Trinity 17. Lazarus
Preached at St Peter's House
Gen 25.7–11; Ps 146; Luke 16.19–31

Act 1, Scene 1

There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day….

Act 1 Scene 2

And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores….

End of Act 1.

Act 1 is astonishingly brief…
There was a rich man – there always is – and all the preacher could think of to say at his funeral was that ‘he liked fancy clothes and he ate a lot’.

And then there was a poor man who – apart from an ever hungry belly and weeping sores – had only his name. Lazarus.
But at least he had a name.
The rich man – why, he was just an expensive suit. A nameless fatcat.

Jesus tells us their life story and, in two sentences, we know all we need to know.
We can imagine the rest – fill in the details for our selves.
After all – we see the same rich-man poor-man story each night on our TV screens and in our newspapers.

And then they die… They always do. We always do. (And we know that. Though we generally choose to pretend otherwise.)
But what Jesus asks us to consider takes our breath away.
It disturbs us greatly.
It scares the pants off us.

Jesus asks us to consider that – are you ready to hear this? –
Jesus asks us to consider that the most important things that happen to us – happen to us after we’re dead (Rpt)

Now this is a deeply unpopular idea with many of us.
The message that the journey of life is brief, that the end is very nigh and that eternity is, in contrast, end-less
is a message that we westerners think belongs to previous centuries. ‘And not to our time, Surely?’
Don’t we all have life assurance, death insurance and ‘just-in-case policies?
And, and… didn’t the Blair government do away with death a while back…… (‘New Labour, new deal’?)

Act 2, Scene 1

Outside the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre.
One dusty Tuesday morning.
It’s Abraham’s funeral. The whole family is there.
Outside the cave of Machpelah – the name means ‘windy spiralling cave’ – a neat idea given the winding meanderings of Abraham and Sarah’s journey through life.

The preacher stands to say the words of farewell.
‘Our Father Abraham has died, 175 years old. (Imagine that!) A good old age.
He was an old man, full of years. And now he is gathered to his people and buried with his beloved wife Sarah.’
His twisting-turning journey through this life is over. But who knows where the windy spiralling cave will lead them next…

Come imagine with me a while. Do you do imagination? Let’s take a mental leap, and see what happens….

Hand in hand Abraham and Sarah journeyed on.
The cave spiralled down and up, up and down, back and forth – and to and fro.
Through time they journeyed long and far, until one day…

Act 3, Scene 1

Until one day poor-man Lazarus arrived at Abraham’s heavenly tent.
(Sarah laughed when she saw him arrive – strangers still made her nervous. Strangers always bring interesting possibilities)
Lazarus sat down and ate. My – it tasted good. And the delicious warm embrace of Abraham’s presence.

In the distance – just on the edge of the great ditch outside – sat the guy in the suit. Or what remained of the suit. He’d lost weight.
And he was so close he could almost reach inside. Almost; but not quite…. So instead he looked on, in torment.
(Could you bring me a drink of water, please? It’s so hellish hot over here. ‘Sorry. That’s not allowed’.)

Act 4, Scene 1

St Peter’s church. Sunday 30th September. Morning worship. Here – and now.

Just for today – just for now – we are all there is.
We are the meaning and purpose of this moment, this gathering. Just imagine that!

Just for today the life journey of each and every one of us
has brought us together for a one-off and never-to-be-repeated moment.

Destiny, serendipity, co-incidence, quantum physics, happenstance, good luck – or bad – chance, a curious twist of fate, or else God
has brought us – this unique combination – of unique individuals from around the world together at the table of our Lord.

[Fast]
For a while all our lives are running in parallel;
our journeys are overlapping.
Those who are new to Manchester, here for a year or so,
those of us who have been for a while
are brought together for a special purpose…

What does God have in mind for us? (Rpt)

The message of Jesus is that the hidden stuff – the stuff that happens after our death is a crucial and risky matter.
That being dead lasts an awefully long-time.
The story haunts us. What will our destiny be – where will our journey end?
Which side of the great ditch will we be?
Shall we spend all eternity smoking – or non-smoking….?

The nameless suit discovered too late that it’s too late after death to rewrite the script.
And Jesus tells us his story to send a shiver down our spines.

So what does God have in store for us, this Sunday morning?

God calls us together, like God called Abraham and Sarah and their whole family, to set off on a journey together.
God calls us to spend some time together in friendship,
in journeying a while in each other’s company.

God calls us to bring our gifts and talents
Our time and money – each as each is able,
and to offer them to each other and to God.

Let’s agree a deal – the one the rich guy wished he’d done with Lazarus
Let’s agree to get to know each other, sit down together and see what happens.
Let’s make a pact, a truce, a covenant…

Terry Biddington