{"id":3606,"date":"2025-09-17T22:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T02:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/?p=3606"},"modified":"2025-09-23T22:10:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T02:10:11","slug":"morning-prayer-message-september-14-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/?p=3606","title":{"rendered":"Morning Prayer Message- September 14, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Peter’s – Trinity held a Morning Prayer Service on September 14. Below is the full version Scott Nelson’s nice homily. Please enjoy.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Good morning, friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Gospel reading from Luke gives us two short but powerful parables: the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. Jesus tells these stories in response to the Pharisees and scribes who are grumbling about him eating with \u201ctax collectors and sinners.\u201d In essence, they’re asking: \u201cWhy would someone holy spend time with those people?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And Jesus, as we come to expect, answers with stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, about the shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep behind to search for the one that\u2019s lost. Then, the woman who turns her house upside down to find a single coin. And in both cases, when the lost is found, there is rejoicing \u2014 not just on earth, but in heaven. These parables are about redemption<\/b>. Not punishment, not guilt, but restoration, finding, bringing back home what was lost.<\/span><\/p>\n

Redemption is a powerful theme in Scripture. It reminds me of that other parable about the son who comes home after spending all his money and the father throws a party\u2026 what do we call that one? The Prodigal Son\u2026. right.\u00a0 <\/span>But redemption stories can also be found in our modern culture too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can anyone think of a movie about redemption? <\/span><\/p>\n

Think of The Shawshank Redemption<\/i> \u2014 I mean it has the word right in the title. In that movie Andy Dufresne, a man wrongfully imprisoned. I don\u2019t want to throw a spoiler here, but \u2026.. he escapes prison. Great movie\u2026 Anyway the movie is not just about how he escapes from prison. The movie shows how His journey is one of constant hope, quiet dignity, and transformation. It\u2019s not just about breaking free from walls and bars; it\u2019s about being restored through his inner strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

And there is the movie A Beautiful Mind<\/i>, another great movie about a brilliant mathematician named John Nash who suffers from schizophrenia. John\u2019s redemption doesn\u2019t come him conquering his mental illness which he never does. His redemption comes from being accepted, valued, and loved in spite of it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Seems to me like that\u2019s what today\u2019s Gospel is about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Obviously in today\u2019s Gospel Jesus isn’t just talking about sheep or coins. He\u2019s talking about people. About us. God seeks us, not because we\u2019re perfect, or useful, or successful \u2014 but because we are loved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes we imagine God as someone who only waits for us to ask for forgivesness, we imagine a God who stands in judgement over us, and that is certainly, ultimately, true . But Jesus gives us a different image in these parables: We learn about a shepherd who goes after<\/i> the sheep, a woman who searches every corner. And when the lost are found, God doesn\u2019t say, \u201cWhat took you so long?\u201d \u2014 God rejoices. We often think redemption means fixing ourselves, proving we\u2019re worthy, earning our way back. But I like to think that redemption begins with being found. It’s a gift, not a transaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news this morning is that God does not give up on any of us. When we wander, when we feel forgotten, or broken, or far from grace \u2014 God is already on the move. Seeking. Sweeping the corners. Calling us home. And when we are found \u2014 there is rejoicing.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that is our calling, too. As people of Christ, we are to be shepherds to one another. To search for the lost, not with judgment, but with compassion. To see not the sinner, but the beloved child of God. Because that\u2019s how God sees us. So today, in this moment of prayer and quiet, I invite you to reflect: Where have you felt lost \u2014 and been found? And who in your life might be waiting to be found by someone like you?<\/span><\/p>\n

For as Jesus says, there is joy in heaven over even one who is restored.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St. Peter’s – Trinity held a Morning Prayer Service on September 14. Below is the full version Scott Nelson’s nice homily. Please enjoy.   Good morning, friends. Today\u2019s Gospel reading from Luke gives us two short but powerful parables: the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. Jesus tells these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3606"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3608,"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3606\/revisions\/3608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpeterstrinity.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}