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Sermon for September 30, 2001The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Amos 6:1-7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Gospel according to Luke 16:19-31 ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who
feasted sumptuously every day. 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. The poor man
died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also
died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and
saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and
cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Abraham said,
“Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and
Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in
agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so
that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can
cross from there to us.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my
father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that
they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They
have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No,
father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”
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.”’
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This is Youth Sunday, so our youth will act out the gospel. The congregation
is asked to move to the front of the church (so you can hear) and to play the
part of the Pharisees. You will have two responses at the very beginning.
Whenever you hear "You cannot serve God and wealth," you shout (with a
tone of ridicule), "Ha!" Well, Will You? A Skit Enacting the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man Narrator: Jesus is teaching, and he has concluded one of his stories by
saying, "You cannot serve God and wealth." Pharisees: Ha! Narrator: The Pharisees, who we are told "were lovers of money,"
heard all this, and they ridiculed him. They believed that having money was a
sign of God’s pleasure, and that poor people were being punished by God for
things they, or their parents or their grandparents, had done wrong. And the
Pharisees could point to parts of the Bible to support their position. And
that was a very comfortable position to take, at least for the people who had
money. So they ridiculed Jesus for saying, "You cannot serve God and
wealth." Pharisees: Ha! Narrator: And Jesus replied, Jesus: You just want to look good in front of everybody, but God knows how
you really feel inside your hearts. And you love things that God thinks are
terrible. You misinterpret the Bible to make it say what you want it to so you
can stay comfortable. Narrator: And then Jesus told them a story: There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine clothes and who ate
fancy meals and pigged out every day. [Rich Man goes into pulpit. Eats,
drinks, laughs.] And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores. [Lazarus
lies between the prayer desks. Wearing rags. Sores on his body.] He was so
hungry [Lazarus moans] that he couldn’t wait to eat with what fell from the
rich man's table. [Rich man throws scrap to Lazarus. Lazarus scrambles for it
and eats it hungrily.] Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. [Dog walks
over on all fours and pretends to lick sores.] The poor man died [Lazarus moans loudly and painfully and dies] and was
carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. [Angels help Lazarus up and
lead him to Abraham (in front of the font).] The rich man also died [Rich man
chokes on food and dies] and was buried. [Rich man ducks in pulpit so he can’t
be seen. Lazarus and Abraham go behind pulpit steps so they can’t be seen.] 1st Mourner (dabbing eyes with hanky): What a beautiful funeral. It
was standing room only. 2nd Mourner (also dabbing eyes): Yes, he was such an important man. [Rich man goes out of pulpit to floor between prayer desks and acts as if he
is in pain. Lazarus and Abraham go into pulpit and stand so they can be seen.
They hug one another and act happy.] Narrator: In Hades, or hell, where he was being tormented, the Rich Man
looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, Rich Man: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip
of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames. Narrator: But Abraham said: Abraham: I can’t believe this. Even now, you think you’re better than
Lazarus? You want him to wait on you? Amazing. Child, you need
to remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and
Lazarus got only evil things; but now he is comforted here [Lazarus snuggles],
and you are in misery. [Lazarus sticks out his tongue at Rich Man] Besides, it’s
against the rules to go back and forth from here to there. Rich Man: Then, father, if he can’t come here, I beg you to send him to
my father's house--for I have five brothers--and he can warn them, so that
they will not also come into this place of torment. Abraham: [talking to himself] Amazing! This guy still wants Lazarus
to work for him! (To Rich Man): God has made clear to them how people should
live while they’re still alive. They have Moses and the prophets; they
should listen to them. Rich Man: No, no, but you see if someone goes to them from the dead, they
will repent and change their ways. Abraham: Look, buddy, I’ve had a lot of experience with this. If they won’t
listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone
rises from the dead. [Entire cast lines up on top step and faces the congregation] Narrator: If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be
convinced even if someone rises from the dead. Entire Cast: Well — will you? The Rev. James H. Pritchett, Jr., St. John’s Episcopal Church, College
Park, GA
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