Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses, “Go, and get down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molded calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, which has brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ ”

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and certainly, it is a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now therefore let Me alone, so that My wrath may burn against them and I may destroy them. And I will make of you a great nation.”

¹¹ But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, why does Your wrath burn against Your people, whom You have brought forth from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath and relent of this harm against Your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.’ ” ¹⁴ Then the Lord relented of the harm which He said He would do to His people.

Psalm 51

For the Music Director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the Prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Thankfulness for Mercy

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful and appointed me to the ministry. ¹³ I was previously a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an insolent man. But I was shown mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord overflowed with the faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, first, Jesus Christ might show all patience, as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the eternal, immortal, invisible King, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever. Amen.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep^(A)

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. ² But the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ Then when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ ⁷ Likewise, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous men who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or what woman, having ten silver coins^[a] and losing one, does not light a candle and sweep the house and search diligently until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’ ¹⁰ Likewise, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”