Festival of St. James, Apostle
Posted on July 25, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 15:1-7 (NKJV)
15:1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Devotion
Continuing yesterday’s theme of true righteousness versus hypocrisy, we see what brings joy to the holy angels. It’s not those who see their ‘socially acceptable’ sinning as too insignificant to separate them from God, but it is the lost sheep the Shepherd must carry back. St. Paul might ask, as he does at the beginning and end of Romans 6, “What shall we say then?” Should we wander and stray, so that we might have such a glorious restoration? Of course not! Rather, we should be constantly aware of our flesh’s desire to run away from Christ’s flock, the verdant pasture, and still waters by which our Good Shepherd leads us. Then, we will both rejoice in the salvation of others and always ourselves be turned toward the restoration so mercifully received through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament.
As we celebrate the festival of St. James, we recall that he was one of the three often separated out by Jesus to bear witness to certain events, like His Transfiguration and His praying in Gethsemane. James would readily confess his sinful weakness in those events, being afraid at the former and failing to watch and pray at the latter. It is by such confessing, so that we hear and trust in Christ’s Absolution, that our Lord keeps us as the sheep of His flock.
Prayer: O Almighty God, Who hast built Thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Head Cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable unto Thee; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday
O God, Whose never-failing Providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth: We humbly beseech Thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which be profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
