Storyteller | Parables - Dead Man Walking, September 25, 2022

Luke 16:19-31

Jesus is not telling a parable about Hell, the final judgment, or heavenly rewards. Our lesson is not a story about the afterlife and how to get to where we all want to go. Jesus is extending an invitation to the Pharisees then and today, to his followers then and today, to live as though the Kingdom of God (his kingdom) is already among us. The Kingdom of God broke into the world through Mary’s womb, which the cross or grave could not snuff out.

It can feel as though the chasm is too great. But church, we bear witness to Christ’s chasm crossing, Kingdom ruling, and grace extending every time we gather for worship – proclaiming Christ resurrected and ascended. In our witness to Christ’s Kingdom, we flip how we view the world, setting aside the worth of material lives and instead choosing to put our faith in God’s Grace.

Jesus say sthe rich man’s family wouldn’t believe a dead man walking into their living room with a Jacob Marley-like warning.

Lucky for us, death did not hold back Christ and does not hold back Christ’s body – resurrected, ascended, and gathered here this morning.