Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down from this mountain, because your people, the people you brought out of the land of Egypt, have ruined themselves. ⁸ They have quickly turned away from the things I commanded them to do. They have made for themselves a calf covered with gold, and they have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They have said, ‘Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’”

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and I know that they are very stubborn. ¹⁰ So now do not stop me. I am so angry with them that I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants a great nation.”

¹¹ But Moses begged the Lord his God and said, “Lord, don’t let your anger destroy your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and strength. ¹² Don’t let the people of Egypt say, ‘The Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt for an evil purpose. He planned to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the earth.’ So stop being angry, and don’t destroy your people. ¹³ Remember the men who served you—Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You promised with an oath to them and said, ‘I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky. I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised them, and it will be theirs forever.’” ¹⁴ So the Lord changed his mind and did not destroy the people as he had said he might.

A Prayer for Forgiveness

For the director of music. A psalm of David when the prophet Nathan came to David after David’s sin with Bathsheba.

Thanks for God’s Mercy

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave me strength, because he trusted me and gave me this work of serving him. ¹³ In the past I spoke against Christ and persecuted him and did all kinds of things to hurt him. But God showed me mercy, because I did not know what I was doing. I did not believe. ¹⁴ But the grace of our Lord was fully given to me, and with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ What I say is true, and you should fully accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But I was given mercy so that in me, the worst of all sinners, Christ Jesus could show that he has patience without limit. His patience with me made me an example for those who would believe in him and have life forever. ¹⁷ To the King that rules forever, who will never die, who cannot be seen, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

A Lost Sheep, a Lost Coin

15 The tax collectors and sinners all came to listen to Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: “Look, this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them.”

³ Then Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. Then he will leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the open field and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it. ⁵ And when he finds it, he happily puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his heart and life, than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to change.

⁸ “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins,^[a] but loses one. She will light a lamp, sweep the house, and look carefully for the coin until she finds it. ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner changes his heart and life.”