We Must Act: Our Faith in Action and Sacred Charge of Transformative Justice
Sunday, September 28, 2025 || 11:00am
Thornton Muncher || Certified Candidate for Ordained Ministry in the Northern Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church
Join us this morning for worship as Thornton Muncher, Certified Candidate for Ordained Ministry in the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church, preaches on the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:19-31).
Throughout this parable, the gospel writer of Luke invites us to consider how our faith actively calls us to seek justice and build relationships of care, especially with those whom our world has pushed to the margins. While we all might recognize the gift of our salvation in Christ, are we responding to the charge of our salvation as illustrated in this passage? How might our communities change for the better if we cross this “great chasm” now and work together to combat the systemic evils of poverty, so that all people are able to thrive in the present and still-to-come reign of God?
“The Rich Man and Lazarus” is a complex story with themes of systemic injustice, classism, and eschatological consequences–but also, good news. As people of the crucified-and-resurrected Christ, we find hope in this parable that we are able to cross the “great chasm” in this life now, and we are invited to be co-creators of transformative justice with the Holy Spirit through our relationship both with God and with neighbor.
Join us this week as we reflect together on this challenging text and discover what a “faith in action” might mean for us today, especially as Christians living in this current socio-political moment in our nation’s capital.