During the 30 years I practiced as a trial lawyer before I was called to ministry, I spent a great deal of time in court. I appeared before judges in every county in western Pennsylvania as well as in the Federal District Court in both Pittsburgh and Erie. If I tried to name every judge I appeared before, it would be an impossible task. For the most part, the judges I encountered were ethical, intelligent, unbiased and fair. But there were a couple who were … well … more like the judge Jesus depicts in today’s parable. Not particularly faithful to the law and not particularly respectful to those who appeared before them. Going before those judges was always hard. You never knew what they were going to do, and it did not appear that they were concerned with justice. Fortunately, there are few of them. But the woman in the parable must go before such a judge when she seeks justice. This judge ignores her pleas and refuses to do her justice. But rather than throw up her hands and give up, she devises a unique strategy. She continues to come before the judge pleading her case. She is so persistent that he finally gives her what she wants just to get rid of her. So in the end she gets her justice.

 

What could this story possibly have to do with God? Jesus point is that if someone can get justice from an unjust judge, how much easier is it to get justice from a just and merciful and loving God. Pretty easy, Jesus says. Just ask God for justice and you will get it. This of course begs the question: When you are doing the asking, are you seeking justice, or just asking that you succeed? Are you asking that God’s will be done, or your will? If you are asking for God’s will, it will be done.

 

Then Jesus asks a strange question. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? What faith does Jesus hope to find? Faith in God. Faith that God will do justice in accordance with God’s will. Faith that this will happen whether we recognize it or not. Faith that tries to recognize God’s justice and mercy and love. Faith that makes us look for it and try to understand it. That should be easy in Lent. God’s justice is that we are forgiven through the suffering and death of Jesus. That we receive mercy and love from a just God.

 

Dear God, help us to be persistent in our prayers that your justice prevails in all things. We pray also that you encourage us and empower us to look for it, recognize it and thank you for it. AMEN

 

 

 

When I was a young man, maybe 14 or 15, I washed dishes at a local restaurant. I worked extremely hard washing dishes, taking out the trash, and mopping the floor. I would be working non-stop on the weekends and would come home late at night tired and smelling like fish. My reward for my work was $5.35 an hour. As any young person I was shocked to look at my paycheck and see just how much taxes I had to pay on my already small check. On the flip side my younger sister babysat neighborhood kids. She would play with the kids and then put them to bed and watch tv.  She was paid by the families 8 dollars an hour and it wasn’t taxed because the people just handed her cash. She was literally making twice as much as me and was working not nearly as hard.

 

While I was completely jealous and bitter as a young person, I can look back at appreciate my experience. While at the time I felt it was un fair, both of us agreed to the money we would be paid. I could have left any time I wanted and was not forced to work for the wage I agreed upon. I used to think it was unfair that I had to work so hard for so little. Now I look back and realize that it was really good for me. It built in me a strong work ethic and made me appreciate money much more than some of my peers who just had money given to them by their parents. 

 

Often times when I read this parable I can understand why the early workers are upset. They work much harder and longer than the late workers. However, I now think that maybe there are other benefits to being an early worker than just the money. 

God’s grace is available to all people through faith in Jesus Christ. This can happen to some as children and others as adults. Some hear God’s words as children and cling to them, while others ignore it for years and years, maybe coming back to you later. I have heard some people say that the people that ignore God and live a crazy life don’t deserve God’s grace. The truth is none of us deserve grace, but it is available to all of us no matter when we call out to Jesus. If you haven’t taken Jesus as your savior I hope that you do, recognizing the grace and love that is waiting for you. I also hope that you do it today, there are a lot of benefits of living knowing how much God loves you!

 

God, we thank you for your grace. Let us be reminded that your grace is for all people no matter how old they are, or how they have lived their life. Let us also be thankful that we are living our lives knowing the promises we have in you. Amen.      

 

 

Rich people do not fair well when Jesus speaks of them in Luke’s Gospel. Woe to them, Jesus says. They are fools for building big barns to keep all their stuff that they will not need. They will never follow Jesus because they have many things. Their idols are their wealth and possessions. And they do not want to share. When they die, these things that gave them comfort are gone and there is no comfort to be had. That is the rich man in this parable. Unimaginably wealthier than the poor sick Lazarus, yet he does nothing for Lazarus. At death the roles are reversed. It is the rich man who craves just a finger of water, but Lazarus because both are now dead, can do nothing. He wants to warn is brothers, but that warning must come from the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

This reminds me of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. Marley and his fellow ghosts are condemned to drag the implements of their wealth around for eternity. There is no rest. There is no end to the torment. But then there is this: they finally feel empathy for those they ignored in life, but now, because they are dead, can do nothing to help those they now want to help. That is the rich man’s fate. He is burdened and can do nothing.

 

What does it have to do with us? We are Scrooge. We are given this story by Jesus and can learn from it. What do we learn? That we are to care for those who need it. The hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned, the oppressed. If we do, we do so to Jesus and are welcomed into the Kingdom of God. Jesus knows that no one can take care of all of the world’s Lazaruses, but if we take care of one, in some way, we take care of all. Who are you caring for this Lent? Something worth considering this Lent.

 

Dear God, help me to serve and give to those who are in need. Help me not to judge who is worthy of my service and resources, but to give as I feel called by you to do. You gave the full measure of service to us on the cross. Help me to do my part as well. Amen.