14th Sunday After Pentecost, 09/15/2019

Sermon on Luke 15:1-10, by Judson F. Merrell

1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3 So he told them this parable: 4 "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? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7 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. 8 "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? 9 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.'

10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

(Luke 15:1-10 NRSV)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Well, here we go again. We just can’t seem to get away from these people. They are always around. They are not very well liked people either, and no matter how much we want to get away from them, they are always around. Do you know who I am talking about? It’s those pesky sinners and tax collectors. Every time it seems that we get away from these bad people, they always turn back up. They always show up when Jesus is trying to tell the people around him something really important, something that they need and can understand….hmm…maybe that’s why we always hear about them. Maybe, just maybe, they are there for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, that reason is that we can identify with them. Not only is Jesus talking to them, but Jesus is talking to us! And today, he is telling us a very valuable story about repentance.

The rabbi’s in Jesus day looked at repentance in 3 ways. First, there is confession of sin. In order to repent, one must confess. Second, compensation for the evil that was done was required. Third, one must show sincerity in keeping the law that was previously broken. For us though, we look at repentance a little differently. Yes, we do see repentance as a means of confessing our sins. However, we do not require compensation for the evil that was done. We don’t pass the offering plate during the Brief Order for Confession and Forgivevess. The third way does not apply the same either, since we as Christians proclaim that Jesus fulfilled God’s Law when he came to earth, suffered, and died. In order to better understand how Christians, and more specifically Lutheran Christians, view repentance, it is important to realize just exactly what repentance is for us. Every week we come in, and the first thing we do is confess our sins and receive absolution for them, meaning we repent of them and receive God’s forgiveness. That is an important part of our relationship with God and an important part of our faith.

In our Gospel lesson today, what we see is something a little different in terms of confession and forgiveness. In the parable he tells, Jesus says a shepherd finds the one sheep out of 100 that was lost. The shepherd then decides to throw a party to celebrate the joyful occasion. Jesus’ closing comment on this parable is: “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.” Who repented then in this story? Was it the sheep? The only possible action in this story which could constitute repentance is the FINDING of the lost. Repentance, therefore, according to our lesson, may be defined as our acceptance of being

found. The second parable we heard today, the one about the lost coin, underscores the same reality. The lost coin is found. That’s the central thing that happens in the story. This time it is a woman who rejoices when the lost is found. She throws a party. And Jesus says: “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Now, like the last part of the parable, who is it that repents? Is it the coin? Is that possible? Or is it again, that there is only one action here that can be construed as repentance. The lost is found!

If we hold to this definition, that being found is indeed repentance, what does that mean for our congregation and for the larger church? How many of you have neighbors that don’t go to church on Sunday morning? Its ok, you can raise your hand. I will even raise mine. Have you ever found out WHY they don’t go to church on Sunday morning? Have you ever thought about inviting them? If we are going to repent according to the definition we are hearing today, then we have a lot of finding to do. Perhaps this is a time where we, as a church, can say: “We know that there are individuals in our life who do not know the saving grace of God. Or, maybe they used to but have put their faith on the backburner. Therefore, as Christians striving to live the Gospel message, let us search for these individuals, throwing a party every time we find one.” I already know that this church loves to throw parties. You love to get together and eat and drink and have fellowship. Now imagine us having this all the time, not because it is what we always do, but instead because the lost has been found! Invite your friends, your neighbors, those you work with, your relatives, whoever you meet on the side of the road. If we want to find the lost, we must turn on our lamps and do some searching. However, if we do not want to find the lost, we can continue doing what we are doing. We can continue having about the same attendance each Sunday, having plenty of extra seats, or we can try and fill the seats with people who are hungry for the grace of God. Either way, we can do it together. We can sit here Sunday after Sunday in the same boat, or we can rock that boat a little bit, by adding new faces, voices, and smiles. Today God is calling us to repent, to search and find those that are lost. God has spoken to us today in our gospel reading. God is saying: “I have come to find those dead in sin. I have come to find those lost. I have come to find you, just you! When I find you my heart overflows with joy. When the lost are found everyone in heaven gathers for a party.” Let us not only listen to God, but strive for repentance in our daily lives. Let us be like the shepherd, leaving the 99 sheep behind to go search for the lost one. Let us be like the woman who cleans her whole house in order to find just a single coin, so that like heaven, we too can rejoice at the work of God. In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Rev. Judson F. Merrell
Gilbert, South Carolina, USA
E-Mail: judsonmerrell@bellsouth.net

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