THE WEEK OF TRINITY III - SATURDAY

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15

If you feel your sins biting you, and your heart is wavering and beginning to tremble, take your place on the side where the tax collectors are standing, for they are the people for whom the Gospel is intended.

Do this quite joyfully and say, “Dear God, according to your own words, there is greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. All the angels and the righteous are interceding for this sinner and covering his sin. Now, dear God, here I am, and I feel my sins. My case is already decided. All I now need is a shepherd to seek me out; I will entrust myself feely to your Gospel.”

So, you come to God, and you are already the sheep that God has taken on His shoulders; you have already found your shepherd. You are the coin already lying in the hand; you are the one over whom all the angels of heaven are rejoicing.

Whether you feel all this right away or not must not disturb you in any way. Sin falls away gradually, and the bite in your conscience will impel you to keep on seeking God. You must fight with your faith against your feeling and say, “Dear God, I know what you have said; to this Word I will cling. I am the sheep and the coin; you are the shepherd and the woman.”

SL 11:1241 (21-22)

PRAYER: I thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for Your grace and mercy in seeking me out and finding me with Your Gospel of salvation. Preserve and keep me in Your mercy and grace, in and through Jesus Christ the Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 4:57-66.