This sermon was preached on Sunday, September 15 at St. Andrew's, Wellesley, MA. The readings for this sermon are: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 , Psalm 14 , 1 Timothy 1:12-17 , and Luke 15:1-10 . I had this Christian history professor in seminary who exuded compassion and warmth in every little thing he did. He was an older professor but we all absolutely adored him and affectionately referred to his classes as “Story Time with Bill.” He was the professor who, when you came to him to ask for an extension, would first make sure that everything was alright in your life and that your pastoral needs were listened to and taken care of. His comments on papers were thoughtful and encouraging -- and he always gave opportunities for students to rewrite and improve. Students were whole people to Dr. Stafford. We were also all future church leaders of some sort, mostly future priests. Dr. Stafford, like all good teachers, was determined to teach us more than history. In who and how he was