Week of May 8, 2000
Amy M.

"So [Jesus] told them this parable: 'Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after that one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.'"
     Luke 15:3-5

I am using a devotion book that I like, and since it is especially nice, I thought I would share it with the rest of the devotion-readers, rather than writing my own. It is from Martin Luther's Sermons.

"There is scarcely any more precious illustration in the whole Gospel than when the Lord Christ compares himself to a shepherd carrying back to the flock, on his shoulders, the sheep which was lost. He is still carrying to this day.

"Therefore the sum of the Gospel is this: the kingdom of Christ is a kingdom of grace and mercy, in which there is never anything but carrying. Christ bears our griefs and infirmities. He takes our sins upon himself and is patient when we fall. We always rest on his shoulders, and he never tires of carrying us, which should be the greatest comfort to us when we are tempted to sin."

It might seem a bit short, but it means a lot to me, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Lord, thank you for never getting tired of us and all our quirks and big ideas and stubborn behaviors. Thank you for going out to fetch us, again and again, and for taking the final risk of bearing the Cross for our sake. Help us to carry the weak, and know just how to minister the Word to each person according to their needs. In your name, Amen.

Contributed by Amy M.
Published Monday May 8, 2000
Week 24 of Liturgical Year B