Proper 19 Yr C
Seek, Find, Rejoice

Scripture: September 11, 2022 (Proper 19, Year C)—Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 (image); Psalm 14 (image); Exodus 32:7-14 (image); Psalm 51:1-11 (image); 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (image); and Luke 15:1-10 (image). Also The Second Sunday of Creation. Creation theme: Learn.

Additional Creation Reading: A Reading from the Mystic Treatises, St. Isaac the Syrian

Isaac the Syrian (613-700), also remembered as Saint Isaac the Syrian, Isaac of Nineveh, Abba Isaac, Isaac Syrus and Isaac of Qatar, was a 7th-century Syriac Christian bishop and theologian best remembered for his written works on Christian asceticism.

What is a charitable heart? It is a heart burning with love for the whole of creation, for humans, for the birds, for the beasts, for the demons—for all creatures. One who has such a heart cannot see or call to mind a creature without having eyes being filled with tears by reason of the immense compassion which seizes the heart; a heart which is softened and can no longer bear to see or learn from others of any suffering, even the smallest pain, being inflicted on any creature. That is why such a person never ceases to pray also for the animals, that they may be preserved and purified. This person will even pray for the reptiles, moved by the infinite pity which reigns in the hearts of those who are becoming united with God.

Additional Creation Reading: A Reading of “Nothing is Lost” from Ladder to the Light, Steven Charleston

The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston (b. 1949) is a Native American elder, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, an author, and a retired bishop in the Episcopal Church. He is widely recognized as a leading proponent for justice issues and for spiritual renewal in the church in both the United States and Canada. Among other roles, he has served as the national staff officer for Native American ministries, the Bishop of Alaska, and the Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School.

In the days of conquest, when darkness covered the land, the hoop of many nations was broken, the story of many people lost—and lost forever. The number who perished will never be counted, but their graves are still here. Their testimony is written into the earth. The wisdom of the ancestors is a mist over the valley, a cloud passing before the moon. The teachings of the elders can be heard in the rain, the message of the poets seen in the first stars that put the sun to bed. Nothing is finally lost. The ancient visions are within us. The old dreams are part of us. The steady rhythm of hope was never silenced. It beats today for all who would hear it. It beats within me. It beats within you. Life is still growing beneath the concrete. The sound of the earth is breathing beneath the glass and steel.

Collect for Sunday: 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 for ever. Amen.

Collect for Care of Creation: O God, having shown us how far your love goes in saving the lost and forgotten, mercifully grant that we might join you in the work of reuniting with all creatures; through Jesus Christ the Wisdom of Creation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Reflection: 

Track 1: How are you a lost sheep, in need of someone to come and search for you? How are you a religious leader, grumbling at the community’s disintegrating standards? How are you called to engage in the search for others who live in isolation from God and community?

Track 2: In Luke 15:1–10, Jesus tells the parable of a shepherd who seeks out one lost sheep and a woman who searches her home for a missing coin. Is there someone from whom you are estranged, a distant friend or family member, or a person from your church you haven’t seen in a while? If appropriate, find a way to contact that person and let them know you have missed them.

For families: Study guide & activities (another guide), group activity; snack, kid video

For children: See family guide/activities (another activity); bulletin; craft

For middlers: See family guide/activities (another activity); bulletin; craft

Coloring: Luke 15; Lost sheep, 1 Timothy 

For youth: Can you remember a time when you were “lost”—couldn’t find/see your parents; confused about an issue in society; or another way? How about having something become “lost”—like a child you were babysitting; a friend who drifted away from you; or another?

How scared were you? How did you become “found”? Did someone help you? How did it feel when you were “found”? When you lost something, how did you feel?

Finally, try to imagine how it feels to be “found” by God and to be assured that whenever and wherever you may be, God embraces you, keeps you safe, comes to get you if needed. Comments welcome.

Sin and the need to repent are central to the liturgy today. In the reading from Luke, Jesus speaks in reply to those who complained that he had table fellowship with sinners. God, he says, cares about each person, seeks out each one, and rejoices as each sinner repents.

Track 1: In the first reading Jeremiah laments what he foresees to be the consequence of the people’s turning away from God. Like the hot wind from the desert which dries out and destroys, the prophet says, God will wipe away the kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah is known for his gloomy predictions; unfortunately for Judah, those predictions came true.

Track 2: In the first reading, Moses at first seems more forgiving than God. When the people rebelled and created their own god to worship, God intended to destroy them all. It was Moses’ entreaty that reminded God of the divine nature and that the people are the fruit of God’s promise to the patriarchs. Moses is the human intermediary who becomes the instrument of God’s forgiveness.

We begin a series of readings from the first letter to Timothy today. Paul is described as the greatest of sinners because he persecuted the faith. However, his life is held up as proof of God’s forgiveness. His having been accepted by God has equipped him to proclaim God’s love to all people. Paul, like Moses brings others into the goodness of God as well.

In our life of pilgrimage into God’s kingdom, Jesus—God among us—is the embodiment of God’s unremitting call to us to come home to our true lover and friend. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit in baptism to share the vocation of Moses and Paul to be mediators and instruments of God’s love and forgiveness to the world.