Have you ever considered how the Luke 16: 19-31 parable, with its vivid focus on the proper use of wealth and compassion for the poor, speaks just as vividly to stewardship of the earth? 

If not, begin by building a theological bridge to expand the concept of “riches” beyond just money.  We might call this parable of the rich man and Lazarus “the Parable of the Misplaced Priorities”.

It is a story about the failure of the wealthy to care for the poor.  The rich man’s sin was not his wealth but his indifference.  He saw Lazarus not as a fellow human being, but as part of the landscape.  He saw Lazarus (if he noticed him at all) as an inconvenience that he could ignore. He only thought about himself, his own cosseted comfort and wellbeing.

The rich man failed to be a good steward, not only of his financial wealth, but his relationships with other people. Like him, we can also fail in our stewardship of the abundant gifts of nature, and of the relationships with rest of creation that are entrusted to us by God.

The rich man was a bad steward of his wealth.  He used it on himself, rather than seeing it as a gift from God to be used for God’s purposes, purposes which INCLUDE caring for the vulnerable. 

Riches are far more than money.  Our greatest riches are the riches of CREATION.  Here let us shift the focus…

Remember, God has BLESSED humanity with an ABUNDANCE of nature’s gifts – among them, fertile land, clean water, breathable air, and diverse ecosystems. These are the true “riches” on a global scale. 

SO, just as the rich man consumed his riches for his own pleasure, without any thought AT ALL for Lazarus, we as a society consume the earth’s resources for our OWN comfort and profit, without a thought for the consequences.  We HOARD and WASTE without considering the poor who are most impacted by a degraded environment, or future generations who will inherit a less hospitable planet, or the wellbeing of our fellow creatures, many of whom are being driven to extinction. Do we, as the ‘rich man’, consider that Creation itself is our true wealth? Do we have consequences of depleting it for our own immediate comfort and convenience?

Let us turn now to the “Lazarus” figure, who is also IMPORTANT within the context of environmental stewardship. 

The first and most direct connection is that it is often the world’s poorest who suffer the most from environmental degradation.  They live on polluted land, are the first victims of climate-related disasters, and lack the resources to adapt.  In this way, they are like Lazarus, suffering from the “scraps” of a poisoned environment. 

It’s SO SAD. So WRONG.

We can also personify the earth as a suffering Lazarus.  The planet is a BEAUTIFUL creation of GOD, but in many places it is “full of sores”, like Lazarus, from the pollution, deforestation, and over-extraction.  It is “laid at our gate”, silently groaning under the weight of human neglect.

The “great chasm” between the rich man and Lazarus after death can symbolize the growing gap between the wealthy who benefit from environmental exploitation and the poor who suffer from it. It is a CHASM of INJUSTICE that we, as followers of Christ, are called to bridge!!

We are CALLED to radical accountability!  The rich man’s eternal torment is a consequence of his failure to act on the clear moral obligations he had. 

You can argue, and yes, I am doing that right here, that failure to be a good steward of God’s creation - a clear biblical mandate (Genesis 1-2, Psalm 24:1) - is not a natural act.  It is a form of spiritual neglect that distances us from God and our neighbor, including the more than human neighbor.  The judgement that the rich man faces is a POWERFUL reminder that our actions (and inactions) have long term, eternal consequences. 

BUT THERE IS HOPE!  It’s called Repentance! 

Just as the rich man’s brothers needed to repent, so do we. It means radically changing our minds and our actions!  Such as moving from thoughtless consumption to intentional stewardship.

Here are a couple of additional examples of what repentance would look like, focusing on the victims of our exploitation:

1. Repentance as Giving a Voice to the "Lazarus" of the Earth

The rich man's primary sin wasn't just hoarding; it was ignoring Lazarus. He dehumanized him by not even acknowledging his existence at the gate.

 In our context, this is a failure to see the victims of environmental degradation. We might not be directly polluting a river in a distant land, but our choices—our consumption, our waste, our demand for cheap goods—are contributing to that river’s pollution and the suffering of people we will never meet.

 The rich man never had to face Lazarus. Our globalized world allows us the same luxury of distance and ignorance.

 Repentance would mean actively seeking out the stories of these victims. It involves moving from ignorance to informed empathy. 

This could look like-

Ø  Educating ourselves on how our purchasing habits affect the people who mine the materials for our electronics, who make our clothes, or who live near the factories that produce our goods.

Ø  Listening to the voices of climate refugees, indigenous communities, and farmers whose livelihoods are being destroyed by the effects of a changing climate.

Ø   Using our privilege and platform (however small) to advocate for policies and practices that protect the most vulnerable from environmental harm.

 This is the opposite of the rich man's silence. It's giving a voice to the voiceless, to the "Lazarus" laid at our global gate.

2. Repentance as Restorative Justice and Repair

The rich man not only failed to give Lazarus his scraps, but he also failed to repair the harm done to him. Lazarus was covered in sores and starved. The rich man had the means to heal him, but he did not. 

Our sin is not just consuming; it's also a failure to repair the damage already done to the earth and its people. We have a debt of ecological and social harm.

This form of repentance goes beyond simply changing our future behavior; it actively seeks to mend the past. It's a move toward restorative justice.

 This could look like-

Ø  Supporting organizations that are working to clean up polluted water sources in communities where they live.

Ø  Investing in and promoting sustainable technologies and fair-trade practices that empower workers and protect the environment.

Ø   Advocating for policies that hold corporations accountable for environmental damage and force them to pay for the clean-up.

Ø  Volunteering or financially supporting initiatives that reforest degraded land or restore damaged ecosystems.

Ø  Personally taking steps to reduce waste and carbon footprint, not just to feel good, but as a small act of atonement for the harm that our society has already inflicted.

By framing repentance in these ways, you can make the application of Luke 16 to environmental justice more concrete and compelling. It moves the conversation from the abstract idea of "stewardship" to the tangible acts of seeing, listening to, and repairing harm done to real people and places.

I ENCOURAGE you and your community of faith to see your life as an act of this kind of stewardship.

This isn’t JUST about money, but about how you use your time, your influence, your purchases, and your voice to care for the earth and its most vulnerable inhabitants! The life of a faithful steward is a way to serve God and love our neighbor; both human AND non-human!  THIS is the path to finding true and LASTING riches in God’s Kingdom!! 

Pastor Daphne Urban

North Beltrami Evangelical Lutheran Parish

(Zion Lutheran Church/Blackduck, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church/Kelliher)

NWMN Synod Creation Care Team Member

Natural Beauty Annual Flower Merchandiser