I have to say that out of all the parables that
Jesus tells, these two might be my favorite parables. Parables are stories that
Jesus uses to make people think. They are teaching tools and he uses them to
teach us about ourselves and about God. I love these two parables for many
reasons. In these parables there is talk about a celebration…a party and who
does not like a good party!
These parables talk about something that
is totally outrageous. They are the parables of the “lost sheep” and the “lost
coin.” What is outrageous is that Jesus begins asking “Which one of you…” His
question implies that there is one of us, somewhere, that might leave the 99
sheep to go find the one that is lost. Then his story about the woman who lost
the coin; “which one of you…” would throw a party, invite your friends, have
food, and drink because you found a coin. Oh and by the way, spend that coin,
most likely, on the food for the party. Which one of you would do that?
I think the practical answer would be
that none of us would do that. It makes no sense! Why would you turn around and
spend money, probably kill the fatted calf because you found one sheep that was
lost, risk the lives of the other 99 sheep for that one sheep. It just does not
make any sense to go to all that trouble to throw some party because you found
one thing that may seem insignificant. I mean, when we clean the house and find
a quarter under the couch cushion, how many of you invite the neighborhood over
for a bar-b-que or a party? I don’t, I put it in the coin jars we have at home
to save for a nice night out for dinner. It makes no sense does it?
But Jesus is telling us something about
God. Jesus is teaching us that God would do something that seems so outrageous.
God would go to any lengths to find that one lost sheep, coin, or child. You
see, the most important thing Jesus is telling us is that being lost is a
serious matter. Being lost is not to be looked at as “oh they’ll come back,
just wait and see.” It is not something to be taken lightly. Jesus is telling
us that being lost means that we are separated from God, our creator. It means
that we are separated from the love of God and all that God has to offer.
While this throwing a party seems to be
outrageous for us, Jesus is telling us the extent of God’s love. Jesus tells us
that for God, this is not outrageous behavior. He is telling us that God will
go out and leave those 99 sheep to find the one lost. He will bring that sheep
home and there will be a big celebration, a party where everyone can rejoice
that the lost one is found. God will go to the extent of finding that lost coin
and throw a huge party. The reason is that all that was lost has now been found
and brought home to share in the fellowship, promises, and love of God.
That is one of the most important things
to know about God. God will do the outrageous in order to make him be known to
us. God will go to the extreme that we might never think about to make sure
that God is revealed to us as a caring God, a loving God, and one who gives
everyone value. God will go to the extreme of allowing his only Son to sacrifice
for our sake. Jesus Chris, God’s only son died on a cross of shame for us, you
and me, so that we would know how much we are cared for and loved, despite our
sin and brokenness. Jesus rose on the third day so that, once again, we are
reminded that God is the one that always and forever gets the last word. Isn’t
that something to rejoice in and throw a party for? Isn’t that a reason for us
to do something outrageous and celebrate!?
Notice I have not said much about being
lost. What does it mean to be lost? We can sit here and think and say to
ourselves that “being lost does not apply to me.” What do we think of when we
say we are lost? Some of us might look to the alcoholic or a drug addict, or
even a poor person and think, “They are lost.” But lost can also look very
differently. Is it possible that parents whose children are so wrapped up in
keeping schedules because they want their children to have all these
opportunities- could they be lost? The person who is so focused on their career
that they sacrifice their personal lives- could that be lost? People who work
at their jobs and hate their jobs but do it to provide for their families-
could that be what lost looks like? Seniors or teens who feel like they aren’t
useful or have anything to offer- could that be what lost looks like? What
about people who are constantly asking “have you accepted Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior- could that be what lost looks like?
Believe it or not we are in a time where
we all, as church, might be lost. Think about it. Our numbers are getting
smaller and church seems to have lost its appeal. People are finding other
things and reasons to occupy their Sunday mornings. We can mourn the days when
the pews were full of people. I said before that the church is changing and we
are at a good and scary time to be church because some of the things that we
have done before do not seem to be working anymore. But we can all relate to
that feeling of being lost, whether it is as church or in our individual lives.
We know that feeling, we can relate to that sense of being lost.
Today we can bring all those feelings of
being lost here to the table, to the Lord’s Supper. For it is at this table and
in this cup where our feelings of hurt, pain, and loss are contained; it is in
this bread and wine that God’s most outrageous act was committed. It was and is
the act of ultimate forgiveness. It is the outrageous and crazy act of God
showing us that we are loved and have worth.
So isn’t it time for us to do something
outrages? If Jesus is our teacher and we are learning that God is willing to do
the outrageous, then why can’t we learn from that? Why can’t we reach out to
the people that we have not seen in a while and invite them back to church? It
is not just the pastor’s job to reach out. As Disciples of Christ it is all of
our jobs to reach out to our family and friends whom we have not seen and
invite; and when they come to church we can celebrate that one of God’s
children has come home, has been found again. Isn’t it time to do the
outrageous and celebrate, with a meal, our commitment to next year’s ministries
of the church?
I am speaking of our work on a
Stewardship program for this year. This program is about doing the outrageous
and making the effort to understand that our giving is not about keeping the
doors open for another week or another year; but it is about celebrating the
blessings that God has given us and sharing those blessings with the church. It
is about our financial commitments for the coming year and understanding that
our commitments are biblical. It is a form of worshipping the God who created
us and sustains us through our faith and in our world with all that God has
created. This Consecration Sunday ends with our commitment and we do the
outrageous by celebrating with a meal.
Could you imagine what our worship services
would look like if we started celebrating, every Sunday someone who came back,
or celebrated the fact that we are all here one more time together. Imagine our
Party Budget line item if we started celebrating in outrageous ways.
Jesus tells us about God, teaches us
about God and shows us that God is willing to do the outrageous. If we are
God’s children, and we are, then can’t we be God’s hands and feet in teaching,
showing God’s outrageous love in this world: AMEN
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