Pastor Ann assures us God seeks all who are lost. The scripture reading, Luke 15: 32, comes from the parable of the Prodigal Son: “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.’ ” (NRSV)
“Repentance. Forgiveness. God’s Amazing Grace. These are the themes of Lent. 40 days to reflect on the Father’s love for us.”
“The 15th chapter of Luke begins with the parable of the lost sheep. ‘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.'”
“Next, we have the parable of the lost coin. The woman has ten silver coins, loses one. She lights the lamp, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds it. When she does, she calls her friends and neighbors and rejoices. Then Luke writes, ‘Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.'”
In today’s parable, a father had two sons. The younger says to the father, ‘Give me my share of the wealth.’ And, the father does. A few days later, the younger son is off to a distant land where he squanders his wealth in dissolute living. When he spends everything, he hits bottom, and comes back home. Here is the part of the story I love. The father was watching for his lost son.”
“When you have a prodigal child, you are always watching for them. Waiting. Hoping. Praying. About 20 years ago, Kim and I took in a homeless teenager. He was living in a shelter when they realized he was still in high school. Our church had a meeting with him, as we considered paying for him to live in an apartment until he finished school. And something happened in my heart. I looked at that teenager, and I saw him through the eyes of Christ. I knew he needed a home and not an apartment. He needed a family to love and care for him. I went home and told Kim, and we prayed about it. The next morning, Kim said, ‘when do we get to meet Gilbert?’ Within a week, the whole family had met him, and agreed to share our home. It was a beautiful feeling, to be able to welcome someone who was lost into our home. As beautiful as it was, it was also difficult. About ten years ago, Gilbert came home, and told us he was hearing voices. He had quit his job and was going to sell his car to buy a one way ticket to New Your City. We tried to reason with him, but he was convinced someone was tracking him. Months after he left, he mailed us his family cell phone, saying it was being used to track him. From that moment, we had to wait for him to call us. Kim and I left it in the Lord’s hands. From time to time, we would get a phone call. The last time we heard from him was over a year ago, shortly after he was arrested on felony charges in Nashville.”
“I am like the father in the parable, always looking for my prodigal, praying I will hear from him. This week, I did what I have done dozens of times before, an internet search. This time, I found something. Gilbert appeared in court this week and those documents listed his public defender. I found her work number and email, and reached out to find out how Gilbert’s doing. I also asked her if she can either let Gilbert know, or if she can put us in contact with each other, so I can tell him that Kim has passed away. As of this morning, I still don’t know if Gilbert has gotten the news. And so I wait.”
“When you have a prodigal, you are always watching, waiting, praying, just like the father in this morning’s parable. He was watching and while his son was still far off, his father saw him and, filled with compassion, ran and hugged and kissed him, dressed him in his best robe, killed the fatted calf, and threw a party. But the story doesn’t end here. We hear what the prodigal’s brother thinks about all this. He became angry, refused to join the celebration, and even chastised his father.”
“Jealousy is a powerful emotion. Hear the anger in his voice: ‘I have done everything you have asked. And what have you done for me? Not so much as a young goat. No party for the good son. It is not fair.’ The prodigal’s brother was more concerned about himself. He lost sight of the big picture.”
“Jesus sets him straight. And sets us straight. Jesus reminds us why we exists. As people of God, we need to be looking for the lost. And when we find them, we throw a party. It is important for us to remember why the church exists. Yes, we love and care for each other within the church and in our community. But our real purpose is to seek out the one lost.”
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