It was an uncomfortable time at church yesterday. Not because the pews are hard (we have cushioned seats in the choir loft), and not because the air conditioner was on the fritz (although that did happen recently). No, yesterday was uncomfortable because the gospel lesson of the day was meant to make us uncomfortable.
It was the story Jesus told in Luke 16 about the well-fed rich man and the poor beggar Lazarus. The passage begins this way:
There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table (verses 19-21).
Clearly, if Lazarus was "at the rich man's gate," the rich man must have seen him occasionally but chose to ignore him.
Eventually, both the wealthy man and Lazarus die, and the roles are reversed: the rich man suffers the pain of separation from God, while Lazarus is "carried by the angels to Abraham's side," a symbol of heavenly joy and comfort.
Like most of the parables Jesus shared, this story has many angles. My pastor emphasized the question of "What are we doing about the poor who are among us? Are we ignoring them as the rich man ignored Lazarus?"
Ouch.
I suspect that many of us don't want to be indifferent, but we get caught up in the "paralysis of analysis" about how to help the poor. But we mustn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If we are to be genuine disciples obeying the Lord's commands, we must act.
A challenge
In his book, Your Money Counts, Howard Dayton writes:
I didn't go to bed hungry last night, but conservative estimates are that one billion people in the world go to bed hungry each night.... That number is so great that it may leave us feeling hopeless about what we can do. But Scripture emphasizes our responsibility to give to the poor and the destitute....
In some mysterious way that we cannot fully comprehend, Jesus personally identifies with the poor. Do you want to minister to Christ? You do so when you give to the poor....
Giving to the poor has been discouraged, in part, because of the government's failure with welfare programs. However, I want to challenge you to consider asking the Lord to bring one poor person into your life. This will be a significant step in maturing your relationship with Christ.
Start somewhere
During yesterday's sermon, we were encouraged to move beyond the "paralysis of analysis" by taking action and doing something.
Challenged by the Scriptures and convicted by the Holy Spirit, I "did something" — a small something — before leaving: I put some cash in the church's "poor box." This morning, I took another step. I contributed to a well-established local ministry that helps people in desperate circumstances — providing housing, food, and counseling to assist them in regaining or achieving financial stability. (I had been meaning to do this a few months ago but never followed through.) Surely, I need to take more steps, including praying the prayer Howard Dayton suggested above.
To be honest, my giving to the poor has been inconsistent over the years. Time and again, my good intentions have given way to the kind of indifference that yesterday's sermon sharply highlighted and rebuked. So, yes, it was an uncomfortable time at church yesterday. But it was the kind of discomfort that God knows I sometimes need to prompt me to action.
What about you? Do you struggle with giving to the poor? How have you responded to God's call to discipleship to help the poor and needy?
