For Sunday, September 14, 2025, Readings: Exodus
32:7-14, Psalm 51:1-11,
1 Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; in your great compassion blot out my offenses…Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. [Psalm 51:1, 11]
...even though I was formerly a blasphemer...I received mercy, so that in me...Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him...To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory, forever and ever... [1 Timothy:13a, 16b-17]
And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them…Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." [Luke 15:2, 10]
I once was lost but now am found, I was blind
but now I see...goes the stirring hymn written by a former slave-ship captain. I
think that perhaps I’m still a little bit blind. As I, who all-too-often cannot
see the continuous flow of Amazing Grace within and around me,
I also, all-too-quickly and frequently, lose sight of the direction in which to
turn. How soon and easily we forget what we are called to do in the
hustle, bustle, distractions, and self-absorptions of everyday life, and, at
times its deep sorrows. The busy-ness surrounds and sometimes nearly drowns us.
Yet first and foremost, Dear fellow Scribes and Pharisees, how much more
self-satisfyingly easy it is to point to all THOSE people who have clearly lost
their direction (if they ever had one), and how certain we
are, however loath we are to admit, that they are not worthy
to be found, much less redeemed.
As we go grumbling along, peeking through our particular choice
of colored lenses, This fellow, Jesus, welcomes sinners and eats
with them. Surely not THOSE sinners, because within our group-think “we”
have definite ideas about what has or will [or should] happen to them.
Yet Jesus would welcome them as he welcomes you and me. As if
that’s not enough, more difficult to accept is that it isn't a job for any of
us to determine whose sins are greater or where another's soul resides for
eternity. My job is to acknowledge that I am a sinner…time for a
quick diversion here: what are your thoughts about being a sinner. How
do you define sin? Is it different for yourself than it is for others? Of
course we know about the Ten Commandments; I’ve seen the movie a few times. And
we know that if we break each or any, those are sins of commission. Then there
are sins of omission…sigh…there are volumes written about what sin is but
that’s for you to discover if you so choose. The Gospel for this Sunday is
about sheep and coins being lost and then found. Well, except for that
conversation (gossip) among the Scribes and Pharisees and the scandal of Jesus
eating with sinners.
If I choose to look deeply enough I can still
see the light of Christ in myself and in another. I can reach out for
that amazing and saving grace that is always within me if I want to know it.
The question becomes, how hard am I willing look for that grace in another ~ as
much as for a lost piece of property or a sheep? Even if I am unable to
relinquish all of my anger, my grief, my fear, of all that has happened in our
own time globally, locally, personally, or my own tendency to be sinful in the
past, the present, and the future, God in Christ never, ever leaves us.
I’m the one who turns away if only for a moment, a day, or longer. I’m the one
who is lost when I turn away through anger, selfishness, or grand
self-righteousness. It’s time for me to again remember the joy in heaven when
even just one sinner repents. The word repent literally
means to turn toward.
In this time of global and
local rancor, violence, and hatred, let us reach for the grace within to turn toward God,
Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therein lies all hope. Paul reminds us elsewhere in
1 Timothy [6:12-16] that God, Who is Immortal, Invisible, the One Who, with
Christ and the Holy Spirit, is our true direction in this life. The only person I can change is ME, and a good time for that is like, you
know, NOW. Will having hope change the world ~ not likely, but it will improve
my attitude which may improve my interactions with a few people. Will hope fix,
heal, or restore anything that's broken, wounded, or lost? Who knows ~ it
definitely cannot make things worse. Hope, however fragile in a
moment, can keep us buoyant through the tidal waves of emotion, fear, and
guilt that pound upon our personal shores. Hope and determination find that
lost sheep, discover that dropped coin, and cause angels to rejoice. Hope is
the light of Christ that beckons and welcomes, even me and grants me a measure
of inner peace and an immeasurable amount of spiritual nutrition. Peace is
certainly something the world close by and at large needs in great measure. So
let it begin with me feeling hopeful, un-lost and found again, with a clean
heart and a right spirit renewed.
And the extra piece in
another part of the Gospel is when Jesus is asked about how one inherits eternal
life ~ there are similar versions in Mark, Matthew and this one in Luke 10:25-28
which moves into the parable of the Good Samaritan: “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength
and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” Oh that
pesky love your neighbor thing… And, the truth is all too often we actually DO love
our neighbors as we love ourselves. It’s much easier to project how we are
feeling about ourselves onto others in a moment, or long term and shift discomfort,
dislike, and blame onto another or an entire group. That’s what gets lost in
translation. Yes there are terrible and scary people in the world, and we must be informed, attentive, and occasionally cautious in our interactions, and also do the best we can to do as we are asked to do: Love God, Love Yourself, Love Your Neighbor so easy, right? Insert
deep breath here.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O God of Loving-Kindness, create in us hearts so clean that we
move beyond stiff-necked stubbornness, and, purged of our sin, we may display
the patience to others that is granted to us by Christ.
O Lord of Utmost
Patience
RESPONSE: We rejoice in Your mercy
~ O God of Loving-Kindness, renew a right spirit within us all, especially those who govern on this Earth, in this Nation, and in this Community. Turn us to ways to care for all who are lost in poverty, the fear and deprivations of war, racism, homelessness, hunger, contagious disease, and more. Help us to find the best care for all Your sheep, and to protect the coins and hopes of those with so little else. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord of Utmost Patience
We rejoice in Your mercy
~ O God of Loving-Kindness, embrace those anguished by illness, uncertainty of treatment, or anxiety for loved ones, and give ease and healing to all. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions
O Lord of Utmost Patience
We
rejoice in Your mercy
~ O God of Loving-Kindness, as we send our own ahead to You, let
our hearts feel and hear the joyful noise of all who abide in Your eternal
bliss, until we join the feast. We pray especially for…add your own
petitions
O Lord of Utmost Patience
We rejoice in Your mercy
~ O God of Loving-Kindness, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add
your own petitions
O Lord of Utmost Patience
We rejoice in Your mercy
~ O God of Loving-Kindness, magnify the faith of those anointed
as our surrogate shepherds, who choose to shoulder the burdens of being an
example of and bringing Christ to our daily lives. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
O Lord of Utmost Patience
We
rejoice in Your mercy
The Celebrant adds: Holy God, King of the Ages, judge us faithful in
all that we do to bring honor and glory to Your Name. Restore our willingness
to hear and accept Your call to seek our soul’s fortune only in You. We ask in
the name of the Christ who welcomes all sinners; the Holy Spirit, who kindles
our faith; who together with You are the One, Immortal, Invisible, the Only
God, now and forever. Amen.
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