Luke 15:1-32
(sermon note:
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’
Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.
‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”’
This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a lady who was at the park one day and somehow managed to lose her purse. She must have set it down somewhere while she was caught up in taking pictures. Well, she searched high and low for several hours until finally a little honest boy came running up to her with the purse in hand. Frantically she looked through her purse and commented, “Hmm, that’s funny. When I lost my purse there was a $20 bill in it. Now there are twenty $1 coins.” With a smile on his face, the boy replied, “That’s right, lady. The last time I found a lady’s purse, she didn’t have any change for a reward.”
Apparently ole boy was running a business of finding lost purses! If only he was around to help the shepherd, lady, and father in Jesus’ three parables, then maybe they wouldn’t have been so eager to find what they had lost themselves. Just let the boy do all the work…for a small finder’s fee, of course. But then there wouldn’t be much cause for celebration, would there? No, those three individuals had to experience the grief of their loss enough so that when the items were returned, they couldn’t help but rejoice. Ole boy probably understood this as well and held onto the lady’s purse for awhile before giving it back to her. He truly was running a racket!
But life is full of loss, and we can’t always have a little boy find what we lose regardless of whether he’s running a racket or not. Some things just can’t be found after we lose them. We lose loved ones to death. We lose the ability to do certain things the older we get. Some of us lose our minds. Perhaps most grievous of all is the loss of time. Time slips through our fingers like sand and once it’s gone there’s never getting it back. It’s true, no little boy can help us find these things. Once they’re lost, they’re forever lost at least in this world. And as depressing as that sounds, there are plenty of things we lose that CAN be found. We can lose our health but can reclaim it through exercise and dieting. We can lose control over and direction of our lives but can reclaim them through mindfulness and self-discipline. We can lose our property but can reclaim it through diligence and hard work. We can lose relationships but can reclaim them through repentance and forgiveness. The three parables in our reading today taught us that not all things are irretrievable. Jesus is ever-hopeful that loss in this world is only temporary. And if we were to ask him about the irretrievable losses of life, I’m sure he would simply remind us that all will be reclaimed in our heavenly lives. Jesus is all-knowing and all-loving and ever-hopeful.
And though the three parables teach us that both our property and our relationships can be reclaimed after being lost, I think we are to focus on the lost relationships in this season of Lent. Last week we heard how Jesus went into Jerusalem and was greatly saddened by what he saw and heard there. The city, like many cities throughout history, was overrun by sinfulness. Not to the degree of say Sodom and Gomorrah but certainly no longer a God-fearing and God-pleasing city. Jesus longed to gather the people of Jerusalem as a hen gathers a brood, for his love was greater than their sinfulness. But he also called for them to repent, to feel sorrowful and guilty for their sinfulness. Again, we heard Jesus bring up this notion of repentance in today’s parable of the lost sheep. He said, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.” And though it isn’t overtly spoken of in the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son certainly came to a time of repentance as he wallowed among the pigs in utter starvation. As I mentioned last week, repentance is an essential discipline of our Lenten journey as we prepare for the Easter celebration. Why? Because we can’t truly celebrate the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf without fully recognizing why he made such a sacrifice. Our sinfulness is so deep that it required Jesus’ sacrifice to overcome it. It is our sin that caused his sacrifice and for that we ought to feel sorrow and shame. Now then, what’s the big deal about sin? Why must it be atoned for? Because it breaks down relationships, it causes the LOSS of relationships. Our relationships with God and each other. So in a sense, repentance is about reclaiming lost relationships.
Repentance is about extending a bridge across broken relationships. Once the bridge is extended, it’s amazing the celebration that ensues. We are all called to be in life-giving relationships, not broken relationships. God wants a life-giving relationship with each of us. The wisdom of scripture attests to this. In Psalm 91, David sang, “for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (vs. 11) Later in Luke’s gospel, we heard Jesus reiterate what he was trying to illustrate by the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus says, “for the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (19:10) And again, we hear the joy of David in his 28th psalm, “Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.” (vs. 6) Clearly God wants life-giving relationships with each of us and will joyfully celebrate when he reclaims such relationships as the prodigal son parable illustrates.
As we continue along our Lenten journey, let us reflect on the losses of our lives. Some losses are irretrievable, but some aren’t. Relationships fall into the latter category. Through repentance and forgiveness, broken relationships can be amended and life-giving yet again. So let us give thanks for our relationships, both broken and non-broken alike. Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
