August 18, 2026
Forgiven - Part 2
Luke 18:9-10
08/18/2026
9 [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted
in themselves that they were righteous, and
treated others with contempt:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (ESV)
We pray:
Almighty and everlasting God, always more ready to hear
than we to pray and to give more than we either desire
or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of Your
mercy, forgiving those things of which our conscience
is afraid and giving us those good things that we are
not worthy to ask, except through the merits and
mediation of Christ, our Lord.
God, in His infinite grace and mercy, has given His Son to
die to pay the price of our sins. He promises that we will find
forgiveness as we gather together to hear His Word and to partake
of the Sacraments. He invites the humble, the poor, the sinners
to come into His presence to give them the hope which comes from
the promise of life everlasting.
[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and treated others
with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
There are people you expect to see in church. They
frequently quote the Bible, pray in public, and are very careful
to keep both the Ten Commandments and the laws of society.
Others you wonder about. The man with the drinking problem, the
young lady who has a reputation for being less than faithful in
her relationships, the student who is always in trouble as
school. These also are welcome.
The church is not for self-avowed saints, but for sinners in
need of redemption. The church is not for the person who is
perfect, but for the person who feels the weight of sin.
May our Lord grant that we sinners heed His call to come
into His presence to receive His good gifts and blessings. Amen.