Yesterday's sunrise started with faint color on a dark cloud, then these striking shafts, and finally a variety of colors spread all the way from east to west, the beauty multiplied by reflections in the lake.
The parable that Jesus tells in Luke 16:19-31illustrates for us that the decision to ignore the poor has eternal implications. With just a few details we see how much of a gulf there is between these two men. The rich man is wearing purple and fine linen. He feasts extravagantly, not just on special occasions, but every day. The poor man is covered with sores, licked by the dogs.
The gulf between them that the rich man carelessly ignores continues in the afterlife, with himself on the desperate side and the poor man secure in the "bosom of Abraham." There is irony in the rich man still arrogant enough to request Lazarus to act as a servant, wetting his tongue and taking a message to his brothers.
A few verses earlier Luke tells us that the Pharisees were money lovers and mocked Jesus for talking about using money to help the poor. We might not be bold enough to mock Jesus, but the parable presses us to look into our hearts and see to what extent we are money lovers.
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