Decisions, decisions, decisions

A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland, Canada — The sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 28, 2025 — The Very Rev. Ken Gray

We heard some months ago Jesus’ declaration of blessing and woe:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. … But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:20–21, 24–25).

If these words are the proclamation of destiny, what we hear today is a story of blessing and woe worked out in fictional, Gospel, real time and circumstance.

Separated by only a gate, a very, very rich man is well acquainted with Lazarus, the poorest of the poor; they might even have met daily as the one asked the other for food, pain relief, or other social and physical assistance. Such generosity never came; eventually both characters died; Lazarus is carried by angels to be with Abraham — sounds lovely;the rich man receives the honor of burial, en route to Hades (gk mythology: the misty and gloomy realm of the dead) — not fun; you don’t want to go there.

Recognizing his situation, the rich man sees Lazarus and Abraham from afar. He is concerned for the mortal fate of his family so asks Abraham to tell his brothers to mend their ways — share some love and money — lest they suffer the same fate. Abraham says, “sorry pal.” In the words of a popular song:

“And it’s too late, baby, now it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it
Something inside has died and I can’t
hide and I just can’t fake it”
—Carole King

In a rather grim, determined way Abraham says “what’s done is done; you reap what you have sown, forever.” Harsh for sure! If communion between the rich and poor can be found on earth, when and where love and generosity flow, it seems there comes a time (of reckoning) when final decisions are made, by and through our own decisions, decisions, decisions. It’s called “judgement,” a most unpopular word these days, though it’s indictments are notably self-imposed. Our final hymn today includes these words:

“We come with self-inflicted pains
of broken trust and chosen wrong”

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

So how does each character find their particular destiny? Does Lazarus enter into bliss simply because he had been poor? Does the rich man now suffer simply because he had prospered? The parable intimates that the blessing of the one who suffered poverty is a matter of sheer grace. Yet for the rich man, it is not wealth alone that causes his demise, but his failure to act generously toward the man he encountered outside his home every day.

With wealth comes great responsibility. His problem is lousy ethical behaviour. In Luke’s fictive narrative, Jesus invites us to examine our own life choices and actions in light of the reality that we have limited time in which to live well. We will have only so many opportunities to do the right thing. Decisions matter. The question remains however, what is the right thing?

I see such a conundrum today’s climate debate. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Drop into our Thursday morning men’s coffee meetup to hear such a conversation play out. What is the right thing to do regarding our care for, or abuse of the planet? Who do we believe about what will or might happen next?

I trust the almost total unanimous consensus of climate scientists, the prophets of our day, who say we must immediately change the way we extract, transmit, and burn carbon resources for the good of the planet. I am convinced that there will be less livable space for our children and grandchildren if things continue as they do now. Such erosion of landforms already occur in southeast Asia and Northern Africa. Others cite the legitimate need for housing, jobs, and financial security for present and future generations, only attainable if we continue to rely on oil and gas as wealth generators.

I would hate to think that there will come a time, when we all find our final resting place, that we might find ourselves crying out to whomever is “above,” that we made the wrong decision for ourselves, for our descendants, and for the planet. The common denominator for both the rich man and Lazarus is wealth, either too much, or too little. In today’s climate discussions money, or the LOVE of money, drives both sides of the conversation.

I would love to sit down with global negotiators — and I have been in the room a couple of times now — and challenge attitudes and practices around the accrual and disposition of wealth. How might St. Paul have addressed such an assembly? Paul’s letter to Timothy names money as a primary factor in human motivation and temptation:

“Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”

If Paul’s admonition is a way forward, then let us to these things:  

“But as for you, man [writing to Timothy] of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Visit the takenote.ca HOME page for a colourful display of hundreds of other blogs which may interest or inspire you