To watch the service in real time, visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel
Sermon Video
Livestream Archive
Sermon Transcript
May I speak with the breath of God, from the Word of God, in the name of God.
Amen.
Please be seated.
A quick disclaimer before we begin: I’m going to change my mind several times during this sermon. That’s not random—there’s a reason for it. So just try to keep up with me, okay?
Lost Sheep
Imagine—well, actually, you probably don’t have to imagine. You can just remember. A time in your life when you felt like a lost sheep.
Maybe once, you were part of the hundred. Safe in the flock. You knew where you were, where you were going. You could see your shepherd. Everything was fine.
And then suddenly—you’re alone. In a ditch. You don’t know how you got there. Maybe another sheep gave you bad directions. Maybe you drank from the wrong stream. Maybe you blacked out. However it happened, you’re stuck. And you’re scared.
What you don’t know is what the other sheep are saying about you. Some of them notice you’re gone. They’re worried: “I wonder if she’s okay. I wonder if he’s all right.” And others are judging: “Figures. Always wandering off. Always drinking from the wrong stream.”
We don’t know what they’re saying. And more importantly, we don’t know that the shepherd is out looking for us. No cell service in the ditch. No text from Jesus: “Where’d you go?” We don’t know. We just feel lost.
But maybe… maybe we do know. Maybe we’ve seen it before. We’ve seen the shepherd leave the 99 and bring back the 1. And if he did it for that sheep, maybe—just maybe—he’ll do it for me.
Who’s Really Lost?
Now, Jesus tells this story to a very diverse crowd. On one side: tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes—the “losers” of society. On the other: scribes and Pharisees.
We assume the sinners are the lost sheep. But wait—those sinners were already at dinner with Jesus. They were already close to him. Maybe the truly lost ones are the Pharisees and scribes, who can’t see what Jesus is about.
Could it be that Jesus is telling them: “You don’t even know you’re lost. But I’m searching for you too.”
Repentance as a Change of Mind
Now here’s another shift. We often picture the lost sheep as helpless in a ditch, grateful when the shepherd finds it. But Jesus ties this story to repentance.
That means this sheep isn’t just stuck—it’s stubborn. Maybe it wandered off on purpose. Maybe it’s out there munching on the “good grass,” saying: “See? I told you this was better.”
Repentance means the sheep changes its mind. It chooses to follow the shepherd back, even if the grass seemed sweeter out there. That’s metanoia—the Greek word for repentance. It means to change your mind. To think differently.
Paul, David and God
We see this all through Scripture.
- Paul tells Timothy: “I was going so far in the wrong direction. I was that sheep miles away.” But he turned. Changed his mind.
- David in Psalm 51: gutted by his sin of murder and adultery, weeping and begging God for mercy. And yet, he knows forgiveness is there.
- Exodus: Even God changes God’s mind. Moses pleads with him not to destroy Israel. And the Lord relents.
That’s hard for us, right? We were taught: “God never changes. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” But in Scripture, God changes God’s mind. God even repents. God repents for making Saul king. God repents for creating humanity before the flood.
What kind of God is this?
A God who cares what we pray.
A God who listens.
A God who is with us—Emmanuel.
God With Us
We are not shouting into the void when we pray. We’re not just journaling for our own benefit. We’re talking to a friend. A parent. A co-creator.
God created us in God’s image to share in shaping the future. And so, when God changes God’s mind, it’s always in relationship with us.
That’s good news. Because whether you’re stuck in the ditch, wandering in the tall grass, or safe with the 99, the shepherd is calling you. Always. Calling you back to life, to community, to the very heart of God.
Amen.