June 22, 2026
Lost and Found - Part 1
Luke 15:1-2
06/22/2026
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all
drawing near to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled,
saying, ``This man receives sinners and eats with
them.'' (ESV)
Yesterday the church prayed:
O God, the protector of all who trust in You, without
whom nothing is strong and nothing is holy, multiply
Your mercy on us that, with You as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not
the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who
lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
To the surprise of many, the goal of the Christian Church is
not moral perfection but faith in Christ Jesus as our Redeemer
from sin, death, and the power of the devil. As we come to know
that He suffered, died, and rose again to pay the price of our
sin, as we accept His gift of forgiveness, we certainly will act
with love towards God and neighbor.
In the days of Jesus, the most religious people were the
Pharisees. They did all the right things, they were the paragon
of virtue, the perfect example of moral behavior. Yet, they did
not understand God's love, His desire that all people be saved
and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing
near to hear [Jesus]. And the Pharisees and the
scribes grumbled, saying, ``This man receives sinners
and eats with them.''
This week we will see that the prayer of the Church
confesses that we cannot, by our own works, redeem ourselves.
Without the work of the Holy Spirit, we cannot be holy. Yet,
God, in His mercy desires our salvation.
May our Lord grant that we know of His love, that we may
have the peace which comes from the forgiveness of our sins.
Amen.