Listening to Moses and the Prophets

This week’s Scripture text is from Luke 16:19-31 in which we have the story of the rich man (unnamed – any or all of us) and the poorest of the poor, 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.”


There are lots of statistics out there demonstrating that fact that humankind still tends to be hard hearted and self centered - not necessarily mean, but simply blind to those beyond our gated communities and countries. Some of them are embarrassing for the U.S.:

On that league table, the US ranks twenty-second of the 22 most developed nations. As former President Jimmy Carter commented: 'We are the stingiest nation of all'. Denmark is top of the table, giving 1.01% of GDP, while the US manages just 0.1%.

In Jesus’ story it is too late for the rich man to change but it is not too late for the rest of the world.

Luke 16:31 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.'"

Guess what. We not only have Moses and the prophets. We have someone risen from the dead! And we can and are listening.

Our focus this week will be on the good news of the ways we are responding. I commend to you our own United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor) for stories of success and as you come to worship we will lift up many others.

As I find inspiration in others I’ll also be placing them on my blog page.