Collect: Proper 19

O God, because without you we are not able to please you mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts;  through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28. . .  The Prophet’s oracle is for a devastating judgement

Psalm 14 . . . for the cynical and disbelieving who trample the poor; yet the Lord will prevail

1 Timothy 1:12-17 . . . Paul gives thanks to the Lord Jesus and praise to God for salvation of sinners, among whom Paul has led the way.

Luke 15: 1-10 . . . Jesus tells the two parables of the finding of the lost sheep and the lost coin.

Sermon

Most of us can recite Psalm 23 from memory…”The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” In today’s sermon from Luke 15:1-10, New Testament scholar, author, professor, and preacher, Scott Spencer, gives us a different perspective on the 23rd Psalm. He says, “The Lord is my seeking shepherd and sweeper, I shall not be lost.” He continues, “Such a composite picture expands our vision of God alongside the familiar shepherd image from Psalm 23 and the father figure from the final lost parable (the Prodigal Son).” Listen as Spencer explains the connection between the three parables and the 23rd Psalm and how it can impact the way we view God as shepherd in our lives