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Woship Resources 2009-2010 — Year C: Live Generously, Love Courageously
Return to Year C: 2009-2010
Resource Index
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Rejoice! What Was Lost Is Found!
Ordinary Time (Proper 19)
Scriptures: Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28; Psalm 14; I Timothy
1:12–17; Luke 15:1–10; II Nephi 11:27–29; Doctrine and Covenants
161:7
Before the service, ask a child to play the part of the “lost sheep.” Provide
them with a small cow bell. During the Focus Moment, they will go to the back
corner of the church and wait to be found.
Prelude
Song of Praise: “How Majestic Is Your Name” NS 16
OR “Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens, Adore Him” HS 66
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayer for Peace
O Lord Jesus Christ, precious Son of God,
I bow my head before you
as your love transcends your holiness in my heart.
I hear your voice; my face is searching for you.
I am thirsty for you, my Lord; I am thirsty for your peace.
O Lord, you said you’ll give me the living water.
I want to find you. Where are you, my Lord?
You said, “I came to save that which was lost.”
What was lost?
I want to find you. My heart seeks you, O Lord.
What is your will for me?
Holy Spirit, direct me, guide me, and teach me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
—from the Daily Prayer for Peace, August 4, 1998, Mylord C.
Musuku, Zambia, Africa, Prayers of the Heart, 17.
Call to Worship
Behold the Spirit of the Lord! It anoints us to proclaim Good News, to
free all captives, to help the blind see again, and to announce that all are
accepted by God. So let us rejoice and be glad!
—Prayers and Readings for Worship, Vol. 2, Peter
Judd, ed.
(Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1996), 8.
*Hymn: “God of Grace and God of Laughter” SP 10
OR “As We Gather” NS 3
OR “From All That Dwell Below the Skies” HS 50
*Invocation
*Response
Focus Moment: Luke 15:1–10
Invite the children to the front to listen to the story of the
lost sheep, explaining its meaning as you go. When finished, ask the
children to help you find your lost sheep. That is the cue for the lost
sheep in the back corner to quietly and occasionally ring their bell until
they are found. (Stretch the search out by looking behind the organ and
other places.) Let the children finally lead you to the sheep. Bring the
sheep back to the front and ask them if they are glad to be found and how it
felt to be lost, etc.
Hymn: “Hosanna” NS 14
OR “Amazing Grace” HS 104
OR Ministry of Music
Scripture for Confessional Reflection: II Nephi 11:27–29
Look now, Lord, at our clean hearts and hands, and know that we believe
that Jesus is the Messiah. We are found.
Disciples’ Generous Response
Each Sunday, as part of the Disciples’ Generous Response, we ask you to
integrate the message of “share equally” between Local and World Ministries
Mission Tithes. Generosity stories are provided to keep the church in touch
with how contributions to Mission Tithes spread the peace of Jesus Christ.
Please use the stories, testimonies, and up-to-date contribution information
as part of your offertory ministry. Visit
www.CofChrist.org/generositystories to print a copy, or contact your
pastor, congregational financial officer, or worship coordinator for a copy.
Blessing and Receiving of Mission Tithes
Sermon
Based on Luke 15:1–10
*Hymn: “Now Sing to Our God” NS 40
OR “Tell It! Tell It Out with Gladness” HS 470
*Benediction
*Sending Forth: Doctrine and Covenants 161:7
*Response
*Postlude
Sermon Helps
Scriptures: Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28; Psalm 14; I Timothy 1:12–17;
Luke 15:1–10
Exploring the Scriptures
The introduction to three parables in Luke 15 (vv. 1–2) reminds us that
Christ mixed with groups of people who were looked down on by society. The
Jewish religious leaders didn’t show any grace toward those marginalized people
and criticized Jesus for mixing with them. In ancient times, sharing the table
with another person was a signal that the person was accepted. This gives us a
clear explanation of why the scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus for the
people he shared meals with.
In that time, sheep had a great economic value; they represented a valuable
property, and it was a joy to find a sheep that had been lost. By leaving the
other ninety-nine sheep to look for the lost one, the shepherd took a big risk
that some of the others might also wander away, get lost, or be attacked by
predatory animals. The joy of the shepherd, who found the lost sheep in the
first parable, is the same joy Christ has when a sinner repents.
Turning to the second parable—a drachma was a silver coin, the equivalent of
one day’s wages for a worker. Losing something of such great value would have
serious consequences for one’s livelihood. We can understand why the woman in
the story would look for the coin “diligently” until she found it. And when she
found it, she would tell her friends and neighbors of her good fortune. Christ
spoke in this way to make his hearers understand that each human being was of
great value in his eyes. He did not make exceptions. This parable is meaningful
in people’s lives today, because many human beings are lost without God, without
hope, without having the peace of Jesus Christ. Too many people in the world are
marginalized by society for various reasons, and too many are dying without God
in their hearts. This is the field where Jesus wants us to work hard.
These parables show us three important things:
1. Looking for the lost with the purpose to redeem them is a priority in
God’s heart.
2. God receives joy when a sinner repents.
3. God wants Christians to search for the lost and take them to Christ.
Christians should ask the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts with intense
passion for lost souls, so they, too, can enjoy the peace of Jesus Christ.
Central Ideas
1. God loves all people. There are no differences among people in God’s
eyes: no divisions, cultures, social classes, and academic grades.
2. Our mission is to uphold the worth and dignity of all persons and
invite them into Christian discipleship.
Questions for the Speaker
1. What is your passion and commitment, and that of your congregation,
for upholding the worth of all persons?
2. How do you witness to people who have lost their way so they can have
a personal encounter with Christ, growing and enjoying his peace and
proclaiming the good news?
3. How can your congregation look conscientiously for people who live
without Christ and without peace?
4. What does it mean for you to look “carefully and conscientiously”?
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