September 16, 2007 ~ 16^th Sunday after Pentecost

Intern Pastor Doug Holtz

Zumbro Lutheran Congregation, Rochester, Minnesota

 

Text:  Luke 15:1-10

 

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ²And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³So 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? ⁵When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶And 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.’ ⁷Just 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? ⁹When 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.’ ¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

It’s easy to relate to the woman in today’s parable. To make it even more meaningful we could change the object of the search. Perhaps for you it’s the parable of the lost keys. Maybe we should be telling the parable of the lost socks in the dryer. For me, the parable of the lost sunglasses might be the most appropriate tale.

 

It’s pretty easy to lose our way as well. We are just fine navigating if there are not any twists or turns, but with all the different ramps and exits and little side roads that look the same; it’s easy to make that wrong turn. And of course, being a man, I don’t stop and ask for directions. But now there is even a cure for that!

 

You see, one of the little miracles in today’s world of technology is GPS, or global positioning system. Through a network of satellites our position can be pinpointed with amazing accuracy and shown on a map if we have the correct hardware and software. The most advanced units are programmed to give directions while we travel even at great highway speeds. Indeed this is a miracle of modern science.

 

Wouldn’t it be great if we had our own GPS units for our faith lives? Just think, all we’d have to do is program our destination, “eternal life with Christ,” and that pleasant computerized voice would show us the way.

 

Well, I have good news, Christ calls us to follow him and the only direction given is “follow me.” Perhaps we can call this GPS the Gospel of Perpetual Salvation. Just push a couple of buttons, and follow the directions to eternal life in Christ. Now if it were only that easy…

 

Now with the GPS in the car, we can ignore the directions given. It can be the same with our faith; we can ignore the will of God for our lives as well. The unit does try to get our attention, “In 1 mile, turn right!” It even repeats the command, “In 300 yards, turn right.” Not to be content with 2 reminders, it then says in a somewhat firmer computerized voice, “Turn Right!” Still, we can always ignore it and go our own way.

 

So why would we ignore God’s directions for us? Maybe God’s GPS would take us through a rough neighborhood we would rather avoid. Perhaps we wish to avoid a traffic jam and follow an easier path, one with less traffic, less interference—taking us where we want to go rather than where God wants us to go. Our human, sinful nature often looks for the path of least resistance, a direction that will keep us out of harm’s way, a route that keeps us from a challenge, with fewer potholes, fewer stop signs.

 

Perhaps we use selective hearing when we hear God calling us in a certain direction. You know selective hearing… it’s the ailment children have when they hear certain phrases such as “take out the garbage,” “time to do your homework,” or “wash up for supper.” Sadly, we adults are not immune to this disease: we often miss things like “you should really fix that sink,” or “the baby’s diaper needs changing again”, or “this would be a great time to mow the lawn.”  It’s easy to ignore those things that might cause inconvenience or discomfort.

 

Once off track, that GPS unit may announce words that make us cringe: “When possible, make a U-turn.” When possible? In all the hustle and bustle of our daily lives? But there are things to do and places to be! I’m cruising down the freeway of life; even if I’m going in somewhat the wrong direction it would waste time, even be dangerous to make a U-turn at this point. Just let me keep going until the next exit; then at least I could turn around safely!

 

We need to follow the example of those first disciples. In Matthew Christ said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” In a remarkable display of faith they did not have selective hearing: they just threw down their nets and followed Christ. They didn’t say “give me a day to make sure the books are up to date.” They just followed. They made that U-turn. What an incredible risk they took leaving everything they knew to follow Christ.

 

What is this U-turn that leads us to such joyful celebration? This U-turn is repentance. Every day we are lost to sin and stray from the will of God; breaking God’s commandments and foolishly wandering wherever our sinful natures take us. However, we need to be careful not to mistake repentance for remorse or sorrow. Repentance is best defined as a radical change of mind, a change of attitude, a change of direction. So just like when the lost coin is found and the lost sheep is returned to the flock, there is a celebration when lost sinners repent.

 

This past Thursday Pastor Benson and I went down to Rushford Lutheran Church to explore opportunities for our congregation to help them in their time of need. The scenes in that town are devastating; the stories told of the flood are astonishing. In Rushford there are many people whose lives are in complete turmoil and need our love and prayer. These people are continually experiencing roadblocks and potholes in their lives. It’s enough to give any GPS a true test of its ability.

 

At Rushford Lutheran itself, the damage is beyond belief. The fellowship hall where meals and camaraderie were shared is now stripped of carpet and wallboard. The kitchen in which those meals were lovingly prepared is now just a collection of filthy stoves, warped floor tile, and blank walls where the cupboards used to be. Looking at all that we felt a bit helpless knowing there was little we could do in the moment.

 

But even though the people of that city have every reason to doubt their future; there was an overwhelming sense of hope in that community, the sort of hope that the woman finding the lost coin must have had during her search. Without that hope, the town would be doomed. This new sense of purpose is that “radical change of direction” for the townspeople, a great U-turn!

 

The smiles seen and outpouring of service at the community meal at the Catholic parish hall was truly heartwarming. In that place it was very easy to imagine being in the crowd at the feeding of the 5,000. The line of people coming for food seemed to be never-ending and the food just kept appearing out of the tiny kitchen. Indeed, people who had lost everything were among the servers. It was an incredible display of service and faith; what amazing U-turn experiences there were for us to see.

 

The people of Rushford may have little else, but their faith in the future is strong. Their hope for a bright new day is obvious at every turn. Right there Christ was carrying those who had lost everything on his shoulders; giving hope through the love and caring of others. One could sense Christ’s presence helping people make those U-turns in their darkest days.

 

It is that hope that we can have in our futures as followers of Christ. No matter how bleak the situation, how far it seems our life has come off course, we have the hope of the risen Christ. We too can repent, make that U-turn, and trigger a great celebration!

 

But what about in everyday life? It’s easy to ignore the call of God when we are feeling as though we are with the 99. When things are going along as we expect there seems to be that human response of selective hearing. It’s easy to ignore the goodness God gives us and go along with the comfort of taking credit for our own good fortune. After all, we work hard and make an honest living. We’re hanging out with the flock and don’t have time to worry about what might be lurking just outside of the pasture.

 

But remember, the shepherd went off to find the one lost sheep. Now if one sheep is with the shepherd and the other 99 are not, who really is the stray? The good news is that Christ is there for the 99 as well. And so today no matter what happens in our lives, the GPS, the Gospel of Perpetual Salvation, there is great news for us.

 

Hear Christ saying “come home!” Go ahead, make the U-turn of repentance! And know that you won’t be making it alone. Christ will carry us on his shoulders, preparing for a glorious celebration!