"Let's Party!"
Sermon Presented September 16, 2007
Luke 15:1-10
Friday morning I discovered that I couldn't find my diamond earrings that I took - AND wore - while on vacation. They don't have any sentimental value, but they do have monetary value, so I started looking for them. They weren't in my travel jewelry container, nor were they in my make-up bag. After searching my jewelry boxes, luggage, travel bags, handbags, pockets, dresser top, vanity - even my car, I still couldn't find them. I searched everything again after lunch - all to no avail. I even contacted Gary and Angie to see if I left them there, but no luck! Right now, they are LOST! I told God I didn't need this sermon illustration; I could come up with one on my own!
Why do we get obsessed over lost items - even if they aren't something that we value highly? Why are we embarrassed when we can't find something that we have misplaced? Why do we fear admitting that we have lost something? Well, when you get to be my age, you fear senility! You fear that people will shake their heads and determine that you can no longer do your job. You're afraid that your days outside of a nursing home are numbered. Thus, you tell no one!
This morning, we're looking at two of Jesus' parables from the 15th chapter of Luke concerning a search for lost items - a lost sheep and a lost coin. Jesus overhears the Pharisees and the scribes criticize him for his association with sinners - the unpopular, the unclean and the undesirable, and he tells these stories to challenge their self-righteous attitudes. Hopefully we will hear a challenge to our own self-righteousness!
Luke 15:1-10 (Read text.)
On the first weekend of my vacation, I attended the reunion of my Grandmother Hawkins' family in Bluff City, TN. I was really looking forward to it, even though I knew that in this border state most men served in the Confederate army. (I can be most self-righteous when it comes to issues of prejudice!) I have copies of the wills of my great-great-great-great grandfather and my great-great-great grandfather bequeathing slaves to their wives and children, so I should have known what to expect. But I wasn't prepared for a luncheon with a distant relative - a retired English professor who casually spoke of "The War of Northern Aggression", placing Confederate flags on graves on Memorial Day weekend, and traveling to gun shows and even Germany to collect Nazi memorabilia. This was before the reunion even began! I admit to being part of the self-righteous crowd that challenged Jesus and precipitated these stories.
The story about the lost sheep is most familiar! When I was a pastor in Marysville, KS and the church was preparing to add stained glass windows, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to add one that depicted Jesus carrying the lost lamb back to the flock. I have a print in my office depicting the same scene and a carved wooden sculpture in my bedroom titled "The Good Shepherd". HOWEVER, I have never seen a church window or any work of art depicting a woman down on her hands and knees - oil lamp in hand - or pushing a broom as she frantically searches the cracks and crevices for the lost coin! I'll let you draw your own conclusions! Both were searching, but only one is remembered through artistic works!
I can't divorce myself from the struggle religious folk have with relinquishing notions of superiority, and failing to celebrate finding the lost. I want to be included with those who came to Jesus with open hearts seeking to know more about God, but instead I find myself aligned with religious leaders who believe they possess the answers. I want to be at the party - whether I initiate it or am invited to it - rather than to be on the outside sitting in judgment.
When it comes to losses - as pictured in the parables - most people tend to handle those losses with embarrassment. How could we allow the lamb to stray from the flock or lose the precious coin - or the diamond earrings? So when we search and find the lost item - which hopefully we do - we breathe a sign of relief and go on with life as usual. In Jesus' stories, the one who loses and then finds is so overjoyed that he/she calls friends and neighbors to help celebrate. The importance of the lost item and the importance of sharing the good news with others are part of Jesus' lost-found scenario.
Ten days ago, when I visited my granddaughter Sage, who is almost four, she told me she had to sit in time-out. I asked her what she did and she replied that she said a bad word. I risked asking what she said and she told me "Stupid". I didn't consider this to be so bad until I thought of her mom's question to me when she was a teenager: "Why did God make me so stupid and the boys so smart?" I knew then why calling someone stupid was so appalling to Kara that she put Sage in time-out for saying it. No one wants to be considered stupid, and those who lose things and tell, run the risk of carrying that label.
We hate to admit our mistakes. We blame ourselves for our stupidity and vow to be more careful the next time. We may share our joy with those closest to us, but to throw a party for the neighborhood draws attention to our part in losing something in the first place. We are delighted that the worst didn't happen, so we cover our tracks and move on.
However, the shepherd and the housewife - representing God in these stories - react differently. They want to celebrate the event, so they throw an extravagant party for everyone they know. It's party time, so please RSVP that you will attend! Jesus says that God cares passionately about the lost, and lets us know that celebration should be included in the lives of religious folk, the lost and all of those in between.
Last Tuesday night when we had the joint service with Holy Family and Bayshore Lutheran in our sanctuary, both Fr. Laurin and Pastor Norene commented on this banner "All Are Welcome". Each said that their congregation's favorite hymn bears this title. Both congregations want to sing all five stanzas! The Pharisee in the church wants to be exclusive rather than inclusive!
People who have been raised in a Fundamentalist Church where all are not welcome, may not be attracted by the theology of a church like Roundy where all are welcome, but they can appreciate the welcome and love that they receive here. Often this spirit of inclusion gives them and us the courage to do the inner work necessary to examine our theology.
Are we approachable? Do others feel comfortable and accepted in our presence? Do we warmly welcome those who may not believe as we do or live as we live? These are questions we must answer for ourselves and then work to change what needs changing. You see, you can't truly celebrate when you hold a judgmental attitude.
John Grisham tells the true story of a criminal trial in Ada, OK in his book The Innocent Man. The central character, Ron, was praised by his community when he was a successful baseball star and a committed church member, but the people distanced themselves and then shunned him when he became mentally ill and was accused of murder. When he was finally acquitted and released from death row, his church wouldn't welcome him back because the pastor said some still thought he was guilty.
Jesus had a welcoming spirit and a non-judgmental attitude toward all who came to hear him. He had something they needed; they recognized it; and he welcomed them. Remember, the stories were told because Jesus was being criticized for his association with sinners. The parables say that the lost belong to God just as those who are part of the flock belong to God. We are called to not only welcome others, but to seek them out and then celebrate their victories. Jesus encourages us to join the celebration rather than to decline the invitation and remain on the outside frowning about the expense of the party or the noise generated by the crowd.
God wants to change us, and we all need changing to some degree. In these parables, Jesus lets us know how important each person is to God and how necessary it is to celebrate victories and share joy and not separate ourselves in a self-righteous manner, because we may be even more lost than we think we are! You see, the party may be for us!
