Lost & Found - Redeemer Episcopal Church

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.”

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The following sermon was preached by me, Rev. Sarah Locke, on Sept 15, 2019 at Redeemer Episcopal Church. You can read the sermon below or listen to it (with infusions from the Spirit) at this link. 

God of joy and love, return us to you each time that we stray and remind us of our call to go out into the world and be with those who are lost. Amen. 

Losing and finding things is a very normal ritual in my family. I would venture to say that not a day goes by that I don’t get into the car, turn it on, jump out, and frantically go search the entire house for my cell phone. Or my wallet. Or that receipt I needed. Or my computer charger. 

I try to blame it on having a child or inanimate objects sprouting legs, but I know that that is not the case. I just lose things. A lot.

And it is so frustrating to me every time I do this. My husband Daniel will regularly watch me wandering around the house with my hands up in the air in frustration, mumbling to myself, going, “where did I put it?!” 

And instead of being grateful once I have found my lost things, I am embarrassed and annoyed and frustrated with myself. 

That does not sounds like our story this morning, does it? No, in both stories, Jesus describes people who are so overwhelmed with joy when they find their lost things. The shepherd and the woman are so excited to have found their sheep and coin that they invite all of their friends and family over to have a party in celebration.

The Pharisees and scribes are not delighted by these parables because they are people of rules, structure, and laws. I get that. It is comforting to many people, including the Pharisees and scribes, to know the rules, follow the rules, and understand the results of those actions. And for them, it is their way of life. And it is also how they relate to God. They understand their relationship with God to be a bit transactional— you abide by the rules and laws that have been given, and you get God’s favor and blessing in return. This is pretty much why the scribes and Pharisees existed— to be sure that the laws were passed down and to be sure people were abiding by them.

So I think we can understand why the scribes and Pharisees were a bit upset when Jesus seemed to be changing the rules on them. They understood God to be predictable and fit within a box, and Jesus was teaching hundreds and thousands that God is actually pretty unpredictable and reckless— at least when it comes to joy, love, and grace. 

Ultimately, that is what this story is about. 

Wherever we put ourselves when we listen to these parables of Jesus, we know that we have been lost in the sin of the world and found in baptism. It is impossible for us to be truly lost because we have the seal and sign of God’s everlasting and ever-present grace marked on our foreheads forever. Really, no matter how far you stray, you will never be truly lost. 

But we do wander, don’t we? We wander and we stray too far from God, we deny God’s image in our neighbors, we sometimes forget that creation is meant to be cared for instead of used. Sometimes we forget how precious a gift life and relationships are to us. And we stray away from our God who wants to keep us close. 

But God comes after us. God is searching after us with all of God’s intimate knowledge of us and true love for us. This is the constant work of God, to bring people back into the fold. 

And when God’s precious creatures are found, when we are brought back into relationship with God, when we choose to love our neighbors, when we deny the sting of death and look toward hope, when we work toward reconciliation, when we swing open our doors and welcome people in and dine with sinners and tax collectors, God is so filled with joy, that God just wants to shout it from the heavens and invite everyone to a feast in our honor. 

Think about these two parables: a man loses a sheep and when he finds it, he throws a party. A party. It’s ridiculous. Jesus knows it’s ridiculous, and he says it nonchalantly, “who wouldn’t do this?” And if this seems odd, Jesus tells a second story and doubles down on his claim. A woman loses one of her ten coins and when she finds it, she throws a party and invites all of her friends and family. For a woman with only ten coins, it doesn’t make any sense that she would host an extravagant party for such a mundane reason. It’s ridiculous and reckless even— we might think it a waste or irresponsible. 

That, Jesus says, is how God is with God’s grace for God’s people. Ridiculous, reckless even. There is be MORE joy in heaven, than even these two silly party-throwing people. God is wild and crazy about us. So much so, that God will celebrate us with reckless abandon. Seriously. I know that seems like a weird thing to preach about this morning, but I think we tend to forget it. We forget so quickly how much God adores us. 

It is so easy to believe that God is a God of wrath and fear and anger— I mean look at the Old Testament reading for today. But that is not what God is about. God is love, and God is all about abundance, and joy, and grace. When God’s lost creatures come back or are found, God isn’t embarrassed or frustrated or angry. God is reckless with joy and gratitude. God overflows with love. 

And out of that love comes our capacity to love. Out of the waters of baptism comes our ability, our privilege, and our call to proclaim God’s love to everyone else. As lost and found ones, we are called to go into the world and help in the searching and truly rejoice in the finding. 

And I believe that the only way we can truly take up this work is to remember our lost-ness and our found-ness. It is only when we truly recognize the grace that God has offered to us that we are able to proclaim it and offer it to others. 

So that is what I want us to remember this morning. God not only longs after you, spends hours searching and yearning after you, but God is overwhelmed with joy when you are found.

And when those who have been lost are found, when people turn back toward one another and toward God, God rejoices. Because God loves us and cares more about our relationships than about rules and regulations and laws. When all those whom God loves are found, God throws a big huge party— a little like this one we will have today at this table— and rejoices until the end of time. Amen.