Sermon for The First Sunday after Trinity, June 7, 2026.
Our Lord’s story of the rich man and Lazarus gives us a lot to think about. For instance, isn’t it interesting that the rich man is not presented as someone to emulate, but Lazarus, the poor man—he’s our role model.
We see this over and over again in the Scriptures. Our role models are not the wealthy and strong, not the successful and powerful, but the weak and lowly, the humble and have-nots. Those whom the world, in all of its sin, looks down on. Not because they have-not, but because they rely on God for their good things.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of this, crucified on the cross. Hanging in humiliation, lowly, poor, dead, covered in sores. Now, He’s far more than just an example for us to follow; this sermon, as you’ll hear before I’m done with but He’s definitely not less than an example for us to imitate.
Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
As we consider Lazarus and the rich man, think about the Pharisees. In our American society, we have an equivalent group. American Evangelical pastors, with their culturally oriented churches. These guys are our Pharisees. They have their big churches with lots of members. They’re obviously successful in their religiosity. The Pharisees were the religious reflection of Israel’s culture. The American Evangelical pastors are the religious reflection of American culture.
Not only that, but like the Pharisees, they have influence in the political realm. For example, Donald Trump’s religious advisor is Paula White, an American Evangelical “pastor” with a large following. This is how influential they are. The big churches with their celebrity pastors, and even their smaller, local colleagues, the “popular church” in the area—whatever it may be—they’re praised for attracting the youth, having cool programs for young parents, and for reaching people with the latest trending method that incorporates what’s hot in their local American culture into their worship and doctrine.
They’re the religious status quo of our day, just like the Pharisees were the religious power players of Jesus’ day. The Roman Catholic church fits this Pharisaical bill, too. Large and influential, rich and successful. And certainly, in different parts of our country, the Papists may even outdo the American Evangelicals as the greater Pharisees. They need not compete. They’re one and the same. In our area the Roman Catholics aren’t that big of an influence, but the Latter Day Saints are. In the American Evangelical realm, I guess it would be McNabb’s Bible Church.
Both the Mormons and the American Evangelicals are culturally dominating. Both have larger numbers gathering in their churches. Both, when judged by outsiders, are considered successful in their operations. Both do well financially. Both, very much like the rich man in our Gospel text, here and now. are receiving their good things
Now, contrast that with a church like ours. We’re not a Pharisaical church. We don’t have the ear of politicians. We’re not the influencers of our culture. No one would set us up as an example of worldly success like they do the cool contemporary churches, or the LDS.
Even among our own, we often hear lament about how the LCMS is in decline. Or even locally, we hear about how things aren’t like the good ol’ days, when our Sunday Schools were full, etc., etc. This is common across the Synod. We’re not even as great as we used to be when comparing ourselves to ourselves, or so we think. We’re old-fashioned and uncool, with our Bible-bound teaching and Christ-crucified proclamation, with our ancient liturgies and universal Christian creeds—these things that the majority of the boomer generation find boring and that the worldly, across all generations, dismiss as less than entertaining, and therefore not worth their time and attention.
We’re poor when the other guys are rich. We’re weak when the others are strong. You could say that we’re sickly and dying, covered in sores; while these other churches and cults are clothed in the American version of purple and fine linen, feasting sumptuously. We’re Lazarus to this world’s rich man. So, why are we who we are? Why are you not sitting in the chairs at Lovell’s Bible Church or any of the other culturally oriented churches around here? Why are you not in the Mormon stake house down the street? Why do you not attend these places where your friends and family go and, no doubt, invite you to attend?
You’d certainly receive some life advantages. No doubt, job opportunities would open up for you. Promotions. Social integration. The whole nine yards.
Why don’t you?
Because the truth is far more important than that. Life eternal is far more important than life temporal. What did we hear in today’s Gospel reading? Look at verse 24. Let’s start there.
“And [the rich man, who is in hell] 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 life time received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.’” (16:24-25)
Now to be clear, as a side note: I’m not saying every member of the Bible Church is going to hell, like the rich man. But I listened to the sermon McNabb preached last Sunday, and while it was about ducks, and western inventions, and how bad drugs are, and how the German plow was related to the fall of Rome, and a lot of other stuff, never once did he preach Christ-crucified for the forgiveness of sins. The Gospel was never preached. I’ve listened to several of his sermons since I’ve been here, and I can say with confidence that if there are Christians in that church, they will be in heaven despite Pastor McNabb’s preaching.
You’re here, Christian, because here you receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead so that we would be convinced of the truth spoken by Moses and the prophets, the truth of God’s love for mankind as a whole, and for you as an individual. Jesus Christ died to forgive you of your sins, and He was resurrected from the grave so that you would never find yourself dead and buried, and in the torment of Hades begging for a drop of water to cool your tongue due to the anguish of the flames.
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, became the poor man to save us from being like the rich man. Covered with sores from being flogged, Jesus was laid at death’s gate so that, as St. John writes, we would “come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.” (1 John 4:16)
I told you I would tell you how Jesus is more than an example for us. This is how. He was sacrificed in your place, Christian. He wasn’t crucified to show you how to die for your own sins, but to be the very sacrifice that God requires because you sin. He is your propitiation. He is your atoning sacrifice. He took your place on the cross so that you would never die. And, indeed, you won’t.
When you stop breathing in this temporal life, you, like Lazarus, will be carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom, that is, to heaven, where your spirit will dwell, very much alive, with God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — until Judgment Day when your spirit and your body will be reunited to live with the Lord forever.
This is why you belong to this church. Here you get the saving truth of Christ-crucified! This is why we don’t fear death. This is why we don’t fear being seen as weak and poor. Why humiliation in Christ is a gift. Jesus was seen as weak and poor. He was humiliated. Who wants to look like the rich man? I want to look like my sickly Savior gasping for breath on the cross. I want to be covered in the sores borne for neighbor’s sake. For what do we read in 1 John?
Take a look at 4:16 again. “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 in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world…. 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: also love his brother.”
Christian, God loves you. He has given His Son to be poor, lowly, weak and without, to dwell in humiliation, to be put to death for you. And just as the rich man pleaded from the fires of hell, He raised Him from the grave so that we would repent of our sins instead of being cut off from heaven by an unpassable chasm.
Repent of your sins, friend. Repent and give thanks to God that Jesus Christ has saved you from yourself, from this sinful world with all of its luring temptations, and from the devil, for whom the flames of hell have been stoked. Repent and know that your sins are forgiven by the atoning death of Christ Jesus, our Lord!
Amen.
Rev. Tyrel Bramwell 
Leave a comment