Safety in the Shadow of the Lord

God of justice and mercy, we come to worship you this day as ones who, on the great balance scale of your creation, are more like the rich man in the Gospel story than we are Lazarus. The parable Jesus tells reminds us that the chasm between rich and poor is hard to cross in the life to come, but not so for us this day, as we strive to see God’s kingdom at work in our world. As we offer gifts today, may we do so striving to be those blessed to be a blessing. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen. (Luke 16:19-31)