Stories; who likes stories? A good story is something you remember. Can anyone recall a story they were told as a child before they went to bed? How about some of the stories you were told around a campfire, out in the woods, with someone holding a flashlight under their chin….ooohhh scary! A good story is makes you ‘feel’ something, it draws you in and you can feel what those IN the story are feeling. The news is very good at this. Think of the stories we have heard about those suffering from the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, the children who suffer in Africa from disease and malnutrition. These types of stories bring about an emotional response in us…we hurt because they are hurting.
A good story has memorable characters, catchy phrases, and imagery that we can recall for days, weeks, even years. One of my favourite stories is A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens in 1843; a story of the cruelty of human nature, the stubbornness of man, and the possibility repentance and the start of a new life, even for a man like Scrooge.
Movies from long ago in grainy black and white and today’s 3-D, CGI, motion capture style are all doing one thing, trying to tell us a story, in a way that we will remember it.
We read many stories today in books, or online if so inclined. But years ago, when books were not available, and language was more oral than written, stories were one of the main ways to recall important events, and so stories were told from one generation to another, so that history was not forgotten.
These are all good stories…a GREAT story goes beyond just giving us a feeling or a memory, a great story can actually be life-changing. A great story is one that makes us want to change our behaviour to that of the story-teller, or the people in the story.
I mention the story-teller. There are two kinds of story tellers; those who write them and those who tell them. The one who writes a story, such as the author of a book, has the ability to go over it, edit it, re-write it, and change things until the time they are ready to release it to the public, or publish it. And then we are able to read it and appreciate it.
The one who tells a story…that person has a special opportunity to captivate those who would listen to what they have to say, how they say it, the emphases on certain parts of the story, the emotion that can be seen in their face and in their actions, the tone of voice, the cadence of their words…all these things make for a great story-teller. And the One who tells the greatest stories, the stories I would hope we would all remember, is Jesus Christ.
Jesus used stories to tell people about the Kingdom of Heaven. He told stories that folks could relate to. He compared the Kingdom of God to many things, from mustard seeds to pearls to a wedding feast. He told stories to tell us about how we ought to act towards one another, our neighbours, like the God Samaritan. He used stories to explain evangelism, like sowing seeds. He told stories to show us what love should really be like, like the lost son. And Jesus used stories to talk about the end of time, when we shall all be judged, like sheep and goats. The bible calls these stories parables. These are stories with a purpose; they are intended to teach us a lesson…about life today, what our morals should be like, and about the kingdom of heaven and the life to come.
39 of Jesus’ parables are found in the 4 gospels about His life. I am sure He told many more, but just like not all His miracles were written down for us, I believe that these stories that He told were written so that we might believe in what Jesus had to say, and what He had to teach us through them.
I have printed a list of these 39 and placed it in the bulletin. If you would like a copy, there are more on the back table and it will also be on the website. These were referenced from my bible’s chain index, which listed them by how many are in one, two, or more gospels.
I’d like to read three of Jesus parables for us today. He told these three together, and so I thought we should do the same. Turn in your bible to Luke chapter 15.
Luke 15 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
The Parable of the Lost Son
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[b]'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
Now, how many of us have heard these three parables before? Anyone that this is the FIRST time you’ve heard these? For those who have read or heard the story of the lost son, or prodigal son, we’ve likely heard many messages on the different characters within the story. The young son, who was greedy, who squandered away his inheritance on wild living is the centre of the story. He spends his cash like there’s no tomorrow and once the money’s gone, so was his life of fun, his friends, his happiness. So he gets the most lowly job for a Jew…feeding pigs, and he longs to eat what they’ve got in their slop. Then he comes to his senses, realizing the error of his ways and returns home, expecting to be a servant, but welcomed as a prince at a grand party in his honour. This is the story of a sinner who repents and comes home to our Heavenly Father, and a party is launched in heaven for him.
There’s the father, who gives his child what he asks for without question. Then, when the son takes off for places unknown, does he stop him? No, he lets the young man make his own choices. But everyday, he watches for the wayward child to come home, for he sees him from far off, and RUNS to his child and embraces him and kisses him; he doesn’t scold him or bring up an of the past…he just loves…like our Father in Heaven loves us, unconditionally, no matter what we’ve done, the decisions we’ve made, the life we may have squandered till the day we realize we need to come home. And He is there ready to welcome us with open arms.
Then there’s the older son, the one who stayed home, the faithful worker, the stable one, the guy you could count on to do as he was asked. He gets upset that the Father throws a party, a huge barbecue, for this ‘son of yours’ when he never got any recognition for all the years of service he gave to the family business. He became the selfish one and refused to join the party. The father reminded him that all he had belonged to his son, it was all his. But a celebration was in order because the child who ran away from all that had come home, what was lost was now found. Those who have been part of the family of God for a long time, we can be like that son…forgetting that our inheritance is not necessarily going to be in this life; indeed life here on earth might be downright awful. But our inheritance is in heaven, we have just a few years to live and work on this earth…we have eternity to spend with God in heaven. Don’t forget that…keep the right perspective.
The reason that I read all three of these parables though is to show that the one we tend to remember more, the lost son, is simply Jesus’ way of expounding on the 2 other stories that He told them that day. The lost sheep and the lost coin tell us the exact same thing as the story of the prodigal son.
The moral of each of these stories is that GOD CELEBRATES OVER THOSE WHO REPENT OF THEIR SIN. Look at verses 7, 10 and 32:
7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
These verses tell me that God likes to celebrate; God likes to party, God LOVES IT when His children turn from lives of selfishness and live lives with and for the One Who gave us life in the first place. And when we do that, when we give our life back to God…there’s a party in heaven…and one of the first to start the party is the Father Himself. One of my favourite verses is Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is with you He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
Can you imagine the sound of the voice of God singing? One day, we’ll hear it. One day, we’ll tune in to the voice that will silence all the judges of this world…the One voice that calls all of us home…us, the lost and found.
The best stories that I like to hear are the ones told by those who were lost and are now found; stories about changed lives, stories about new life in Christ…personal testimonies. And every person who has given their life to Jesus has a story to tell. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see…
WHAT’S YOUR STORY? Have you told it to anyone lately? Perhaps your story has not come to that ‘happy ending’ yet, maybe you’re still trying o decide where to go with your story? Let Jesus come into your life, let Him be the Author of your story, from today and on into eternity.
