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Week Twenty-one: The Rich Man and Lazarus

Welcome to Week Twenty-one of our Bible study! This week we will be looking at the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke 16:19-31. This story comes on the heals of a contentious exchange between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. Specifically, Jesus was teaching about the dangers associated with loving money and material possessions, and he drew a stark contrast between actions that glorify the individual and those that spring from a contrite heart. These were words the Pharisees did not want to hear and provide the context for the story of the rich man and Lazarus. As always, we need to place ourselves in the time and culture of the audience and try to understand the meaning of the events that take place. Although I have read this story many times before, when we try to understand the context and thinking of the Jewish leaders during this time, the story comes to life in a new way. So, we will discuss these things and also life after death during our study Sunday night. I hope to see you all there.  As always, I welcome your participation and look forward to seeing you all Sunday evening at 7:30 pm.

About Zoom:  We will use Zoom for this Bible study. If you are using a computer, just type in www.zoom.com and select “Join a Meeting” at the top of the page, then enter the meeting ID: 696 778 0839.

If you are using a phone, iPad or other portable device, then you will need to download the free Zoom app. Once you have the Zoom app, just open it and select “Join” a meeting, and use this ID:  696 778 0839. I would encourage everyone to go into their Zoom settings and add in a name, at a minimum, so everyone can see who you are.

Alternately, if you don’t want to download the app, you can open your device browser and enter www.zoom.com and follow the instructions above.

Regardless of what device you use, once you join, you will enter a waiting room and then I will admit you. I will typically open the meeting about 10 minutes early so folks can get joined and work through any technical issues. You are free to join with or without video, but if you want to talk, which I really encourage everyone to do, please turn your camera on so we can see you.

I have the meeting set up so that it automatically mutes everyone when you join, so don’t forget to “unmute” when you want to talk. Again, I encourage everyone to discuss topics, answer questions, ask questions or otherwise participate in the discussion. Please jump in if you have information to help clarify a point or you just need to talk. It’s all fine!

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