June 11, 2026
Sins of Omission - Part 4
Luke 16:24
06/11/2026
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.'' (ESV)
In the prayer of the Church this week we confess that we can
only keep God's commandments because of His love, grace, and
mercy.
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.
We continue the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. We know
both had died, Lazarus being taken by God's angels to Abraham's
side while the rich man was condemned.
And [the rich man] 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.''
Even in the torment of hell, the rich man could not help but
try to be in control. He desired that Lazarus, who he had
ignored, now leave heaven to serve him. That could not be,
however, because one cannot pass from heaven to hell.
Our sinful nature demands that we are in control. Even if
we cannot be bothered to help others, we ask that others may go
out of their way to serve us. Even after we are judged, we are
unable to admit our sin.
May our Lord grant us faith to trust in Him, to confess our
sins, and so to receive forgiveness. Amen.