Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost audio

Can you see what Jesus is sharing with us? If we want to build a perfect kingdom on earth - and put a big gate around it to keep all the bad people out - God will let us. But it may be all we get. Lazarus didn't have to be poor or homeless or dying - he could have been me or you waiting at the bus stop outside the gate on our way to work or driving past the gates taking our kids to school. It isn't Lazarus poorness that gets him into heaven - it's his reliance on God's grace and mercy - which is why the rich man isn't excluded based upon his wealth. We - no matter who we are - "are saved by grace, through faith - and it isn't our work - so none of us can boast - it is the gift of God" - that's what Jesus is trying to get across to us - just how much God loves you - in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.