September 28, 2025
LINK TO SERMON ON YOUTUBE
(May expire after about 2 years)
TEXT: Luke 16:19-31
TOPIC: The call to take hold of eternal life (instead of the danger of riches)
SERMON SUMMARY:
The Church's Call to Serve the Poor
Pope Benedict taught that the church does three essential things: worship God, evangelize, and serve the poor. This is practical and helpful—it focuses our attention. As my first pastor used to say, God never looks kindly on churches that neglect the poor.
Amos rebuked prosperous Israel for their self-indulgent luxury while remaining indifferent to suffering. When I think about our modern comforts—our homes, abundant supermarkets, advanced healthcare, and $6 lattes—I have to ask: do we resemble the people Amos was taking to task? To what degree do we share God's care and compassion for the poor?
Jesus's parable of the rich man and Lazarus is meant to make us uncomfortable. Notice that Jesus names the poor man—Lazarus is a person with a story—while the rich man remains anonymous. I'll never forget seeing this kind of poverty in Jakarta, sitting in an air-conditioned BMW while a dying man lay on the hot pavement outside. Jesus is showing us God's heart for people at the gate.
We're saved by faith in Jesus, not by works. But as James says, faith without acts is dead. Faith is a lived thing. Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that what identifies his followers are concrete acts of mercy: feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, visiting the sick and imprisoned.
Here's the good news: the closer we get to God, the more we share his heart, and serving others becomes a joy rather than a burden. When I came to faith in my early thirties, God changed my heart about the preciousness of every life—it affected even my politics in both directions as I aligned more with his compassion.
God doesn't call us to end world poverty. He calls us to live close to him and be his agent of grace for whatever poverty or hardship is by our gate. Pray daily: "Lord, who are you calling me to reach out to today?" There's all kinds of poverty around us—economic, emotional, relational. Show me, Holy Spirit, who you're calling me to help and what that help should look like.
