Sermon Transcript: March 23, 2025
Luke 15:1-32:
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? And 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 lost sheep.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons 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? And 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 wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to his senses 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 as 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 assets 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.’ ”
For the Word of God in scripture,
For the Word of God among us,
For the Word of God within us,
Thanks be to God.
***
And just this week, Jesus told one more parable. It is as if two astronauts went on a two-week mission but got stranded in the space station for over nine months. When they finally returned home, their family and friends embraced them with tears and smiles. Indeed, the entire nation rejoiced and breathed a sigh of relief. We all celebrated together, young and old, black and white, conservative and liberal. Such is the joy in heaven, over one sinner who changes his heart and life.
Last week we read about Jesus responding to the latest bad news: Pilate slaughtering Galileans at worship, a tower falling and killing 18 innocent bystanders. The message Jesus drew from these tragic events is that life is precious and one way or another we all die. We should not waste time being anyone other than our true selves or doing what God has called us to do on this earth.
Today Jesus reminds us of good news: a lost sheep is found, a woman finds a precious coin she had misplaced, and finally a wayward son hits rock bottom, returns to his family with his tale between his legs and is greeted by his father running out to embrace him and then throwing a huge party for the whole town. After each of these, Jesus draws a parallel to the joy God feels when we turn back to God.
My son had the amazing opportunity to travel to Guam the past few weeks. Do ya’ll know where Guam is? Let me put this in technical terms…it is really, really far. It is a 7 ½ hour flight from Hawaii!!!!
I got to pick him up from the airport on Friday. I can tell you about joy and celebration! I am sure each of us can think of times in your life where you felt such joy at someone or something being returned to you. It is time to rejoice and celebrate.
But it is not just a personal feeling of joy. It is joy shared and multiplied. When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he invites his friend and neighbors, rejoice with me! When the woman finds her precious coin, she invites her friends and neighbors, rejoice with me! When the father learns that his son is returning, he says kill the fatted calf, invite everyone to join in the celebration.
Who would not want to go to such a party?
Do you remember the “rule of three?” The rule of three is a teaching and storytelling device. We often think of things in threes. Give me two of something, I can give you the likely third. Tic, Tac, TOE. Knife, fork, SPOON.
But Jesus throws us a curve. The first two set up your expectations so you think you’ll know how the third goes. Lost sheep, found, rejoice. Lost coin, found, rejoice. Got it. Lost son, returns, rejoice, right?
Except we know that’s not exactly how the third one goes. There is a curve. The other son in the story is not too pleased. He has been there the whole time. He has played by the rules. He has been the good son. He didn’t squander his inheritance. He didn’t curse his father and disown him. Why should his brother get a party in his honor and not him?
And you and I hear the elder son’s gripe, and we find no fault in his logic. It doesn’t seem fair, does it? Surely the older son is more deserving.
We like to play that game, don’t we? Who is more deserving? And we like to prove our deserving we are. I have worked hard my whole life. I have done what I am supposed to do. I treat others well. I follow the rules. Surely if anyone is deserving, it is me.
Or, conversely, we never feel worthy enough. I can’t quite get it right. I try and try, but I can’t get rid of this feeling that its never enough, that I am not enough.
It is only in the last of the three stories that the question of deserving even enters. Sheep aren’t deserving or underserving. They are either in their pen, or they are lost. Coins certainly aren’t deserving or underserving. A coin never wonders what it’s worth!
AJ Levine writes, “In its original context, the parable of the Prodigal Son would not have been heard as a story of repentance or forgiveness, a story of works righteousness and grace…Instead, the parable’s messages of finding the lost, of reclaiming children, of reassessing the meaning of family offer not only good news, but better news.”
What is the better news? It is actually quite simple: there is a party, a celebration, and you are invited to join in the rejoicing. God is the host and the party has been going on for quite some time. The party has been going on and it continues every moment of every day. And we have one choice: whether to join or not. It is not our job to judge the worthiness of others to be at the party. We do not have to prove our worth. Our invitation is irrevocable. Only we can keep ourselves out.
This morning in Adult Ed, we were invited to bring a poem that speaks to our faith. I shared a Mary Oliver poem there, but I want to share another one with you now. She calls it Don’t Hesitate:
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate.
Give in to it.
There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.
We are not wise, and not very often kind.
And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left.
Perhaps this is its way of fighting back,
that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world.
It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.
Anyway, that’s often the case.
Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty.
Joy is not made to be a crumb.
Look friends, there is much to worry about these days. If you want some bad news, just turn on the TV, open the paper, your social media screen. People killing people. Innocent dying. Tragedies. When we find something to celebrate, we should not hesitate. We should invite everyone we know and even those we don’t, to celebrate.
Every reconciliation. Every reparation. Every instance of healing. Every victory. Every person lifted up. Everything that was lost and is now found. All the good news. We should celebrate. We should rejoice.
A couple of years ago I got to hear a live interview with the actor Sean Astin. If you don’t know who that is, well, you clearly didn’t grow up in the 80s. He was in the Goonies, he played Rudy in Rudy. More recently he played Bob in Stranger Things. He also played one of my favorite characters in The Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and sidekick of the main character: Samwise Gamgee. Sam was Frodo’s ever faithful companion, the one person who would not give up on Frodo no matter what. At a particularly low point in their journey Frodo has lost hope and the will to go on.
FRODO: I can’t do this, Sam.
SAM: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.
FRODO: What are we holding on to, Sam?
SAM: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
To notice the good in the world. To hold on to it. To celebrate it. To invite others to join us in rejoicing. This is what we are called to do. And to notice those that may be standing outside the party, to go to them and say, “Come in, this is for you too!” Amen.
