Mind the Gap

“O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works; that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” —Book of Common Prayer, p. 814

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Minding the Gap
If you’ve ever traveled on the London Underground, you’ve likely heard a voice reminding passengers to step carefully over the space between the train and the platform. This now-familiar warning—“Mind the Gap”—has become part of urban vernacular around the world, used in ways that have nothing to do with subways.

We’re faced with glaring gaps every day; gaps having to do with power differentials. There are gaps in access to food, clean water, quality education, and healthcare. There are racial and gender gaps, generation gaps, technological gaps, and accessibility gaps.

Our Gospel reading addresses another, between wealthy and poor in this life, and yet another - between heaven and hell in the life to come. Two key points to consider when we’re working with this passage: Luke is clear about the detrimental effects of an unhealthy relationship with money. And we want to approach this story with a critical eye, not as a literal guide to the afterlife. 

 

So, what are we to make of this story about a seemingly random, unnamed rich man and poor, miserable Lazarus? 

It’s certainly told in a dramatic and creative way, using hyperbole and vivid imagery: The rich man wears royal purple robes and feasts sumptuously. Poor Lazarus, on the other hand, is so destitute he’d be pleased with scraps from the rich man’s table. Dogs come to lick his sores. 

Both men die. Lazarus doesn’t get a funeral but rather is carried away by angels to be with Abraham. He goes to the good place. The rich man does get buried but soon finds himself in torment. Seems like it could be a story about heaven and hell.

Another Gap to Consider

Because the doctrine of heaven and hell is so deeply rooted in Christian belief, it’s wise for us to consider another gap, the roughly 400-year gap between the completion of the Hebrew Bible and the development of materials that went into the New Testament. This is a period when ideas about the afterlife from other cultures, especially Greek and Egyptian, were introduced and disseminated.[1]

 

So, is this week’s passage even a parable? I think so. [2] 

 

Mark’s Gospel tells us that parables are Jesus’ trademark teachings. Mark also tells us that, in private, Jesus explained everything to his disciples (Mark 4:33-34). After Jesus shared the complicated parable of the shrewd or dishonest manager with the disciples, Jesus explains to them that they cannot serve God and money. We might simplify that one to: Just love God! Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Familiar, right?

If last week’s parable was hard, this week’s is harsh! Intended for the Pharisees, the disciples were also probably within earshot.[3] This week, Jesus, still on his way to Jerusalem, “minds the gap” between those who have left everything to follow him and some pretty cranky religious leaders. Described by Luke as “lovers of money,” Jesus seems to expect these Pharisees to know better. Indeed, it may seem he is warning them that their preoccupation with money could lead to eternal damnation. But, if they had “ears to hear,” they might catch that the story points to the second great commandment—love your neighbor. The Pharisees know these teachings well.

But will they see themselves in the rich man? You gotta hand it to him. He was persistent. Even in death, he dismisses the gap between rich and poor and tries to theologize his way out of his sorry predicament by begging Abraham to make Lazarus serve him.

You see? This passage is not about where we go when we die. It’s about a conversion of the heart, toward compassion, justice, and neighbor-love. It’s about minding the gaps in our understanding so that we come to see the world as God would. And sometimes money really does get in the way of loving God and neighbor.

St. Francis
Born into wealth in the 12th century, St. Francis of Assisi struggled in his relationships with his father, the government, and even the church. After his conversion, he gave up all worldly attachments and riches to live in solidarity with the poor, the sick, and all of creation. Francis came to know union with God, so that he saw every other person and the entire natural world as brothers, sisters, and neighbors.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor
We have some new neighbors across the street from us. What was once a babbling brook behind our home has become part of an entirely new and diverse ecosystem, thanks to some industrious beavers who have taken up residence in a series of meticulously constructed, interconnected lodges built near their impressive dam. We’ve spotted beavers swimming and diving, climbing up out of the water to shore to check us out, then ambling off back into what has become their pond with a loud, playful slap of their powerful tail.

 Leave it to Beavers
If we pay attention, beavers can teach us how individual actions can ripple out and benefit a community. Their commitment to caring for each other—and the way they share space with other species during long winter nights—reminds us of God’s invitation to welcome the stranger and love our neighbor.

 

One afternoon, a stranger did show up! Rising up out of the water with cute little ears and impressive whiskers was this guy – an adorable river otter! What’s amazing is that
otters and beavers, though not even distant cousins, peacefully coexist, sharing their homes and even playing together. Otters remind us of the importance of adaptability. They are social creatures who make time for play as well as hunting. After a storm, otters are often the first to return, displaying resilience in the face of disaster. They rebuild their lives even while remembering to make time for joy.[4]

As humans, we are called to be good stewards of creation and one another. At our best, we work together, in collaboration, so that we can do the jobs we came to do and make time for joy while we’re at it. If we put aside our egos, we can grow and thrive while building something beautiful together that the greater community can enjoy. 

In the months to come, we will be busy beavers here at St. Mark’s. We’d be wise to mind the gaps in our workloads and in our communication. We’d be wise to take time to pray, to play, and stay alert to the Lazaruses at our gate. 

One more thing about Lazarus. Of all the parables of Jesus, did you know that Lazarus is the only named person? A relatively common name in the ancient world, the meaning of Lazarus might be important for us to remember. The name Lazarus means “God helps.”[5]

Let us pray: Loving Creator, we thank you for our precious world, your creation. In this season of change, help open our hearts and minds to the gaps among us—those places where your love longs to bridge and heal. Help us to see one another fully, that all may know the joys of belonging and contributing. Help us stay together in compassion, so that no one is left alone, feeling unseen or unheard. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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[1] Keith Giles, “Misunderstanding The Rich Man And Lazarus Parable,” Keith Giles, December 9, 2020, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/keithgiles/2020/12/misunderstanding-the-rich-man-and-lazarus-parable/.

[2] “STORIES WITH INTENT: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE PARABLES OF JESUS. Second Edition. By Klyne Snodgrass. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018, 426.

[3] Snodgrass, 426.

[4]An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice. “Season of Creation.” Accessed September 25, 2025. https://www.episcopalcreationpath.org/season-of-creation.

[5] Snodgrass, 429.

This is NOT my Sermon for this Week

I am not preaching. Well, I am, only not at St. Mark's. I'm taking my sermon on the road to an assisted living facility. Another first for me. Prayers accepted.

This week, the Gospel message is challenging. I will probably start with some breath work. Or maybe a body scan. My Thursday morning chair yogis at the senior center love this practice. 

I will need to introduce myself, because they do not know me from Eve. And then I will attempt to share the good news from perhaps the most baffling of all of Jesus' parables, the one affectionately known as the dishonest, unjust, or shrewd steward or manager.

Of course, back in the first century, there were no titles. This came much later. These days, we have so many translations of the Bible that we can pick and choose until the cows come home.

As it turns out, cows are part of the inspiration for this sermon. Which I plan to try preaching sans script. It's time.

Another first. 

Here's the plan. See what you think.

Embodiment Body Scan or hand on heart. We need this for this parable; otherwise, our brains might overheat. I'll introduce myself. Then I will use a method of preaching I picked up at the EPF Preaching Excellence Program last summer. It's a preaching-in-a-pinch method that asks three questions of the scripture: what, now what, and so what...

What's it all about? Only the most confusing of all Jesus’ parables. And it's only in Luke. Recap. Context: Luke’s stacking of this parable with the Prodigal Son and the Rich man and Lazarus coming next week. Jesus’ audience (probably the disciples and the Pharisees listening in). Etc.

So what? Luke's audience likely understood the system of wealth in the first century in  in which the steward would have been unpaid (aka slave) labor. Managing the accounts for his wealthy master, the steward would have been solely responsible for certain billing decisions, likely using what little power he had to his advantage.

Now what? Is Jesus endorsing dishonesty? Where is God in this parable? What is the good news? Certainly, there is the message that we cannot serve God and money. In this parable, two worlds are addressed. In the world of the parable, there is fear. Therefore, the inclination is that to survive, one must be clever and scheme for safety and security. 

We live in a world that is often unfair. The hamster wheel is real, and sometimes we feel we need to bend the rules just to survive. Is it possible to get off of it? Is it possible to live in this world and not be impacted by it? It takes courage to step out of the system. 

In the small town of Waterbury, Vermont is an ice cream factory built by two childhood friends with a dream of making the world a better place. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream there in 1986 to support local dairies and raise awareness about environmental and social justice issues. For $6, you can take a tour and sample the freshest ice cream you’ve ever tasted! 

The business grew, and they stayed true to their values for decades. However, as our current system tends to operate, in 2020, Ben & Jerry's was acquired by a large corporation, reportedly for a little over 300 million. Doesn't sound like enough to me. I mean, how do you put a price tag on Chunky Monkey

 Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, stepped out of the system this week. He walked away because the parent company refused to uphold the values the original owners were committed to. 

So, Jerry walked away from the world he and his childhood buddy helped create.

There is another world addressed by Jesus in this parable. Did you catch it? When Jesus speaks of the eternal homes that the disciples will be welcomed into, he refers to another world altogether. In Greek, the word Jesus uses for home this second time translates to 'tent'. Tents are portable. Easy to put up, take down, and move (mostly).

Jesus came to teach us how to gracefully move out of this world and into God's. In the eternal world, into which we are all invited, there is fairness and justice. There is more collaboration than competition. There is abundant joy, peace, and unconditional love. It is a world where there are no divisions or class systems. We are all simply the beloveds of God. 

And, we don't have to wait for this life to be over. We can choose this now.

Amen.💛

 

 

This is NOT my Sermon for this Week

I accompanied some of our youth on a short hike yesterday. It was an opportunity to put down our technology and just enjoy each other’s company and nature. And we did. We saw frogs and caterpillars and a variety of butterflies supping on gorgeous early fall foliage. By the trail, a horse show was going on. We got a chance to pet some of the horses, and the kids decided to sit and watch these elegant creatures gracefully gallop and prance around the ring. Our lively conversation took us down something of an equestrian rabbit hole. One of the kids wanted to know how much a horse weighs, which naturally led us to the question of the biggest horse ever. For that information, one of them simply asked Siri on her iWatch. (Click the link. Siri and I go way back!)

It's a whole new technological world, one that is changing by the nanosecond. And these kids seem to know how to navigate it. Still, it’s important to get out in nature without our devices. The natural world has much to teach us. God’s creation is a gift.

I don’t even know if I am preaching this week. We have some new excellent preachers on our roster. However, I have been thinking a great deal about theology lately and its potential impact on our communities and the world. 

Theology is essentially the study of God or the Divine, if you so prefer. It's no small task to delve into the mystery of the Creator of the universe. 

Good, healthy theology is comprehensive, taking into consideration sacred scripture, tradition, context, doctrine, history, and social location. Healthy theology is thoughtful and utilizes a wide variety of sources. 

At its best, theology contributes to the moral and spiritual formation of strong, healthy communities. At its worst, it is destructive and can tear families, communities, and entire cultures apart. 

We need healthy, thoughtful theology now. Maybe not necessarily “more than ever.” We’ve been through challenging periods before. However, changes are happening at such a rapid pace that there is a real danger of doing theology carelessly, which, as we have witnessed over the centuries, may have contributed to the decimation of entire cultures and, certainly, individuals. In a world where technology places information at our fingertips, there is no excuse for sloppy theology. 

One of our final projects for theology class was to describe, in a video, the theological method with which we felt most compatible. We needed to use a variety of sources and cite them accordingly. It was an immensely helpful exercise. Thanks, Church Divinity School of the Pacific!

For me, this assignment drives home the critical point that in our diverse, ever-changing world, taking responsibility for the quality of our theology matters. 

It matters for all of us, but especially for the generations who will eventually inherit, for better or worse, what we are putting out there.
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Meditation with Sophie

       A five minute breath meditation with my girl Sophie.