Like Lazarus at lunch

Jesus, teach me to include as many kids as I can in my circle of friends -- at lunch and all the time! Amen.

"A poor man named Lazarus used to sit by a rich man's door, hoping for table scraps to eat," Jesus said. "The rich man never gave him anything. Then both men died, but only Lazarus went to heaven. The rich man begged God, 'Send Lazarus to help me!' But God said, 'You had good things while you were alive, and Lazarus didn't. Now, he can have them, and you can't!'"

Lunch can be the most important part of a kid's school day. That's when a lot of choices happen: who to eat with, what to eat, who to play with at recess -- and who and what you don't want around. Some kids end up with the biggest hurt feelings at lunch.

This week's Gospel (Luke 16:19-31) is about someone who wasn't wanted: Lazarus, a poor homeless man. The rich man who owned the house nearby wasn't wild about having Lazarus sitting around outside. Instead of giving him food, the rich man ignored Lazarus and hoped he'd go away.

Have you already done the same thing at lunch with a classmate?

In the Gospel story, Lazarus is treated badly but then goes to heaven, while the rich man who ignored him doesn't get into heaven.

When it's too late to change things, the rich man asks for help, but God points out that treating Lazarus well in the first place would have been the way to get to heaven.

Lunch is an important time of day in school, a time when lots of choices are made. Are you like the rich man in Jesus' story, or are you making choices that include other kids -- even if, like Lazarus, they need a little help?