“Preaching to the choir” is when a person speaks for or against something to people who already agree with what is being said. I think that a lot of ministers will tell you that they spend a lot of time “preaching to the choir” . . . or at least that is what they are told by the people sitting in the pews. Ministers are also told when this happens that those listening in the pews are not the ones who need to hear it, its “those” who are out there beyond the doors of the sanctuary. Those are the ones who need to hear it! Not the choir.
Have you ever thought about the five brothers that are mentioned in our reading? In the story two people died—a rich man and a beggar who sits at the gate of the rich man’s home. The rich man has it all . . . the beggar, named Lazarus, has nothing and longs to even eat the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. In death Lazarus is whisked up to the heavens to stand by Abraham’s side. The rich man heads south . . . way south to the warmth of Hades where he is in torment. When he asks Abraham to send Lazarus to provide some comfort, he is told that it ain’t going to happen. You get what you get for the life you’ve lived.
Shocked and realizing the situation, the rich man then pleads for Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his five brothers about what could happen if they don’t change their ways. Again, Abraham denies the rich man his request, basically telling the rich man that they are on their own. Besides, alludes Abraham, it would do no good because it would just be “preaching to the choir”. They have already been warned. Moses has spoken to them. The prophets have spoken to them. Despite the message they have not changed their ways. Even sending Lazarus to share the message is not going to change the way the five brothers live their lives. They would shake their head in acknowledgement and proclaim: “You are preaching to the choir!”
At this rate it should be a “warm” family reunion when the time comes for the brothers to give up the ghost!
“Preaching to the choir” doesn’t often get results.
Well, Jesus tells us. In the story, Abraham’s answer to the rich man about warning his brothers tells him that they should “listen”. Abraham tells him, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them . . .if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Listening is the key!
The word “listen” appears 278 times throughout the books of the Bible. It seems as if the phrase that Jesus used most frequently in the Gospels seems to be “he who has ears, let him hear.” He says that at least eight times. The “key” is in the “listening”. For Jesus actions were proof of listening. If the five brothers were listening then they would know that they were to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, endurance and gentleness. Or, as Jesus would sum it up, they would love the Lord with all their all and love others as God has loved them. Their lives and actions would reflect what they had heard.
And the brothers had heard it all. They had heard it from the top dogs . . . Moses and the Prophets . . . and nothing changed. They had heard it and agreed to it—after all they were all religious people, but nothing changed. They continued to live life as they always had . . . people of privilege whose only concern was for themselves. And like any good choir their response to the message they heard was a great big “Amen!” Abraham was pretty certain that even someone risen from the dead wasn’t going help them “hear” the message any clearer. Nothing was going to change.
Now don’t get me wrong. The message in the parable that Jesus is sharing is fairly obvious—don’t live like the rich man unless you enjoy warm climates. But that is just the background to the bigger issue being addressed—listening. Will the five brothers listen? Well, if they are chips off the old block like their deceased brother . . . probably not.
Apparently, God thinks that listening is important. We have two ears and only one mouth. God understands the power of listening. Listening builds trust. Listening builds respect. Listening encourages empathy. It improves relationships in all realms of life. It promotes growth. It shows that people care. When listening occurs and real hearing takes place, there is opportunity for growth and change for everyone involved. Thus, it was that Jesus was always imploring those around him to “listen”.
We have all been a part of that “choir” that gets “preached” to, but hopefully we are really listening to what is being said. One of my favorite hymns around Advent and Christmas is the Avery and March carol Hey! Hey! Anybody Listening? Our choir has sung it quite often, but were we listening? Especially the chorus that goes like this:
Hey! Hey! Anybody listening?
Hey! Hey! Anybody there?
Hey! Hey! Anybody listening?
Anybody care?
The rich man in the story was apparently educated. He seemed to be religious—a person raised in the faith, after all he did make it somewhere upon his death in order to have the conversation with Abraham. He probably heard the words of Moses and the Prophets. He was not ignorant to the will of God. He probably joined in the “amen” chorus whenever the word was preached. But he didn’t listen . . . really listen . . . because if he had he wouldn’t have been roasting in Hades.
Same goes for his brothers.
We can avoid this fate. All we have to do is to really listen to Jesus’ call to love . . . to love God . . . to love one another. If we listen to Jesus’ call to live our lives as a reflection of God’s love and grace . . . God’s desire for peace and justice . . . God’s desire for the kingdom to be realized. If we are really listening, then the world will change as we respond to what we are hearing. We will care. Our lives will change. The lives of others will change. We will be that much closer to the Kingdom of God.
Let us not be members of that “choir” that seems to be always preached to. Let us listen. Let us care! Amen!
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