Luke 15.1-10
I own several hammers, but it always seems that when I need one, I can’t find any. I first go to the place where one should be. That would be the scarcely used toolbox, an obvious place. When its not there, which is almost always the case, I then try to recall the last time I used a hammer. Let’s just say that it’s rare, so the memory is deep. I begin walking to different places, to no avail. Then I have an inkling that I’ve seen it somewhere recently. Was it on top of the bookshelf or in the kitchen cupboard? But the hammer never seems to be there, either. I shift papers in hope that they are covering it up. But no, all the hammers seem to have disappeared. I then weigh the options. Is it an appropriate time to ask a neighbor? Should I go buy another hammer that I can lose? What often happens is that I leave the original task undone after concluding that it is not that high a priority. Hence, the reason I rarely use a hammer.
Sometime later (weeks or months), I happen upon a one. At that point, I question why I didn’t remember where I had last set it and then I can’t remember why I was looking for it in the first place. So I set it down again, in another spot, where it will, no doubt, be lost again. It’s not only hammers. The same thing happens with tape measures and pliers.
And of course, there are other, non-toolbox items, that get lost from time-to-time: the important paper, the meaningful card, and even the car keys. When we have lost something important, we sometimes throw down everything, organize every room, shake out all the pockets, and dig through the trash. I recall this feeling of loss being strongest as a child, the lost item, back then, seemed almost impossibly necessary. It was the autographed program or the picture from the concert. At one point, they seemed so important and yet, days, months, and even years later, they become forgotten memorabilia from a bygone era lost in piles of other things. Now, I’m sure there are some of you who have developed an intricate filing system that organizes all of these “important” things, meticulously. But that is not how my life works. My picking up something begins its journey to insignificance.
Jesus, in the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, describes God as one who seeks to reclaim those things that are lost. Jesus told this parable in response to the grumblings of the Pharisees and scribes. They were grumbling about Jesus teaching, and even eating, with “tax collectors and sinners.” The grumblers were convinced that spending time with “those people” was time wasted. Its hard to tell if they thought Jesus was wasting his time or that Jesus was demonstrating his lack of sophistication by hanging out with them. Whatever it was, they were looking down, in disgust, at those of lesser class.
Times don’t seem to change. Just a few weeks ago, I preached about our propensity to pre-judge others without really investing ourselves in a relationship (Humble, August 29). And, of course, we can study human history to find examples of people being persecuted for what they looked like, where they were born, or the work they did. It may not be as obvious as it was 50 years ago, but the same prejudices and stereotypes exist in today’s culture. Our efforts to recognize where we fall short in this area, is the first step to understanding what Jesus was teaching those Pharisees and scribes in today’s Gospel lesson.
See, Jesus didn’t rank people’s importance by what they could do for him, or how much they knew, or where they were going. Jesus understood that each individual had infinite value. This is a term used in the mission statement of our parish school. And because of the infinite value of every person, even those some considered to be on the margins; Jesus invited them to share meals with him, and even taught them. He didn’t look down on their position; instead he sought them out.
Jesus’ telling of these parables was a backhanded way of telling the Pharisees and scribes, the insiders in the religious world, that they would be on the outside in the Kingdom of God. Note that after collecting the lost sheep, Jesus tells them that there will be more joy for the one sinner than for the ninety-nine who don’t need repentance. Of course he was pointing at those grumblers who thought they were above reproach. If we read this scripture thinking that we have to find the lost sheep, then we aren’t reading it with the necessary eyes. Jesus wants us to realize that God is seeking each one of us. We are the ones who are lost. We are the ones who need to repent. We are the ones to whom Jesus speaks, we are the Pharisees and scribes or our time. There is no such group of the ninety-nine who don’t need repentance; we all are in need because we all fall short.
If we read this parable literally; we wouldn’t rank our value as infinite. Instead, we might conclude that we are worth a single silver coin among ten or a single sheep among a hundred. I want you to pay attention to the care Jesus takes in telling these two parables. If one sheep is lost, the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and searches for that one. When the woman loses the one silver coin, the nine take a backseat as she seeks high and low for the one. But in both cases, it was not about the value of the lost item. It wasn’t about the silver coin’s worth or the cost of one sheep. I say this because when the sheep and the coin are found, the one who sought them celebrates. Actually throws a party and invites guests. If the search were about the “value” of a single item, it would be ironic to spend even more to celebrate its return.
It is much more valuable to seek that which is lost in order to complete the task; the task being to make things whole. You can’t do that with only some; you can only do it by collecting all. God, as Jesus describes in the parables, is one who celebrates wholeheartedly when each human returns. In God’s eyes, we have this infinite value that transcends everything. If we wander down the wrong path, if we get misplaced, if we are away from God, then God seeks to bring us back.
Its not that God loses us. I mean it’s not like when I forget where I set down the hammer. God hasn’t lost us; we have lost God. God blessed us with the ability to choose, the ability to know, the ability to consider. So God is seeking us, but in order to be found, we have to move in that direction. We can’t be on the sidelines, like the Pharisees and scribes, we have to be the sinners and tax collectors. We have to be willing to learn and grow in our relationship with God. If we cease to grow toward God, then we are lost but our infinite value remains.
I call you, as we begin our program year at St. Patrick’s, to consider the efforts you are making to grow in your relationship with God. Are you looking to be found or are you making an effort to remain lost. Take the opportunity, reach out your hand and seek the support of your fellow seekers, and you will not regret the effort to grow in spirit.
May the Holy Spirit direct and rule your hearts. Amen.
Proper 19C RCL
September 12, 2010
Thanks for your presence at Journey 2 Adulthood last evening.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks be to Jehovah-ra'ah (The Lord Our Shepherd) for this day.