A Shocking Revelation

Last week I was surfing the net looking for some ideas to help me in my preparation for my sermon on the story of the rich man and Lazarus. I found a website called “The Global Rich List” that put me in a state of shock and humbled me as well. Just plug in your annual income and find where you stand among the rich and the poor in this world.

   This is what I learned: “You are in the top 0.63% richest people in the world. There are 5,962,197,435 people poorer than you. How do you feel about that? A bit richer we hope. Please consider donating just a small amount to help some of the poorest people in the world. Many of their lives could be improved dramatically or even saved if you donate just one hour's salary…. Oh, and in case you’re interested you are the 37,802,565 richest person in the world.” As an aside, to get a handle on millions and billions: 1 million seconds equals 11.5 days; 1 billion seconds equals 31.7 years. Think about that!

   I never considered myself rich, simply abundantly blessed. Anyone whose yearly income is $47,500 is in the top 1% richest people in the world. I have never met anyone in that category who considers him/herself “rich.” Even $20,000 per year puts one in the top 10%. We truly do not know how rich, how blessed we are, do we? We also do not realize just how poor so many in the world are and how many there are of them. It is almost impossible to fathom that reality – see above on millions and billions.

   As I stared at those figures (and continue to do so as I write this), I was (and am) in a state of shock. Why me? Why am I so blessed and so many so poor? Over half the world lives on less than $1000 a year. I know I cannot solve the problems of the world even if I give one hour’s salary as that website suggests. But to do nothing, in fact, to want even more, somehow seems so callous and so selfish.

   Yes, we are all bombarded by worthy causes. Give to one cause and three others quickly follow. A week does not go by without a call for a donation to an organization. It is easy to become cynical about it all especially when we read about the abuses that take place all the time. I have, I admit. We have Caller ID. If I do not recognize the name, the phone is not answered. But I cannot allow my cynicism to cloud over the fact that there are people in need and I am blessed and I can help.

   This is not a set-up for our Every Member Canvas. If it does help remind how blessed we are, well and good. The truth is we can all live with less because we all have more than we need. We simply do not want to. We have also become so accustomed to a rich (yes “rich” is relative) lifestyle, that we cannot imagine living any other way. And so we hold on to, even hoard, what we have, while so many, like Lazarus in the Gospel parable, long for the crumbs that we discard so readily and unknowingly.

   Why we are so blessed and so many are not, God only knows. What I know is that God expects the blessed to share their blessings – freely, willingly, lovingly. How we do so is up to each of us individually. But will we? Over five billion people await our response – and so does our God.

                                                            WJP