Loving God, just as Jesus came to seek out and to save the lost, so you call us to do the same.  Fill us with gratitude for your grace and mercy and empower us to share these gifts with others, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Today’s gospel begins with grumbling and complaining.  The religious leaders – and particularly the Pharisees and the scribes – think that Jesus is making some very questionable choices about the company he keeps.  After all, if he really was a reputable teacher, he would not welcome or eat with people who did not observe the Jewish Law.  And so, Jesus tells them some parables.

         He begins by asking, “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?” (Lk. 15:4).  One has to wonder how many would have raised their hand in response to this question.  After all, is that really wise? – leaving 99 sheep, unsupervised, in the wilderness?  I mean, if you’re out in the wilderness, who are you going to get to come and look after them?  And so, in the parable, the shepherd goes looking for that one lost sheep, and brings it home, rejoicing.

         In fact, he is so full of joy that he calls together all of his friends and neighbours for a celebration.  “Just so,” says Jesus, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7).  And then, to emphasize his point, he tells another parable.

         Once again, he begins with a question: “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?” (Lk. 15:8).  In this case, his audience might have nodded with understanding.  The coin that is mentioned is a drachma – about a day’s wage for a labourer.  For an average peasant woman, it would have taken a long time to save up ten of these coins.

         In today’s terms, if she was making minimum wage, this might have been about $120 that she had lost.  And so, of course she is going to turn the house upside down until she finds it!  The ensuing celebration, however, seems a little extravagant – and perhaps even unwise!  She is so full of joy that she calls together her friends and neighbours for a celebration – a party, if you will – which undoubtedly cost more than the coin that she had lost.  “Just so,” says Jesus, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15:10).

         For those of us who hear these parables, do we share that joy in the presence of the angels when one sinner repents? – Or, do we resent all of the attention that they are getting?  If somebody walked in here today who had done something terrible, but had later repented and turned back to God, would we be happy to see them here, or would we ask them to leave?  “Get out.  You don’t belong here!”  And yet, that is the person Jesus would welcome with open arms.

         In many ways, our response to these parables depends upon how we see ourselves at the time.  When we see ourselves as basically good and not really needing to repent, we might grumble along with the scribes and the Pharisees.  When we know for a fact that we were lost once, but were sought out by Jesus and redeemed, we are more likely to experience gratitude for God’s grace and love.  And, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and seek to follow Jesus, we will have the same care and compassion for others who are lost.

         However, whatever our response might be, both Jesus and these parables tell us more about what God is like (workingpreacher.org).  First and foremost, God is a seeker.  Just like the shepherd spoken of by Ezekiel, God says, “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak” (Ezek. 34:16).  Secondly, God is persistent and is not fatigued.  Just like the woman who turns the whole house upside down until the coin is found, God persists in seeking and saving the lost.  And finally, God experiences joy when the lost are found.  God rejoices when one sinner repents. God rejoices over us!  God rejoices whenever we turn away from our sins, and live.

         But what about those who are still lost?  Who are the people today that Jesus would seek out and welcome into his community?  Would it not be all those who are shunned by “respectable” people?  The ones who have a hard time finding acceptance in a community of faith?  The ones who have been used and abused by religious leaders?  The ones who have been treated as if they don’t matter and can be thrown away like garbage?  Surely these are some of the people Jesus had in mind when he said that he “came to seek out and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:10).  And – if we count ourselves among the sinners – Jesus also came for us!

         We heard today from 1 Timothy “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the foremost” (1:15).  The “I” in that sentence is Paul, who “was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence” (1:13).  Paul knew that he was a sinner and that he had received God’s grace and mercy, and for this he was eternally grateful.  May we, too, be among those who have received God’s love, forgiveness and eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lectionary 24C                                 Luke 15:1-10

September 11, 2022                       1 Timothy 1:12-17

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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