The title of my sermon today is “Let us rejoice!” Even though it may be under somewhat different circumstances, rejoicing is a common theme throughout the 15th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. In our gospel reading for today, we read of two different parables that Jesus is telling to the Pharisees. As we know, the Pharisees were criticizing Jesus for mingling with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees were grumbling about this because in their mind, how could someone who claimed to be the Messiah be keeping company with the less desirable among the population? So, in order to explain to them what his intentions are, Jesus tells them a couple of stories.
The first story, which is Luke 15: 4 speaks of the lost sheep. He said that the shepherd had 100 sheep in the field. The shepherd noticed, however, that one of his sheep had wandered away from the flock and had become lost. The shepherd cared so much for that one sheep that he left the other 99 sheep and went out to search for the one that was lost. When the shepherd found his lost sheep, he was so happy that he called his friends and neighbors together and said, “let’s celebrate” or “rejoice with me”, for I have found that which was lost!
Then, we read beginning in verse 8 of a woman who had ten silver coins and she lost one of them. She lit her lamp and started cleaning her house. She swept her floors and searched and searched until she found that coin. Finally, the coin she had searched for so thoroughly is found. Like the shepherd, she calls her friends and family together and says, “rejoice with me” for I have found that which was lost!
These stories are very similar. We can see the similarities on the service, without even digging too deep into the parables. The similarities are that in both cases, the shepherd and the woman had lost something that was important to them and they searched diligently until they found what they were looking for.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. Let’s focus for just a moment on the subjects in the stories, the sheep and the coin.
There are a multitude of differences between a sheep and a coin. For example, a sheep is a living, breathing thing. It can see, it can hear, it can feel pain, it can get scared, it has emotions. In fact have you ever owned sheep? How many would agree they are about the dumbest animals in the world? You can push on them, yell at them, but more than often they will not move for you, unless of course you’re their shepherd.
The coin is just a coin. It cannot see, hear, feel and it has no emotions.
Both the sheep and the coin represent two different types of sinners.
Like the sheep, there are sinners who are lost in our world today who know they are lost. They can feel that they are not where they are supposed to be. They can hear the shepherd calling to them from far away, but they just cannot find their way back to him, back to the fold. The sheep could represent a sinner who perhaps used to be in the company of the flock or in the company of the church and got lost somewhere along the way. Even though the sheep got lost, even if it was because it wandered away on its own, it wants to be found. The sheep feels the need to be back with the shepherd because it knows the shepherd and trusts the shepherd to care for it. In turn, the shepherd needs to the sheep because the sheep is very valuable to him in many ways. The sheep is so valuable that he will leave all the others to search for that one that is lost.
The coin, on the other hand, is a bit different. You see, the coin does not know that it is lost, and frankly it does not care. The coin represents the person who has always kept to themselves and has never really been a part of something larger than itself.
The coin does not realize how valuable it is. The coins that are being talked about here in Luke chapter 15 are Greek drachmas and one drachma was worth the price of one sheep.
So you see, even though the coin does not know it, to its owner, it is very valuable and very useful.
Both the shepherd and the woman were very happy to have found their lost objects. And, in case you did not notice, neither the sheep nor the coin was criticized for being lost; they were celebrated for being found.
It did not matter what had happened in the past that caused these objects to get lost in the first place. No amount of criticizing was going to change the fact that they were lost. So, the shepherd and the woman chose not to even dwell on the past. They celebrated in the moment of joy.
The Bible tells us in Luke 15: 10 that God’s angels are happy in this same way when a sinner turns to the Lord.
It does not matter how vile a sinner the person was, once God forgives a person’s sins, they are forgiven. And, once that person’s sins are forgiven, they are forgotten. Now, all that matters is that person, which was lost, is now in the arms of God and it is a moment to rejoice! It is a time for celebration! It is a victory in many ways because you found it before it was destroyed forever.
To Jesus, the tax collectors and sinners He was associating with when he told these stories were “lost things”. To Him, these people were of great importance and of great value.
When Luann was a little girl, there was a saying that she learned from somewhere, she thinks it was in bible school. The saying was simply, “I know I am worth a lot because God made me, and God don’t make no junk”.
Isn’t that the truth? We are all of high importance and of great value in the eyes of the Lord. We are certainly worth more than a sheep or a drachma. So, if a person would go to so much trouble looking for a sheep or a coin, the how much trouble would Jesus Christ be willing to go through to find us?
He was willing to go all the way to the cross to save us. We, to him, were more valuable than His own life. We pierced His heart to the point that he gave up everything he had, he paid the ultimate price to ensure us a safe passage back to His fold.
This is not something that He did just for you or for me, however. He did this for every single person on this earth. He did this for the rich, for the poor, for the wise, for the unwise, for the brilliant, for the dull, for the outgoing socialables and for those who are locked inside themselves. He did it for all. He even died for the people that you may not care about so much.
There is a saying that was in the Upper Room a while back that said, “The person that you dismiss or see as unimportant, is a person that Jesus died to redeem”. That is a very powerful thought and really puts in perspective the parables we read in today’s gospel.
It did not matter that the Pharisees thought that Jesus should not be spending time with tax collectors and sinners. To Jesus, He was meeting a need. God works to meet the needs of all people no matter what their vocation in life may be. We are all worth being found when we have gone astray.
Evangelist Mike Warnke often tells of his experiences as a Navy Corpsman during the Vietnam War. Being a Navy Corpsman he spent his entire time in the Navy actually in the Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam for 2 ½ years there. One of the stories he recounts of his time goes something like this.
“We were on a long patrol and road march one day. It was extremely hot, and on this particular day, besides carrying my usual pack which included my rucksack, med pack, and 200 rounds of ammo for the machine gunner. I was also carrying the 80 lbs base plate for the 81 mm mortar. Because that member of the mortar team had stepped into a pungy stick trap on the trail. So he had to airlifted out.
As the corpsman, or doc as they called me, I had to travel up and down the line making sure everybody had water, or I gave them that little savior called the salt pill. With all that weight on my back and everything my feet were very sore.
We came to a place where there was a clearing and valley; we proceeded down the hill and through a creek at the bottom of the valley. As I stepped into the water, I swore I saw steam come off my feet with each step. When I got to the other bank, I just sat down there to rest. I took off my boots off and let my feet air out and cool off.
I thought to myself, “why should I go on?” It was peaceful, no sign of war. However, as the company disappeared up the hill. The sun began to go down behind the mountains, causing long shadows to form on the valley. It was then I realized that I was not safe, I was in danger. I realized that this valley wasn’t a safe place it was a trap.
I got my boots and put them back on. I then wrestled on my rucksack, med pack, and worked that mortar plate into my back. I struggled on my way. My legs were weak from sitting all that time. With each step my feet burned as the water sloshed in my boots.
As I approached the top of the hill, I was met by one of my company. “Hey Doc, good to see you let me get that plate for you” He said... As he took it off my legs perked up. Then another said, “Hey Doc, let me take that ammo for you, and while I am at it Ill take your med pack.” Wow with that I felt as light as a feather. Then another said, “Doc I’ll take that rucksack of yours”
With that I felt like I was running, I was met by the captain. Good to see you Doc, glad you could make. We really missed you.” When he said that I knew I was safe, and home again.
That experience of Mike’s reminds me of how it is with us when we realize that when we find ourselves in life at a place where we think we do not need God. We think we are safe when really we are like that lost sheep. We call out to the Shepherd, He is there for us. He rejoices in our being found, just like the Marines who welcomed Mike back into their midst, we want should be willing to rejoice when one of our own flock is returned to our company.
In closing, I would like to remind you that during this month we as a denomination celebrate Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. United Methodist Churches all around the country have taken this time to open their doors to those looking for home. However, while it is nice to open your churches to the lost and the churchless, my challenge is that we allow our Shepherd to lead us to find those lost and hurting. So that they can be welcomed back home to be in fellowship and love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
