Where are Our Walls?

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 89:1-18; Hab. 2:1-4,9-20; James 2:14-26; Luke 16:19-31

I have very little time for reading that’s not related to sermon prep or work related, however Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy was well worth the exception. Century is an historical trilogy and is told through the viewpoints of five interconnected families from Wales, Germany, America, and Russia. It begins before World War I, and continues through the first World war, the Russian Revolution, World War II, and finally ends with the civil rights movement. Follett goes to great lengths to ensure that his details concerning the historical background are as accurate as possible. If you’re interested in history, it’s absolutely fascinating.

The second book, Winter of the World, takes place against the backdrop of World War II. One of the last chapters is set in Berlin in 1946, a year after the end of the war. Germany had surrendered and after the constant bombings, Berlin was unrecognizable. Thousands of bodies lay in piles, in the ruins of acres of flattened houses. The winter of 1946 brought extreme cold, most people were starving and living in homes that had no heat, much less windows with glass or even doors in some cases to keep out the cold. In this chapter a German mother, and her grown daughter are returning from having drug furniture from their home, across the city, to sell to an officer in the French army for a few dollars in hopes of buying food. Some houses had miraculously sustained only partial damage and were habitable. These were the ones the occupying troops took over.

As the mother and daughter walked home, they noticed a crowd, of homeless women and children, gathered outside a house that had been taken over by a British officer. In the freezing cold, the crowd of starving, women, some with infants in their arms and young children at their sides, were staring into the front windows watching men and women, laughing, and holding drinks, as waitresses passed trays filled with food. As the mother and daughter stood there the daughter remarked they looked like rejected sinners, locked out of paradise.

In the gospel for today from Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a poor man named Lazarus, who lay at the gate of a rich man’s home. Lazarus was covered with sores, and longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs took pity upon Lazarus, but the rich man ignored his misery even though he was at his doorstep. After both men die, the rich man, looking up from Hades, sees Lazarus in heaven next to Father Abraham and begs for pity. Abraham reminds the rich man, of the comforts he had enjoyed during his lifetime, however, Lazarus had received none. He had not shown pity on Lazarus.

In Follett’s story, the mother walked up to the door of the British officer’s home, confronted the officer, pointing out the starving women and children who had gathered and asked if they could spare something for them to eat. Ashamed of their insensitivity, he sent trays out to the crowd of more food than they could eat.

What Christ seems to be asking of us today, in this parable, is to open our eyes, to be more attentive to those in need; to identify those barriers, the “gates” or “walls” in our lives, and then with courage that can only come from God through the Holy Spirit, open the gates, and embrace the needs, waiting outside our doors.

 Faithfully,

Sally+

 Questions for Reflection: Who would we be in this parable? Would we be the one who is privileged? Would we have the courage to approach the British officer and ask for help, if not for ourselves but for the others? Anything can serve as a gate or a wall. We tend to create all sorts of walls to protect ourselves. What are our “walls”?