Worship Bulletin

September Calendar 2026

Devotion

Children Bulletin

Grace to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Last week we stood on the road to Jerusalem and watched Jesus choose the cross. Satan offered Him a crown without suffering. Peter urged Him to dodge the cross. Jesus refused them both. The King chose the cross so His people could receive the crown of life.¹

Today the disciples ask, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?²” Jesus has been speaking about betrayal, suffering, death, and resurrection. They are wondering about rank. Their timing is almost comical, except their question sounds familiar.

We may not ask, “Who is the greatest?” but we might ask: Why was someone else thanked? Why wasn’t I noticed? Why does another person’s opinion matter more than mine? Ever since Adam and Eve reached for what God had not given, our hearts have reached for importance instead of trusting God’s gifts.³

Jesus answers by calling a child and placing him in the middle of the crowd with Him.

“Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.⁴”

He is not praising childish behavior. He is pointing to childlike dependence. A child doesn’t think about the roof over their head or the food on the table. Everything important comes as a gift.

That very same thing is true with our salvation. We don’t climb into God’s kingdom by being useful, impressive, or religious enough. We come with empty hands. Luther’s explanation of the Third Article says:

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him.⁵

Faith receives what Jesus gives: forgiveness, righteousness, life, and salvation. That truth should humble us, as much as it frees us.

If He has already accomplished everything necessary for your salvation, why do you need to spend your time proving yourself. If His righteousness covers you, your worth doesn’t rise and fall with praise, success, or popularity. If the Father has called you His child in Holy Baptism, you can stop chasing the approval or others.⁶ Following Jesus begins by receiving from Him what He offers for free.⁷

Jesus then speaks of a shepherd 100 sheep and one has wandered away. He asks:

Does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?⁸

The sheep contributes nothing to its rescue except its need to be rescued. The shepherd searches, finds, lifts, and carries. That is how God saves you.

Isaiah says:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.⁹

Wandering always begins quietly. Prayer becomes less frequent. The Bible stays on a shelf. Worship becomes easier to miss. A grudge settles in like a cat that was only supposed to stay one night and now lives in the house. Small compromises take root, and before long we are farther from the Shepherd than we intended.

If salvation depended us to find the road home, every one of us would remain lost. Jesus said:

The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.¹⁰

Christ came searching for the lost like you. He walked to Jerusalem because you could not rescue yourself. He stretched out His hands on that cross, and rose from that grave, because sin and death had enslaved. The Bible says:

While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.¹¹

No one has wandered beyond His mercy. The Shepherd still calls. Through His Word, through His Church, through His people. We are not the ninety-nine who never wandered. We are the sheep Jesus carried home. So we are also the sheep who know The Way.¹²

That is why the very next thing Jesus speaks about is a brother who sins.

Go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.¹³

These words can be uncomfortable because difficult conversations are difficult. Too often we ignore the situation hoping it just goes away. Silence can even feel kinder. Gossip usually feels easier. Anger can feel stronger. Jesus gives a better way: speak the truth for the purpose, sake and reason of restoration.

The goal is heard in one phrase: “You have gained your brother back.” Jesus does not say, “You have defeated him,” or, “You have proven yourself right.” You have gained your brother back. Jesus’ Church is not a courtroom where everyone tries to win. It is a household where sinners-all are called to repentance and restored through reconciliation.¹⁴

Jesus never asks His disciples to walk a road He did not travel Himself.

• He calls us to humility. He “took on the form of a servant.¹⁵”

• He calls us to seek the wandering. He is the Good Shepherd.

• He calls us to forgive. He prayed for His executioners.¹⁶

• He calls us to bear one another’s burden. He carried the sins of the world.

We still stumble. We still speak too quickly, forgive too slowly. Our standing before God doesn’t rest on yesterday’s success. It rests on Jesus. Each day we return to our Baptism, and remember He has marked us as one redeemed. We are His.

Last week we watched the King choose the cross. Today He has shown us how us how to follow Him. The road is rarely impressive. It passes through humility, repentance, patience, and mercy. Jesus walks ahead of us, and He has already traveled every mile.

The cross is not the end of the road. Beyond it stands the empty tomb. Beyond the tomb stands the throne. Beyond the throne waits the crown of life Christ has won for you.¹⁷ We follow with confidence because we know the Shepherd, and the Shepherd knows us.¹⁸

Next Sunday we’re going to look more closely at the cost of following Jesus. Before we count what discipleship may cost, we will remember what our Savior has already paid, and what no one can take from Him.

Amen.

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NOTES

As We Gather

What does it mean to belong to the family of the King? In Matthew 18, Jesus overturns our instinct to measure greatness by rank, recognition, or achievement. He places a child in the midst of His disciples, seeks the wandering sheep, and teaches His people to pursue a sinning brother for the sake of restoration. We enter Christ’s kingdom with empty hands, receiving forgiveness, righteousness, life, and salvation as gifts. Because the Shepherd has sought us, carried us home, and made us His own, we are freed to follow Him in humility, repentance, patience, forgiveness, and mercy.

Prayer Before Service

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which You promise, make us to love that which You command; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Historical note:
This is an ancient Western collect with roots in the early Latin tradition. In various forms it has been prayed for centuries for growth in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.

Sunday School Bible Lesson

Bible Lesson: Luke 15:3-7 – The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Why it connects: Jesus’ lost-sheep parable in Luke gives children a focused, memorable version of one of the central images in Matthew 18. A sheep that wanders cannot rescue itself; the shepherd goes after it, finds it, and rejoices to bring it home. This helps children understand the sermon’s Gospel center: Jesus does not wait for us to make ourselves worthy or find our own way back. He seeks sinners and saves them. From that security, children can also learn why Christians care when someone wanders and why we seek restoration rather than victory over another person.

Key Truth: Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks us, brings us home, and makes us part of His family.

Suggested Memory Verse: Matthew 18:14 – “So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”