Wednesday, June 25, Divine Service
Wednesday of Pentecost 2
Video of Wednesday Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer
Collect of the Day: O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
The Epistle is from First John, the fourth chapter. 1 John 4:16-21
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 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. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. This is the Word of the Lord.
Alleluia. O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 16th chapter. Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” The Gospel of the Lord.
Homily: O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.
When Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was pregnant, she visited Elizabeth who was also pregnant. When Mary and Elizabeth spoke, Elizabeth’s baby leapt in her womb. A short time later, Mary breaks into song. In the Magnificat, Mary describes God’s mighty acts. Two of those verses say “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.” (Luke 1:52-53)
The reversal of fortunes and destinies that Mary describes becomes a theme in Mary’s son’s ministry. Jesus preaches similar words in the Sermon on the Plain. In the format of blessings and woes, Jesus declares “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. … But who to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” (Luke 6:21, 24)
The Gospel reading is the end of an extended teaching on wealth and possessions. Jesus is correcting a misunderstanding about what wealth and its absence means in the kingdom of God. Some think that wealth is a sign of God’s blessing. While poverty is a sign of God’s disapproval, In Jesus’ view, wealth and possessions are a blessing from God. Like all blessings, they must be kept in their proper perspective. God does not love the well to do more than the poor. Nor does God love the poor more than well to do. What matters is who has true faith in God that is lived out through the care of one’s neighbors.
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus illustrates the point. The Rich Man is a son of Abraham, but he has forgotten his faith. He feasts sumptuously every day, the text says. Every day is a party. There is no need to work. There is no need to reserve only certain days as a festival day. The Rich Man has also lost his faith in God. He is focused solely on his own enjoyment and gratification. His hard heart illustrates his lack of faith in God by how he treats Lazarus, the neighbor in need, right on his door step. Lazarus’ pitiful condition is ignored.
The Rich Man carries on with his feasts until he cannot any longer. Then, the Great Reversal that Mary and Jesus proclaimed came to be. Lazarus is in heaven. The Rich Man is somewhere else. As Jesus said, the Rich Man received His consolation. His consolation lasted only as long as he lived on earth. Eternal life for the Rich Man was not a consolation.
The Parable serves as both Law and Gospel for us. Through Jesus illustration, we are warned to examine our hearts with the question of where does our faith truly lie? Is it in Jesus who is crucified and risen for our sakes? Or does our faith lie in that which we create with our hands and effort? The Parable is Gospel for us in that we are assured that our Lord sees us no matter what our economic or health status may be. When we have faith in Jesus who is crucified and risen for our sakes, we receive his forgiveness for our sins. He promises us an eternal feast that never comes to an end.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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