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First Sunday after Trinity – June 2^nd, 2024 Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas Rev. Joshua Woelmer Text: Luke 16:19–31 “Listening to Moses and the Prophets” Theme: God blesses those who have faith with salvation and love, and faith comes by listening to the Word of God. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Who would you rather be in Jesus’s parable, Lazarus or the rich man? Okay, that’s too easy of a question. Everyone wants to be Lazarus because we know the ending of the story. But would you really like to be Lazarus in the middle of his story when he is covered in sores, starving, and sitting in front of a millionaire’s mansion, smelling the sumptuous feasts happening there every day? Maybe not so much. Let me ask you a few other questions then to take this apart a bit. Let’s pick an easy one. Would you rather win a million dollars in the lottery, or work hard your whole life to earn that million? The answer should be the latter. Those who have money dumped on them usually don’t turn out well. Most lottery winners are worse off after they’d won than before they’d won. Those who have had to work for their money know its worth. Even if at the beginning of this story, the lottery winner looked like they were ahead by a million dollars, nine times out of ten, the hard worker ends up wealthier than him. Let’s look at another one. It takes a lot to be a top-tier athlete. The Olympics are coming up this summer, so we’re going to see a lot of great athletes and great performances on display. Those young men and women are going to achieve many feats and prizes. They’ve also given up a lot to get to where they are. I listened to an interview of a woman named Riley Gaines. She was a swimmer from University of Kentucky. She swam six hours a day, from 5:30–8:30, then took her college classes, then was back in the pool from 1:30–4:30. Then, she ate and did her homework. Rinse and repeat, no time for much socializing. She was a collegiate athlete, and Olympians are doing so much more. Only a small number of these athletes will even get on the podium. We can see the end of their stories—or at least, what we think is the end, getting on a podium with a medal around their neck. We might like to imagine that we could be or could have been like that person. But, the middle part of that story is hard. It takes a lot of time and determination and effort to have a chance at glory. Now, the truth is that winning a medal is not the end of the story. Nor is getting a million dollars. Christians know that the true end of the story is the eternal judgment—where will you go when you die? This ought to shape our lives today. It means that you can be wealthy and also believing or unbelieving. You can be poor and also believing or unbelieving. Throughout much of history—and even today—people think that if you have lots of money, God must love you. If you don’t, then He must not love you. So Jesus’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus tells us a lot. It certainly tells us about the nature of heaven and hell. It tells us about the chasm between them—the judgment means that unbelievers who die cannot later reform themselves. It tells us about the middle and end of our lives of faith. The rich man clearly did not care for the Word of God during his life. It seems like he may have begun as a believing Jew. He seems to know some of the lingo, enough to call upon “Father Abraham” (24). But he begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers so that they would see a spirit come back from the dead and believe in God. When Abraham rebukes him, he rebukes Abraham back, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent” (30). The parable ends with this: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (31). What we learn from this is those who care nothing about the Bible care nothing about eternity with God. It’s as simple as that. Jesus is here making a clear statement about his own resurrection—many Jews still did not believe in him after he was raised. But, we put our faith in the words of the Bible that declare to us that he was raised for our salvation. Lazarus, on the other hand, clearly believed in God. He listened to Moses and the Prophets. Even in his poverty, he was able to do that. The middle of his life was terrible physically—none of us would want to take his place. But we ought to be willing to, if it means attaining the end that Lazarus also attained. Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. He was taken to heaven. There he is comforted, and he does not remember the pain of his earthly life. Finally, the last encouragement that this parable has for us is to love our neighbor. We should be clear that the rich man was not condemned for his lack of love. Rather, he lacked love for Lazarus because he lacked love for God. 1 John explains how this works: “We love because he first loved us.” (19). Whether we are rich or poor, we can at least be Christ-like in our love for those around us. This does not mean excusing sin in the name of love. No, it means forgiving sin when it is confessed. It means telling of the love that Christ has for you when you do not deserve it. Hatred of one’s brother often betrays an unbelief that lies in the heart. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (20–21). How can we be happy, seeing someone on the path of unbelief that leads to hell? The world may deride our calls for repentance of sin as “unloving,” but it is the most loving thing in the world to invite someone to flee their sin, repent of it, and receive the forgiveness of Christ. After all, the middle part of our lives can be full of a lot. Lazarus suffered, as did Jesus, Job, and many saints who became martyrs. All of us struggle with our sinful nature in different ways. This middle part of our lives is important, because it impacts our end. Do we cling to Christ in the midst of everything that swirls around us in this world and in our lives? Or do we just try to get the most out of this world, not caring about God’s Word or the life to come. May god grant us the wisdom to live in this world with faith and love, that we would attain to live everlasting and love those in our life along the way. Now may the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. 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First Sunday after Trinity – June 2^nd, 2024

Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas

Rev. Joshua Woelmer

Text: Luke 16:19–31

“Listening to Moses and the Prophets”

Theme: God blesses those who have faith with salvation and love, and faith comes by listening to the Word of God.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Who would you rather be in Jesus’s parable, Lazarus or the rich man? Okay, that’s too easy of a question. Everyone wants to be Lazarus because we know the ending of the story. But would you really like to be Lazarus in the middle of his story when he is covered in sores, starving, and sitting in front of a millionaire’s mansion, smelling the sumptuous feasts happening there every day? Maybe not so much.

Let me ask you a few other questions then to take this apart a bit. Let’s pick an easy one. Would you rather win a million dollars in the lottery, or work hard your whole life to earn that million? The answer should be the latter. Those who have money dumped on them usually don’t turn out well. Most lottery winners are worse off after they’d won than before they’d won. Those who have had to work for their money know its worth. Even if at the beginning of this story, the lottery winner looked like they were ahead by a million dollars, nine times out of ten, the hard worker ends up wealthier than him.

Let’s look at another one. It takes a lot to be a top-tier athlete. The Olympics are coming up this summer, so we’re going to see a lot of great athletes and great performances on display. Those young men and women are going to achieve many feats and prizes. They’ve also given up a lot to get to where they are.

I listened to an interview of a woman named Riley Gaines. She was a swimmer from University of Kentucky. She swam six hours a day, from 5:30–8:30, then took her college classes, then was back in the pool from 1:30–4:30. Then, she ate and did her homework. Rinse and repeat, no time for much socializing. She was a collegiate athlete, and Olympians are doing so much more. Only a small number of these athletes will even get on the podium.

We can see the end of their stories—or at least, what we think is the end, getting on a podium with a medal around their neck. We might like to imagine that we could be or could have been like that person. But, the middle part of that story is hard. It takes a lot of time and determination and effort to have a chance at glory. Now, the truth is that winning a medal is not the end of the story. Nor is getting a million dollars. Christians know that the true end of the story is the eternal judgment—where will you go when you die?

This ought to shape our lives today. It means that you can be wealthy and also believing or unbelieving. You can be poor and also believing or unbelieving. Throughout much of history—and even today—people think that if you have lots of money, God must love you. If you don’t, then He must not love you. So Jesus’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus tells us a lot. It certainly tells us about the nature of heaven and hell. It tells us about the chasm between them—the judgment means that unbelievers who die cannot later reform themselves. It tells us about the middle and end of our lives of faith.

The rich man clearly did not care for the Word of God during his life. It seems like he may have begun as a believing Jew. He seems to know some of the lingo, enough to call upon “Father Abraham” (24). But he begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers so that they would see a spirit come back from the dead and believe in God. When Abraham rebukes him, he rebukes Abraham back, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent” (30). The parable ends with this: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (31).

What we learn from this is those who care nothing about the Bible care nothing about eternity with God. It’s as simple as that. Jesus is here making a clear statement about his own resurrection—many Jews still did not believe in him after he was raised. But, we put our faith in the words of the Bible that declare to us that he was raised for our salvation.

Lazarus, on the other hand, clearly believed in God. He listened to Moses and the Prophets. Even in his poverty, he was able to do that. The middle of his life was terrible physically—none of us would want to take his place. But we ought to be willing to, if it means attaining the end that Lazarus also attained. Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. He was taken to heaven. There he is comforted, and he does not remember the pain of his earthly life.

Finally, the last encouragement that this parable has for us is to love our neighbor. We should be clear that the rich man was not condemned for his lack of love. Rather, he lacked love for Lazarus because he lacked love for God. 1 John explains how this works: “We love because he first loved us.” (19). Whether we are rich or poor, we can at least be Christ-like in our love for those around us. This does not mean excusing sin in the name of love. No, it means forgiving sin when it is confessed. It means telling of the love that Christ has for you when you do not deserve it.

Hatred of one’s brother often betrays an unbelief that lies in the heart. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (20–21). How can we be happy, seeing someone on the path of unbelief that leads to hell? The world may deride our calls for repentance of sin as “unloving,” but it is the most loving thing in the world to invite someone to flee their sin, repent of it, and receive the forgiveness of Christ.

After all, the middle part of our lives can be full of a lot. Lazarus suffered, as did Jesus, Job, and many saints who became martyrs. All of us struggle with our sinful nature in different ways. This middle part of our lives is important, because it impacts our end. Do we cling to Christ in the midst of everything that swirls around us in this world and in our lives? Or do we just try to get the most out of this world, not caring about God’s Word or the life to come. May god grant us the wisdom to live in this world with faith and love, that we would attain to live everlasting and love those in our life along the way.

Now may the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

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