For the week of September 14 – 14th Sunday after Pentecost
Morning Prayer: This world would deny You, Lord, and rely on human wisdom in their search for answers to questions they have yet to ask … but we will praise You, and exalt Your name, for we know that You are Alpha, the beginning of all things, and Omega, the end, and all that is between.
We have known Your healing.
We have known Your provision.
We have known Your victory.
Our sorrow has turned into dancing and our tears to songs of joy. We shall praise You ever more. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Opening Hymn: #707 Hymn of Promise
- In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
- There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
- In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
Psalm 14
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3 They have all gone astray; they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the company of the righteous.
6 You would confound the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
7 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us, not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: Costs continue to rise and families sometimes have financial difficulties providing for the needs of children. The mornings have been chilly and it’s time to make sure the children in our neighborhood “Feel the Warmth of Jesus” by providing them with warm winter coats. Carla Travelpiece is beginning to fully stock our clothing racks with coats for children of all ages. New or nearly new coats for infants through high school students can be dropped off at the front entrance of this building. Be mindful that adults are not supplied with clothing, so only give styles that are appealing to children. Fashions for adults and household goods can be donated to other churches or thrift stores are happy to receive them.
Offering prayer: Steadfast and sheltering God, Even when the world disappoints, You call us to faithfulness, to community, to generosity that reflects Your own heart. Receive these offerings as signs of our trust in You and our desire to serve our community. Use them—and us—for the good that ripples outward, for the healing of hearts and the strengthening of Your people. We give not because all is well but because You are good. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries, adapted)
Hymn of Preparation: #389 Freely, Freely
- God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name, I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name,
and in Jesus’s name I come to you, to share His love as He told me to.
Refrain: He said, “Freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give.
Go in My name and because you believe, others will know that I live.”
- All power is given in Jesus’ name, in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name,
and in Jesus’ name I come to you, to share His power as He told me to. (Refrain)
Scripture: Luke 15:1-7 (NRSV)
15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 So He told them this parable: 4 “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 the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Affirm your faith by reciting the Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. (UM Hymnal #882)
Message: Ben Dodge
Isn’t it nice to revisit the classics, those stories we know by heart since childhood? They become engrained in our culture as we reminisce about our favorite tales that we pass along to our youth. Indeed, we share nursery rhymes and fairy tales because they allude to a deeper meaning, and themes begin to emerge with every new story. Little Bo Peep and Baa, Baa Black Sheep follow a simple cadence and offer stories that appeal to a young audience; conversely, counting sheep as a method of falling asleep and warnings about the wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing are sayings that persist in our vernacular well into adulthood. Although these disparate examples diverge in the lessons they try to convey, we can easily spot the four-legged, herbivorous link between them.
The parable of the lost sheep is a regular part of our oral tradition within these walls, but the characters therein are even more recognizable as sheep and their caretakers reappear throughout scripture. King David began his years of service watching over the flocks of his father, and he would later author the book that would depict the Lord as our Shepherd who makes us lie down in green pastures. Later on, Jesus would be called, among other titles, the Good Shepherd, and His arrival was first witnessed by shepherds who kept watch over their flocks by night. Later, the risen Christ would charge Peter with feeding and tending to His lambs.
Although sheep are not as central to our economy today, we still take them for granted because they were so commonplace in the days of Christ. The shepherd was so easily overlooked and cast aside to roam the wilderness with his flock, yet the townspeople relied on his wares for clothing material, meat and dairy products, and sacrifices for the temple. Much like He knew how to engage with the “sinners” and persons of lower status, Jesus related to “middle class” listeners through deliberate storytelling with figures with whom they would empathize. If such a narrative would be shared within a modern context, we may hear about a heating, cooling, and HVAC technician, a nurse, a teacher, a law enforcement agent, or any one of us who serves the community through vocation.
With a cast of 101—if you count the shepherd, the stray lamb, and the rest of his charge—there are no shortages of insights we can gain if we step into their shoes or hooves. Of course, we automatically assume the leading role of the lost sheep, for we so eagerly cling to the One who seeks us out, no matter how often we wander off. Just like Wesley proclaimed in the early days of the Methodist church, we need to seek God’s grace everyday as we fall in the cycle of falling short. Without the Good Shepherd to protect us, we would be as defenseless against our enemies as the innocent lamb, who lacks any poison, camouflage, or imposing stature that would otherwise deter any threats. We would become ensnared by the idols of greed, lust, pride, and negativity as easily as the sheep would trip over a modest pebble, slowing its gait and attracting predators.
Thankfully, the sheep need not hobble back to the flock on its own; the shepherd uplifts his runaway and carries it back to safety. If anyone has practice working with animals—or even proud pet parents—you know their relationship with you is ever evolving. There will be days they rush up to the door, gate, or window to greet you with excitement, whereas you will find them on other days actively avoiding human contact, whether out of disinterest, fear, or territoriality. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that a prey species like a sheep may instinctively squirm or try to distance itself from a larger creature, even one with the animal’s best interests at heart. In other words, the fight or flight response is an inherent part of animal behavior, and small, wooly sheep stand a better chance at survival if they flee from real or perceived threats.
Admittedly, we, too, become uneasy when we are confronted with life-altering change, despite the hopes and promises that may result. Regardless of how far we might deviate from our given path, we would rather adhere to the familiar than allow ourselves to be transformed. When the Good Shepherd extends His hand to save us, we relinquish control, grapple with our iniquities, and rely on Him to lead us into a future only He can see. We effectively become vulnerable like the lost sheep when it is recovered and lifted on the shoulders of its rescuer, so once we no longer struggle against our deliverance, we ultimately rest assured that love and faith in Christ will renew and reunite us.
Over the years of retelling the parable of the lost sheep, it’s out of habit that we align ourselves with the redeemed title character. However, as we gather in this place as the body of Christ, we need to consider the rest of the flock. To assimilate with the 99 is no easy task, since they were left behind in the parable, and Jesus almost seemed to cast aside the merits of the righteous majority in His celebrating the repentant sinner. By these standards, there is no incentive to make a lasting change and become part of a greater whole, for there will always be someone else the shepherd seeks out, forgetting us in the process. Still, we find value in the 99 if we reexamine the story.
Upon discovering the absence of the single sheep, the shepherd wastes no time in searching for it, “leaving” the rest of his flock. Notice the word choice in the action verb—“leaving” as opposed to “abandoning”. Perhaps this only a matter of translation, but one seldom returns to something abandoned while you often pick up where you’ve left off. The shepherd had no intention of neglecting his flock for good; on the contrary, he brought the lost lamb back so all would be made one under his protection. While he ventured off to find the runaway, the shepherd must have felt sufficiently confident in the safety of his other sheep to leave them, perhaps unattended in the wide open, or maybe under the watchful eye of an assistant or colleague. Either way, what appeared to be a negligent impulse to run off maybe regarded as a conscious decision to trust the sheep to look after themselves, a testament to their cohesiveness as a flock.
The unity of the sheep must also be evident in the return of the lost lamb. Anyone who watches zoo shows or other wildlife programs has likely witnessed similar scenes unfold. After a veterinary procedure or data collection for research, teams of people coordinate the return of a calf, foal, or other young animal to its family unit. Once the subject is freed, it runs off and is immediately accepted by the group, playing with other young animals and gaining nourishment from its mother. As a collective whole, they graze or browse together, groom and play with one another, and evade predators as a unit.
Shouldn’t we follow in their example? As the body of Christ, we are commonly viewed on the outside as the 99, who maintain insularity out of self-righteousness. This is the sole point Jesus made in telling this famed parable; we should not cast judgment on those who stray or may not yet be part of the body. Instead, this should be a place where newcomers feel welcomed and embraced by not only the designated greeters, but by all who comprise the Lightstreet UMC family. We already make the covenant to surround the baptized and confirmands with Christian love and support, so we need to extend that beyond these walls one day a week, vowing to encourage them in their walks of faith.
The doors we open on Sunday mornings are also beacons to the community that gather here throughout the week. Our flock shares it green pastures with visiting flocks for vital community endeavors, ranging from scouts and blood drives to AA meetings and the coat and clothing giveaway. Turning over a new leaf—away from the perils of addiction—lies at the core of AA gatherings that take place within our buildings; it is wonderful to witness the Spirit working in the members to encourage one another in their personal growth. Likewise, offering food, clothing, and other materials to our neighbors in need are ways we follow the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, extending a helping hand to the lost.
To identify as part of the 99 means we bear a responsibility to ourselves, to each other, and to those we encounter in the world. Nature finds a way, so when we inevitably fall into the place of the lost sheep, we are called to envelop one another in the love and grace first offered to us by the Spirit. Then once the flock is strong and unified in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, we can bring fellow sheep into the fold, expanding the kingdom and joining in the celebration (woohoo).
Closing Hymn: #261 Lord of the Dance
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth. At Bethlehem I had My birth.
Refrain: Dance, then, wherever you may be; I am the Lord of the Dance, said He.
And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be, and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said He.
- I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,
but they would not dance and they would not follow Me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;
they came to Me and the dance went on.
- I danced on the Sabbath when I cured the lame,
the holy people said it was a shame;
They whipped and they stripped and they hung Me high;
and they left Me there on a cross to die.
- I danced on a Friday and the sky turned black;
it’s hard to dance with the devil on your back;
They buried My body and they thought I’d gone,
but I am the dance and I still go on.
- They cut Me down and I leapt up high, I am the life that’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in Me; I am the Lord of the Dance, said He.
The blessing: Let us go, sharing in fellowship and inviting others to the flock of the Good Shepherd, proclaiming, “We are family; I have all my brothers and sisters and me. We are family; get up everybody and say.” May the Lord bless us as we depart, and may His love for you be plainly seen this coming week in all we say and do. Amen.
