“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:1-7

Like the people of Old Testament Israel, we all too often spend our lives, our energy and our incomes on things which do not satisfy. Instead of taking the time to read and hear God’s Word and learn of Him and His ways, we use all our time and energy focusing on the cares and pleasures of this life. In the end, such things do not satisfy. They leave us empty and desiring more in the hope that, somehow, we will find happiness.

Again, as He pleaded with the people of Old Testament Israel, He pleads with us: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”

God called to His people of old to repent of their sinful ways and return to Him. He promised to make with them an everlasting covenant – the sure mercies of David, the certain mercies won for all by Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who would make atonement for all sins by His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross and who would establish an everlasting kingdom made up of all who repent of their sinful ways and trust in Him.

And God calls upon us – even pleads with us – to turn back to Him before it is too late! He says to us too: “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

The hour of our death and the day of Christ’s return are drawing ever closer. Then it will be too late to repent; the hour of our judgment will have come! While there is yet time – while God is still near to us with His gracious offer of forgiveness and life in Christ – He would have us forsake our sinful thoughts and ways and turn unto Him for mercy and forgiveness.

Through the preaching of the Gospel, through the waters of Holy Baptism, and in the Supper of our Lord, He offers and gives to us the mercy and forgiveness won for us by Christ Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again. He reaches out to us and offers us pardon and forgiveness in Christ Jesus.

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat.”

And when, by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit, we turn back to Him in contrition and faith, God is merciful to us and abundantly pardons. No matter how great our sin, God forgives us all because of the holy life and bitter sufferings and death in our stead of His only begotten Son – and the son of David – Jesus Christ our Lord!

So I ask you before God: Do you acknowledge that you are a sinner and have sinned in thought, word and deed? Do you confess and agree with God that you are guilty and deserving of his wrath and punishment? Do you trust that Christ Jesus has truly redeemed you and made atonement for all your sins? Do you also believe that Jesus, in His Supper, gives you to partake of His body and blood which were given and shed that your sins might be forgiven you? And, as a fruit of your faith, do you truly desire and seek God’s help to amend your life and live it in accord with God’s Word?

If you are truly sorry for your sins and look to Christ and His atoning sacrifice upon the cross for pardon and forgiveness, I announce unto you the grace of God and, in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

O LORD God, by the gracious working of Your Holy Spirit, grant that we live in continual repentance and be found trusting in Jesus Christ our Savior when our earthly life comes to a close. We ask this for the sake of Christ’s innocent sufferings and death in our stead and because of His glorious resurrection. Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.]