Soli Deo Gloria. Amen.Invocation In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1 Every Sunday, indeed every day we pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Today, our Scripture readings illustrate God's answer to our prayer for forgiveness. In II Samuel we see David, the vaunted king of Israel. But here we see him not as a king, but as a sinner brought low by the trespasses of lust, murder, and adultery. The word of God, spoken through the prophet Nathan, brings him to repentance. And God forgives his sins.
[II Samuel 12.13]
David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin."
2 In our gospel reading, we see Jesus speak forgiveness directly to the woman who washes his feet with her tears and anoints them with oil. We know from the Pharisee what kind of woman she is—she is sinful through and through. But by clinging to Christ in faith, she showed forth the repentance of her soul. And Jesus' response could not have been filled with more grace:
[St. Luke 7.48, 50]
Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.
3 These passages from God's word remind us that God is willing and ready to forgive us all our sins. They show us just what the prophet Jeremiah meant when he proclaimed:
[Lamentations 3.22-23a]
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.
Today, by these words from Holy Scripture, God would have us know that every time we pray to him in contrition and repentance for our sins, he puts away our sin, forgives us all our trespasses and sends us forth to live in faith and peace.
4 But this Word of God also does something else for us today. It reminds us of our sinfulness. It's easy to look at David and think, "What a moron! Who would do something like that?" It's easy to look at the immoral woman and say with the Pharisee, "If only Jesus knew what kind of woman she was. . ." But who among us has not sinfully indulged in lust in our hearts? Who among us has not thought, or even said, "I could kill you for that!"? And who among us here today has a reputation that bears no stain, no blemish, no injury?
5 Our guilt is no different than the guilt of David or the immoral woman in the gospel. Perhaps our sins are limited to our thoughts, but that doesn't make them any less sinful. Maybe our sins are only sins that flow forth from our lips, but that doesn't make them any less sinful. Or just maybe, you can relate to one of these two people because your sinful actions are no different from theirs. So today, we look into a spiritual mirror when we contemplate the condition of these people from Holy Scripture. And that mirror says exactly what King David says, before he realizes the story about the little lamb is a story about his sin:
[II Samuel 11.5b]
"As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!"
6 David deserved death for killing Uriah by the sword and taking his wife as his own. The immoral woman deserved death for the sins that so stained her reputation. And we, sinners just like them, deserve nothing less than death. So we pray. Day in and day out, morning, noon, and evening, this prayer flows from our hearts and over our lips: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
7 In his mercy, God hears our prayer. He heard the prayer of David, who said, "I have sinned against the LORD. He heard the prayer of the immoral woman who prayed by washing Christ's feet with her own tears as a sign of her love and devotion. And Christ our Lord hears our prayers, too. He hears the prayers that rise like incense to his ears: prayers that cry out in contrition and repentance for the forgiveness of the sins of lust, adultery, and murder, whether they were done in thought, word, or deed. And he doesn't just hear our prayers, he answers them, too.
8 So we say with David, "I have sinned against the LORD." We approach Jesus with love and devotion so strong that we, too, would wash his feet with our tears and wipe them dry with our hair. Because Christ our Lord hears our cry for forgiveness and gives us the answer to our prayer. That answer flows, brothers and sisters, from the cross. Even as they nailed his hands and feet to the cross, what did he say?
[St. Luke 23.34]
Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.
9 From the cross Jesus pleads for our forgiveness. And on the cross he accomplishes the work that makes divine forgiveness ours. He suffers what we deserve. We deserve to die for our sins of lust. So he died on the cross in our place. We deserve to die for our sins of murder. So he died on the cross in our place. We deserve to die for our sins of adultery and unchaste living, so Christ died on the cross in our place. And by his death, he has worked forgiveness of these sins of ours. By his death he has worked redemption from our sins and freed us to go in peace. Now risen from the dead, and sitting at the right hand of God the Father, Christ our Lord answers our prayer as often as we bow our heads and raise our voices to God.
10 So keep praying for God's forgiveness. When you pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," be reminded that Christ our Lord does indeed forgive you all your sins. And as often as you pray for God's forgiveness, listen for his answer to your prayer. That answer is this: "The LORD has put away your sin. Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Invocation In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Votum The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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