Tuesday Devotion

Today's offering is from Pastor Zach Parris.  An LCM-Clemson alum, Zach is now campus pastor in Boulder, CO.

 

 

 

This Sunday’s gospel of Lazarus and the rich man appears to be a classic Lukan reversal where the last shall be first and the first shall be last. In the world to come the rich man and Lazarus have switched places, except for one significant detail.

In his pleading the rich man doesn’t request to join Lazarus alongside of Abraham. No, what he wants to do is go back and warn his brothers, so that they might avoid a similar fate. The difference is that there is opportunity in the present, that now is the time God has given us to live into God’s presence into the world. This story proclaims a God and a people who are empowered to work and love, to bring and receive life not in careers or seasons that await us, but right now.

I am tempted to allow this gospel to drive the anxiety that ceaselessly checks my smart phone in every mindless moment. You see, I think we know the truth of this gospel. We know how incredibly gifted we are in each moment. I can travel in a shiny aluminum tube 30,000 feet in the air, going 500 miles per hour AND I can write a powerful/witty/transformational sermon at the same time. I know that at any second of the day, I can be virtually present to a student. Instead of being held captive in a lecture, I can also be effectively advocating for campus ministry to the wider world on Facebook. More than at any time in history we hold the potential to be powerful and immediate parts of God’s work transforming the face of the earth.

Truth be told that's a rather demanding standard to meet. The good news of the story of Lazarus and the rich man is that God is not calling us to make each second of our lives go viral. Rather, in every moment that finds us, simple or complex, anxious or relaxed, there is enough for us and for God to bring life and wholeness. So whether it’s an hour in a church sanctuary or an earbudless moment connecting with a friend or a stranger on the bus or even in a smile provoked by a tired meme on your newsfeed, know that there is enough, for us and for God.