“Filling the Hungry” - Luke 1:50-53
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”
The day Mary’s life changed forever probably seemed just like any other day—just more household chores for this young, anonymous girl of lowly status. Suddenly, however, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she was pregnant with a son—yes, pregnant! And this was not just any son. Gabriel proclaimed that her son would be given the throne of David and would rule upon it forever. At this point she wasn’t sure what was more shocking: the fact that she was pregnant or that this son was to be the very king of the Kingdom of God! Having heard that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant, Mary quickly headed off to see her. After talking with Elizabeth, Mary realized that the Kingdom of God was actually arriving right before her eyes. The message of the prophets was beginning to come true in her very own life: The lowly and poor were being exalted and the mighty and rich were being humbled.
Can we stand to hear this message of the arrival of the Kingdom of God today in 21st century America? Isn’t this message the complete opposite of what our capitalistic culture tells us? Aren’t those with their ipods, plasma screens, SUVs, and big houses the ones we exalt? Don’t the mighty and wealthy call the shots? Aren’t the poor used as labor so the rich can only get richer? Jesus’ own words, however, about the Kingdom of God are crystal clear: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied”—and—“Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.”
As we sit here today in the richest country in the history of the world, this message makes me very uncomfortable. Do we even know how rich we really are? Let’s take a moment and see what it would be like for you and me to live like the one billion plus poor people—that’s right, one billion plus poor people—who inhabit our world. I invite you to close your eyes and begin by imagining your house or apartment…
· Start by removing all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. You will now be using blankets and pads for your bed.
· Next, empty your closets and wardrobes of all your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit. Leave yourself only one pair of shoes which are fixed up with duct tape so that they don’t fall apart.
· Move into the kitchen and empty the pantry, the refrigerator, and any freezers of all food except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans. Can you begin to feel the hunger pangs?
· After this it is time to dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house—this means no TVs, lamps, fans, AC, heater, or even plumbing—your bathroom has now moved to the backyard and, if you are lucky, showers are once a week. Can you begin to smell your new odor?
· Next, remove all newspapers, magazines, and books—that’s right, even your Bible. But wait—this will not be a great loss to you because now none of you can read.
· Now it is time to take away all your cars, followed by taking away your house and moving the family into the tool shed. That’s right—your privacy is officially gone.
· And finally, to cap it all off, as if adding insult to injury, lop off twenty-five or more years in your life expectancy—and if you are over 50, don’t even worry about it because you are already dead.
Can you vividly picture this life of poverty? Can you now see how truly rich you are? The Kingdom of God is coming and it is working to fill the hungry and send away the rich—and we are the rich who will be sent away!
So the question is this: How are we going to be able to enter God’s Kingdom? Is there no help to be found for us who are rich? Our only hope lies in the King himself. The Apostle Paul wrote: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” As Jesus hung on the cross dying, the soldiers were gambling for all that he had left. Jesus was the poorest person in the world as he hung on the cross for your sake. Through this act of His, you have already been made rich beyond all measure. In your baptism you have been joined into Jesus Christ and therefore share in the true wealth of the promise of the resurrection of the dead. You are a part of the Kingdom of God because Jesus Christ became poor so that you might become truly rich in Him.
Jesus’ own words say it all: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.” Because we have been given the Kingdom through Jesus Christ we are now called to use our wealth to help those around us. This can be a hard thing for us to hear and an even harder thing to do.
The closest I have come to this occurred when I quit my job in California as a flight test engineer, to move here to the seminary. In CA, I had a two bedroom apartment all to myself that was full of things. Moving costs were going to be so great that I decided my things may not even be worth the cost to move them. So I gave them all away to my church and some friends—couches, tables, refrigerator, bed—all of it except for my computer and clothes that would fit in my car and several boxes of books, movies, and CDs. Yes, I even gave away my 34” widescreen, Sony, High Definition television that I loved so much. As I had amassed these things over the years I had not realized how much they had begun to take over my life. Even though my motives weren’t pure, God used this move to show me the true freedom that is found in Him and not in my unnecessary possessions. The burden that was lifted from my shoulders by having all that I owned down to a loaded car and a few boxes, was amazing and beyond description! I tasted in small measure what God desires for us with the arrival of His Kingdom.
Like Jesus who became poor for us, we are to become poor so that the lowly around us may be exalted. The crowds who listened to John the Baptist wanted to know what this looked like: “What then shall we do?” they cried. John’s response to them was simple: “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
Brothers and sisters, the Kingdom of God is here and breaking into this life that we live today. There are hurting and poor people throughout the world and even within our own city and neighborhoods. We have been called to graciously participate in bringing God’s Kingdom into the world by giving to those who don’t have. The first step is often the hardest, so let’s begin by giving to a food shelter, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, skipping a meal out on the town once a month to give to Lutheran World Relief, or any other simple first step. As the Apostle John put it: “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” As we boldly step forward today to carry out this work of God’s Kingdom let us be forever mindful of Mary’s words:
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Amen.
The day Mary’s life changed forever probably seemed just like any other day—just more household chores for this young, anonymous girl of lowly status. Suddenly, however, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she was pregnant with a son—yes, pregnant! And this was not just any son. Gabriel proclaimed that her son would be given the throne of David and would rule upon it forever. At this point she wasn’t sure what was more shocking: the fact that she was pregnant or that this son was to be the very king of the Kingdom of God! Having heard that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant, Mary quickly headed off to see her. After talking with Elizabeth, Mary realized that the Kingdom of God was actually arriving right before her eyes. The message of the prophets was beginning to come true in her very own life: The lowly and poor were being exalted and the mighty and rich were being humbled.
Can we stand to hear this message of the arrival of the Kingdom of God today in 21st century America? Isn’t this message the complete opposite of what our capitalistic culture tells us? Aren’t those with their ipods, plasma screens, SUVs, and big houses the ones we exalt? Don’t the mighty and wealthy call the shots? Aren’t the poor used as labor so the rich can only get richer? Jesus’ own words, however, about the Kingdom of God are crystal clear: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied”—and—“Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.”
As we sit here today in the richest country in the history of the world, this message makes me very uncomfortable. Do we even know how rich we really are? Let’s take a moment and see what it would be like for you and me to live like the one billion plus poor people—that’s right, one billion plus poor people—who inhabit our world. I invite you to close your eyes and begin by imagining your house or apartment…
· Start by removing all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. You will now be using blankets and pads for your bed.
· Next, empty your closets and wardrobes of all your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit. Leave yourself only one pair of shoes which are fixed up with duct tape so that they don’t fall apart.
· Move into the kitchen and empty the pantry, the refrigerator, and any freezers of all food except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans. Can you begin to feel the hunger pangs?
· After this it is time to dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house—this means no TVs, lamps, fans, AC, heater, or even plumbing—your bathroom has now moved to the backyard and, if you are lucky, showers are once a week. Can you begin to smell your new odor?
· Next, remove all newspapers, magazines, and books—that’s right, even your Bible. But wait—this will not be a great loss to you because now none of you can read.
· Now it is time to take away all your cars, followed by taking away your house and moving the family into the tool shed. That’s right—your privacy is officially gone.
· And finally, to cap it all off, as if adding insult to injury, lop off twenty-five or more years in your life expectancy—and if you are over 50, don’t even worry about it because you are already dead.
Can you vividly picture this life of poverty? Can you now see how truly rich you are? The Kingdom of God is coming and it is working to fill the hungry and send away the rich—and we are the rich who will be sent away!
So the question is this: How are we going to be able to enter God’s Kingdom? Is there no help to be found for us who are rich? Our only hope lies in the King himself. The Apostle Paul wrote: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” As Jesus hung on the cross dying, the soldiers were gambling for all that he had left. Jesus was the poorest person in the world as he hung on the cross for your sake. Through this act of His, you have already been made rich beyond all measure. In your baptism you have been joined into Jesus Christ and therefore share in the true wealth of the promise of the resurrection of the dead. You are a part of the Kingdom of God because Jesus Christ became poor so that you might become truly rich in Him.
Jesus’ own words say it all: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.” Because we have been given the Kingdom through Jesus Christ we are now called to use our wealth to help those around us. This can be a hard thing for us to hear and an even harder thing to do.
The closest I have come to this occurred when I quit my job in California as a flight test engineer, to move here to the seminary. In CA, I had a two bedroom apartment all to myself that was full of things. Moving costs were going to be so great that I decided my things may not even be worth the cost to move them. So I gave them all away to my church and some friends—couches, tables, refrigerator, bed—all of it except for my computer and clothes that would fit in my car and several boxes of books, movies, and CDs. Yes, I even gave away my 34” widescreen, Sony, High Definition television that I loved so much. As I had amassed these things over the years I had not realized how much they had begun to take over my life. Even though my motives weren’t pure, God used this move to show me the true freedom that is found in Him and not in my unnecessary possessions. The burden that was lifted from my shoulders by having all that I owned down to a loaded car and a few boxes, was amazing and beyond description! I tasted in small measure what God desires for us with the arrival of His Kingdom.
Like Jesus who became poor for us, we are to become poor so that the lowly around us may be exalted. The crowds who listened to John the Baptist wanted to know what this looked like: “What then shall we do?” they cried. John’s response to them was simple: “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
Brothers and sisters, the Kingdom of God is here and breaking into this life that we live today. There are hurting and poor people throughout the world and even within our own city and neighborhoods. We have been called to graciously participate in bringing God’s Kingdom into the world by giving to those who don’t have. The first step is often the hardest, so let’s begin by giving to a food shelter, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, skipping a meal out on the town once a month to give to Lutheran World Relief, or any other simple first step. As the Apostle John put it: “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” As we boldly step forward today to carry out this work of God’s Kingdom let us be forever mindful of Mary’s words:
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Amen.
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