Luke 15:1-10 Luke 15 is one of our favorite
chapters in the Bible. In the three stories that are told there,
everything that was lost is found. The lost lamb is found by the
shepherd, the lost coin is restored to the purse of the woman who has
furiously sought after it, and the lost boy is reunited with his
Father. There is partying that goes on all night, and a great deal of
joy in earth and in heaven. In this sermon, we will deal with two
of the stories.
One of the reasons why we love these
stories is we identify with what has been lost and is found. When I
read about the lost sheep and the shepherd who leaves the flock and
goes seeking, I am the one who is found and lifted upon the shepherd’s
shoulders. I am the coin that has rolled to a dusty corner, and I
am the one who makes the lady happy because she has found me. But
is this what the stories are saying? What makes these stories so
fascinating is that when Jesus told them, they were not received as
enjoyable. The chapter begins with a telling barb-“Now the tax
collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.” That is the
first tip-off that something controversial is about to take
place. In that society, for a leader of any type, let alone
a religious leader to associate openly
with tax collectors and sinners
was an invitation to have the religious authorities become very upset.
And then, to eat with sinners in direct violation of their meal ethics
and dietary laws was to ask for the ire of the authorities. Sure enough, the next verse lays it out.
“The Pharisees and scribes murmured” - that’s code language for saying
they whispered, "Who does this guy think he is? Look who he is
befriending." They went on, “he receives sinners and eats with them.”
Aware of their criticism, Jesus told them these stories.”
The parable is not directed at the
sinners and the tax collectors, it is directed to the Pharisees and the
religious scribes. Jesus is telling this to the religious leaders
of that day. This was a real put down. Jesus asked the leaders-
"Which of you having 100 sheep, if he loses one, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost,
until he finds it?" Now, what’s the real answer to that
question? The answer, whether it was said or not, is “not a
single one of us.” No shepherd in his right mind would leave
ninety nine sheep in the wilderness.
Did you catch that? The sheep are not in their protective
fold! A good shepherd would never leave ninety nine in the
wilderness and go after one.
Why would you leave ninety-nine to the possibility of attacks from the
wolves or the coyotes and go after one? No! You would cut your
losses and stay with the larger group. Not the Shepherd in this
story: he goes hunting for the lost lamb, and when he finds it, he
lifts it on his shoulders and rejoices! Then he goes home.
He doesn’t go back to the flock at all. He goes home and calls his
friends and his neighbours, and they have a party!
You see, the story is not about the
sheep at all. The story is about God, here portrayed in the image of a
shepherd, and this God is in the business of seeking out those who are
lost. The Pharisees and
the scribes are about Church business. They want numbers, and leaving
ninety-nine and going after one doesn’t fit into their programme at
all. Now this guy Jesus, right in front of them and speaking with
sinners, messes up their system. Jesus is saying, God the shepherd is
about seeking the lost, not protecting the flock. Jesus is saying
God is not the kind of God many believers make him into. God is
not a cosmic bookkeeper, listing all the wrongs and rights on some type
of report card and checking on people’s conduct. God is a seeker of the lost.
He goes out of his way to find those who have lost their way and are
screwing up their lives, and when he finds them, he rejoices and calls
in his friends and they have a party. It is not good
business. It doesn’t seem logical to our success-oriented lives,
but that is how God is. God is more concerned about the lost out
there, than about those of us who are safely in the fold of the
Church. The story says, “there will be more joy in heaven over
the sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need
no repentance.” We are to
take care of each other, because the shepherd has lost sheep to find
and more parties to give. And remember, when these lost ones are
found, we are invited to that party.
Now Jesus switches metaphors, but
tells a similar story. He talks about a woman who has lost a coin
and seeks after it until she finds it. Then, this lady
calls her neighbours and says rejoice with me, I have found my coin. Here the image of God is the woman.
She has gone down to the local bank and purchased ten of those new
loonies with the five Olympic rings on them. Ten of them, they come in
a nice package. She had them on display and she liked to view
them, but somehow, one is lost and she is unhappy. Jesus again
asks the Church leaders, “would you not light a lamp and seek
diligently, looking into all the corners and under the sofa, where it
hasn’t been dusted for a while, under the bureau, looking everywhere
until you find that coin?”
Returning it to its case, the woman again admires it. She calls
up her friends and says "Rejoice with me, I have found the coin that
was lost." "You what? You want us to come and celebrate
because you have found a coin? Sorry, Alice but we're too busy
taking care of our stuff to celebrate about your found coin."
Doesn’t than sound like the Church leaders. But, Jesus says, there is
joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The Pharisees and the Scribes are
flabbergasted. They have just been told that all of their preoccupation
with procedure and proper conduct, with dietary laws and proper church
rolls are not important to either the shepherd or the woman who are
symbols in these stories for God.
The shepherd is hunting for lost sheep; the woman for a lost
coin. And when each is found, they go home and invite their
friends to a party, rejoicing over finding that which was lost.
As I look at these stories my mind
goes in two directions. The first is, our task is about finding those
who are lost. They have simply lost their way and are floundering in
the task of living wisely and well. I am not speaking here of the
really good, concerned and spiritually motivated people who don’t make
time for the institutional Church. I am speaking about people who
are aimless, lack motivation
and seemingly are addicted to a life of getting, not knowing that in
just getting one loses his or her own life. Jesus had a lot to
say about people such as that.
Dealing with this type of ministry means that we have to do some
serious soul searching as a congregation. For example, as near as I can
tell, there are ten Churches here in the Squamish area. Some of
these Churches have a denominational affiliation; others are
independent in their make up. The Catholic and Anglican Churches are
liturgical in the worship format and seven are very conservative in
their theological emphasis. This
quick analysis reveals two startling and, I think, important facts: We are the only Protestant Church serving
downtown Squamish and this is the most open Church for people to become
involved and still have the freedom to follow the prompting of their
own hearts. That, I
think, is our niche. It is Robert Schuller who states in his Church
Growth Seminars, that successful churches find their niche and fill it. We are a progressive Church in
emphasis, dedicated to following our Lord using the best of
contemporary scholarship, welcoming all seeking humans and serving
those who are in need. That is a commendable ministry and a worthy
emphasis.
Though we may not have large numbers
in our Christian education program, we are dedicated to excellence, and
those who attend will learn quality material that they can apply to
their life experiences. I, for one, am not interested in a
programme where there is rote memorization, or songs are sung about
rewards and punishments with no application to the needs of the
community where we live, and no appeal made that youngsters lives that
follow Jesus. During this
interim period, while I am filling in before a settled minister is
again present, we need to look at where we are, and where are we going
as this community goes through some dramatic changes. We are not,
and cannot be all things to all people. But doing what we can do,
and filling the niche that is ours, we will learn how we can minister
to Squamish with integrity and spiritual depth. Over the next months, we need to
find out what these goals of ours are; by that, I mean not just what
they are, but what are we willing to support with our time and our
means. Once we have determined that, we will be able to develop a
mission statement that guides our ministry. The timing is perfect,
because this will be one of the requirements of Presbytery during the
joint assessment and needs appraisal, and it will be a great asset in
seeking ministerial leadership.
All of this I see as the aim of the stories we have heard today. This
is how we will seek the lost and this is how we will react once they
have been found. That’s the shepherd; that’s the seeking woman;
that’s the “God” emphasis that characterizes us.
Now what about the ninety-nine?
What about us? How are we going to maintain our cohesiveness and
vitality as a congregation? Well, it’s a funny thing that you
should ask. That’s why all these opportunities for involvement
are displayed in our church today. Earlier we sang "I am the Church,
you are the Church, we are the Church together." That’s the
answer. We are the Church. The orderly functioning of the
organization of the Church is our
responsibility. When a Church is functioning properly, it is enabled to
do its ministry of seeking the lost. The Church is people. A minister is engaged to
preach, teach and lead, but it is the people who serve. Long
after I am gone, and whoever your next minister is gone, this Church
will still be serving, because people are working within it. That is
why a minister does not serve as the chair of a committee- that’s work
for members, and the minister is not a member of the Church.
Clergy membership is held by the presbytery. That is why a minister
does not make motions at business meetings, because he or she does not
usurp the work of the Church, which is you. And if the spirit of
Christ is present in meetings, directives will come from the members
who will be the workers. That is the most desirable way.. The minister
leads, suggests, encourages, supports and helps, but the Church is the
people who make it up and serve within it.
The minister’s job, beyond the obvious
of preaching, teaching, visiting and assisting in times of joy and
sorrow, is to get people involved in the serving life of the Church
because they have heard the call and they wish to respond graciously to
the love and purpose they have received through Jesus Christ our Lord. The seeking shepherd and the seeking
woman of our stories illustrate the basic nature of the God we worship.
They deal with the need of the finder to find, not that of the lost to
be found. Our God is not a cosmic clerk who waits for one to
enter the fold so that his or her name can be crossed off a list.
Our God is out there on the trail, seeking, and when one who is lost is
found, there is rejoicing.
The Church leaders of Jesus day were
furious with him. They had a system that they sought to perpetuate. It
was the temple leaders who prescribed the religious, dietary and
cleanliness laws. They were the haven for people who bought into the
system. God, said Jesus, had another view for the Church. Today, you have an opportunity to
walk around following the service, and see what this Church is doing;
get some information! There are services the church could be doing
better. You have an opportunity to express your interest in
assisting in one or more areas of service, so that the work of the
Church is not burdensome on a few. All of this work keeps the flock
together, and together we are the Church. Together we gather to
praise God. Together we seek to learn about Jesus and his way of life.
Together we seek to influence the youth of our Church, and together we
seek to help those who are less fortunate. Our task is to find
the lost, and that includes some who are part of the fellowship but
feel lost. So, let me close by telling you about Phyllis.
There was a quiet knock on my study’s
door at the Church. “Come in” I said. The door opened slowly and
Phyllis looked around the door’s edge. “I’ve come to say I quit. I’ve
decided to leave this Church.” “Phyllis” I said, “You’ve been a member
for over forty years.” She replied. “I know, but nobody cares, so I am
going to leave." "What“ about the Church School", I said, "You taught
there for years. People who are no adults remember your teaching and
care.” “They don’t care now”
she said, “The curriculum has changed, the method has changed and they
aren’t interested in me any more. I can tell.” ‘But, Phyllis”, I
countered, “How about the choir? You sung with them for three
decades. You’ve got friends there.” “My voice isn’t what it used to be.
Nobody has said anything, but I can tell they are just tolerating me,”
she replied. “Phyllis” I said,
“There are lots of people on this Church who love you and care about
you a great deal.” “Oh yeah,” she said, “Name one!”
Forty years in the Church and she
wants to know that people care for her and cherish her. Forty years and
she wants names! May I
give her the name of Squamish United Church? May I give her your name?