The Church Season of Trinity
The
First Sunday after Trinity
Our
Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (June 10, 2012)
Readings: Psalm 33:12-33
Genesis
15:1-61 John 4:16-21
Luke 16:19-31
I was away this Sunday on vacation.
The Rev. Russell Zimmerman delivered the Word of God in my stead. Thanks be to God. Pastor Wright.
Psalm 33:12–22, ESV
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of
man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the
earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The
king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great
strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might
it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord
is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may
deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for
the Lord; he is our help and our
shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let
your steadfast love, O Lord, be
upon us, even as we hope in you.”
Genesis 15:1–6, ESV
“After these things the word of the Lord
came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward
shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God,
what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is
Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring,
and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be
your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside
and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number
them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as
righteousness.”
1 John 4:16–21, ESV
“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.
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. 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. We love because he first loved
us. 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.”
Luke 16:19–31, ESV
““There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who
feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named
Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich
man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man
died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died
and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw
Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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.’ 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.
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.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my
father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they
also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and
the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone
goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’ ””
