Proper 19 (2025)

Paris Otterbein

*Opening Prayer

*Call to Worship

(Based on Psalm 14)

Leader: The fool says in their heart, “There is no God.”

People: We know the Lord is our Maker and Redeemer.

Leader: All have turned aside, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

People: Yet God looks down from heaven to seek us and to save us.

Leader: Do evildoers not understand? They devour God’s people as though eating bread.

People: But the Lord is our refuge, our strength, and our deliverer.

Leader: Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

People: The Lord restores his people. Let us rejoice and be glad in him!

Leader: Come, let us worship the God who sees, saves, and sanctifies.

People: With joy we lift our voices to the God of grace! Amen!

Hymn #202 Amazing Grace

Scripture Reading

1 Timothy 1:12-17 Kevin T.

1 Timothy 1:12–17 NIV

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

Hymn #403 The Solid Rock

Silent Prayer

Pastoral Prayer

Lord's Prayer

Children's Message — Pastor Troy

Have you ever lost anything? I sure have. How did it make you feel?

Did you look for it? Did you find it? Now, how hard did you look?

At our house, when something is lost, I’m frequently the one who is asked to look for it. People in my family seem to think that I have a gift for finding things they have lost. All the time I get asked to help them look. And do you know what. A lot of times I find what they are looking for.

Now, what do you do when you are looking for something that’s lost? Do you move stuff? Do you pick stuff up? Do you try to remember where you had it last?

Let me ask you, what happens when you find it? Do you get mad and upset and start to cry? Or do you get excited and happy and cheer?

Today, our scripture talks about two people who lose something and then they spend a lot of time trying to find it and when they find what they have lost, they celebrate. And do you know that Jesus is the one telling this story and He says that all of Heaven celebrates when a person accepts Jesus Christ into their heart because that means they are found. So if you have accepted Christ into your heart, all of the angels in heaven and God celebrated because they were so happy you made that decision.

Let’s pray.

Scripture Reading

Luke 15:1–10 NIV

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Sermon

If you spend much time reading the gospels and watching Jesus’ life unfold, you’ll notice a common thread—Jesus often found himself at odds with the religious leaders. The Pharisees and Sadducees, who disagreed on many things, seemed to find common ground in their opposition to him. And even here, as the tax collectors and “sinners” were gathering around Jesus, these religious elites had a critique.

Now, think about this for just a minute, if Jesus who was perfect and without flaw and who never made a mistake or did anything wrong was criticized, why are you so surprised when people come along and criticize you? If Jesus was criticized, you can expect to receive criticism as well. But these religious folk don’t shout out their criticism. In fact, it doesn’t even really seem to be directed toward Jesus. Instead, they mutter to one another. “He hangs out with the wrong people.”

But it might not just be about who He hangs out with. By the time we get to Luke 15, the religious leaders had been watching Jesus in an attempt to determine what He was up to and what He was about. So-called Messiahs popped up all the time so they were often under scrutiny. And in the minds of the religions leaders, if Jesus really was from God, He would be gathering the righteous together instead of the sinners.

And perhaps, being perfect, Jesus had perfect hearing. Or maybe He sensed in His heart what they were saying. Regardless, Jesus tells three stories back to back. The lost sheep. The lost coin. And the lost son. But this morning, our text includes only the first two stories. So let’s look at the lost sheep.

Imagine, Jesus says, “you have 100 sheep and one of them gets lost.” What are you going to do? Will you say, “Oh well, I have 99. That’s good enough for me.” or “You know that one was always a pain anyway. Always wandering off. Always causing me trouble.” or do you go after it? Do you leave the 99 in order to find the one you’ve lost? Isn’t the one who has wandered off as important as the 99 you still have in the field? Or is that one somehow less important?

And then Jesus says, what do you do when you find it? You cheerfully and joyfully put it on your shoulders and carry it back to the fold. You call up your friends and have a party and celebrate this one you had lost has been found. Why? Because the value of the one lost is as important as the 99.

Then Jesus tells the crowd, this second story. Imagine a woman who has 10 silver coins. And she loses one. Does she say, “Oh well. At least I still have 9.” No, Jesus describes the drastic measures she will take in order to find the 1 coin she lost. “Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” In other words, she will do everything she can to find 1 silver coin. She still has her 9 but she’s not happy until she finds the 1.

And just like the shepherd, once she finds her coin, she will throw a party. Now, I have to say whenever I read this story, I wonder, what does a party cost her? 1 silver coin maybe? But she throws a party to celebrate that what was once lost is now found. She calls her neighbors and friends and says, “celebrate with me.”

In both of these stories there are two groups. The ones who are there. The one who is missing. In both stories, the owner searches for that which was lost, and won’t stop until it is found. When the lost item is found, there is a celebration.

And both times, Jesus tells those around Him this is the kind of celebration that takes place in Heaven when one person repents. Now, the Pharisees and religious leaders don’t know this. The disciples don’t know this. The crowd that is gathered around doesn’t know this. But you and I know this. Jesus is Emmanuel. God with us. Jesus left Heaven to search for that which was lost. And there is a party that takes place every time someone accepts the love of Christ. Heaven rejoices, the Church rejoices, we rejoice together when God’s love restores the lost. We celebrate because He is the God who seeks.

Reckless Love

Giving of Tithes and Offering

Doxology

Prayer of Dedication

Hymn #203 And Can It Be

*Benediction