Luke
15:1-10— Twice in
the Gospel for Sunday tells us of the joy in heaven when a sinner repents. We
can see the smile on the Father’s face. The choirs of angels are singing. The
archangel’s trumpets are blaring. How much joy is indicated when sinners repent
in the average church today? Is there a party spirit of great joy when a person
is baptized or confirmed or renews his faith? Evangelism is the happy time of
the church because it is an echo of what goes on in heaven. So we ask why God
is happy when we repent. God’s will is fulfilled. He desires everyone to return
to Him for He loves each person. Repentance means a wayward child has come
back. This makes God happy, for His will is done. God’s portion is His people.
God is happy for the sinner’s sake. Prior to repentance the sinner was going
down the road leading to death. Now he has avoided destruction and is coming to
life, love and light. This is God’s desire for every person because He loves each.
The diligent search, the tender care, and the later
joy represent Christ’s attitude and activities with publicans and sinners. Says, Luther, “We can neither help nor counsel ourselves to come to quietness and peace
of conscience, into escape from the devil, death and hell unless Christ Himself
gets us and calls us to Him through His Word. And even if we come to Him and
are in faith, we are not able to keep ourselves therein.” [St. Louis,
(German) Edition, 11:1268]
“He calls His
friends.” He looks for sympathy of feeling from His friends. Christ did not
find that among the scribes and Pharisees.
We usually think of repentance as the condition of
forgiveness. We say that God will forgive only when we repent. This text turns
this around. We are forgiven before we repent, and we repent because we have
been forgiven. We are forgiven not because we pay God the price of repentance,
but God loves us whether or not we repent. Those who know and accept God’s
love, respond with repentance. It is a fact that no calamity, natural disaster,
or adversity makes people repent. It is the kindness of God that causes us to
repent. This lesson focuses upon the mercy of God which should stir us to repent.
God is the one who seeks the lost. (v. 4) In love God
goes after His sinner. By His search God shows His concern and mercy for the
lost.
Heaven rejoices when the lost one repents (Vv. 7, 10)
Repentance means the acceptance of God’s love.
A Prayer for spiritual renewal: Almighty God, grant that we, who have been redeemed from the old life of sin by our Baptism into the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, may be renewed by Your Holy Spirit to live in righteousness and true holiness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.[2]
[1] The image of Christ the Good Shepherd by Wm Dyce is found here: http://www.biblicalart.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=789&pagenum1
[2] Collect for spiritual renewal, Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House
[3] Collect for Friday of the week of Pentecost 13, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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