people around you. Some of them have broken hearts, others need someone to listen, and still others need a caring hand. How will be a blessing by letting God’s blessings flow through you?

It is my hope that you will always be as blessed as you are a blessing!

Respond to Luke 16

George Schuler wrote the words to the hymn we know as “Make Me A Blessing.” Let these words be a prayer in shaping you into a neighbor of God’s love.

Out in the highways and byways of life, many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife making the sorrowing glad.

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love; tell of His power to forgive;
Others will trust Him if only you prove true every moment you live.

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Give as was given to you in your need; love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper; indeed, unto your mission be true.

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Return

Give God thanks for the neighbors you encountered today. How were you a blessing to those around you? What did you learn about them? What did you learn about yourself? What will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the experiences that have helped you become more who God created you to be.

O God, make me a blessing to someone, somewhere today!