1st Sunday in Lent – Sermon 110

Prayer to start

May the words of my lips and the thoughts of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ

AMEN

Introduction

Getting lost!

We’ve all done it – in the car – on foot – one minute we thought we knew where were – the next – we take a wrong turn – and – we realize we don’t –

I remember getting lost once – on a school trip to York – I was 11 at the time – I left my school cap in York Minister – and decided on the lunch break to go back and retrieve it – of course – it wasn’t there – and when I came out – and then – turned left instead of right – some minutes later I found myself walking along the banks of the river Ouse – in the wrong direction –

Fortunately – a kind a Lady saw I was getting distressed – and after only the briefest of information – and a short bus ride later – I was taken back to my teachers – (with half a crown and an orange in my pocket) – before the police were informed –

The getting lost that – Jesus is talking about – is in our relationship with God –

We can lose our way through – all sorts of reasons – by accident – on purpose – as a result of someone else’s influence – but here – in these parables – Jesus tells us that God – wants us found – as quickly as possible – and He’s – prepared to go to any lengths to do it –

 

First Point       Sticking with God

 

When children are small – the words – “I love you ” – comes out of their mouths – as often as the kisses – they blow out at us – and we are thrilled every time we hear and see their love expressed

As they grow older – their signs of affection are not so frequent – but when they do make them – we know they’re – more meaningful than ever –

God our Father enjoys our expressions of love for Him – every bit as much – as our earthly parents do – and responding to His love is a vital part of our relationship with Him –

“You must love the Lord your God – with all your heart – with all your soul – and with all your strength”

Our OT reading tells us that – everything connected with God must be “taken to the heart”

We have to remain close to Him – through the love of Jesus – who nourishes us – and is the source of our life – vitality – and strength
Throughout our lives we will be faced with many conflicts – many demands that – want to pull us away from Him – but we have to resist and stay faithful – and put our love for Him first –

On the eve of a very important day – we should remember what the valentines card said the stamp – stick with me – and we’ll go places –

Well – if we stick with God – we will go places – if we don’t we’ll get lost –

And as the readings remind us – there are other ways of losing the plot – and one of them – is not knowing Him in the first place –

The importance of God’s love must be taught – and the family is the ideal place to teach it –

Children come into this world – like blank video tapes – or DVD’s – clean and fresh and ready for input –

Its important that we teach them – from a very early age – about the tremendous difference God can make to their lives –

The writer of Deuteronomy talks about wearing signs – so that we don’t forget or neglect God –

There are many signs of the times – but none so important as showing our faith and commitment for God – to others

Someone once said – that the footsteps that a child will often – follow – are the ones the parents – thought they had covered up –

God’s love should always be on display – in every room of our homes – and in every part of our lives – and its important we remain with Him always

 

 

Point 2       God who searches for the lost

 

Most of us – have found a tin at the bottom of the cupboard – without a label -wondering what’s inside – fruit – beans – soup – cat food? – there’s only one way to find out – and that’s to look inside –

We all use labels – to remember things – to identify things – they can be important – they can also be misleading – just because there‘s a brand name on the clothes doesn’t – necessarily mean its an authentic product –

When it comes to people – using labels can be dangerous – these days you can end up being sued – or worst –

None of us fits easily into neat categories – we all have a complex mixture of good and bad – strong and weak – wise and foolish – inside us – and as Jesus found throughout His ministry – its in our human nature – to pigeon hole people – despite the misery it causes –

These two parables in Luke – were told because Jesus had a habit of mixing with the wrong people – tax collectors – gentiles – the poor – the sort of folk other people would have considered unclean – or out of touch with God – He was eating and drinking with them – and the Pharisees and His followers didn’t understand why –

Today its no different – the same prejudices all too easily find – their way into or hearts – preventing us from mixing and reaching out to people in need – we need to look – as Jesus did – behind the label – to see what lies underneath –

What the shepherd did for the lost sheep – God is doing for us now – He is looking for us – and wants to bring us back to His fold –

When we drop something – How long are we prepared to keep looking for it? – Of course -it depends on what we have lost -whether it’s a penny – or a pound – or a gold wedding ring –

Few of us are willing to look for anything – too long – even if its something really valuable – the exception of course is if a child goes missing – then we go on searching for as long as it takes –
That’s how God feels about us – as Jesus tells us – He is like the shepherd searching for His lost sheep – the woman looking for her lost coin – until she finds it –

Jesus’ actions on earth correspond exactly – to God’s love in heaven –

When we go astray – God just doesn’t look for a moment and then lose interest – He goes on looking for us – as long as it takes – never resting until He finds us – who ever we are – whatever we have done – we matter enough for Him never to abandon His search – enough to rescue and redeem us – even to the point of offering His Son –

God’s love is a love that will not let us go– until we are restored to His side

 

 

Point 3      God who saves

 

And now – we come to one of the main points of the parables – when someone is found and returns to the flock – it’s a great celebration – there’s a party going on in heaven – and if we don’t have one as well – says Jesus – then we are out of tune with God’s way of thinking

The punch line for each of the two parables is that heaven and earth are meant to be in harmony with each other – and we should be celebrating with God – too –

The closest the Pharisees got to understand this was to maintain a strict purity of the temple –

Jesus is not saying that those who have strayed – should be taken in as they stand – there must be repentance – a change in direction –

But Jesus has a different idea to His critics on what “repentance “ means – for them its about – observing the law – For Jesus its about following Him – and following His ways –

Of course – getting lost – is not a one off event – we go on make mistakes everyday – straying off the line Jesus gives us – and we have to make some major changes to get back on course

The sheep and the coin are not in themselves special – the lost sheep is not loved any more than the other 99 – its just that they are lost – and need to be found –

 

 

Ending

 

The real challenge of these parables – is about what we should do – in response to them – and in response to the love God shows to us –

Jesus tells us that – when we discover how things are in heaven then we will know how things should be on earth –

What better expression of our love can we make therefore than fulfill the commandment Jesus gave us – and to show God’s heavenly love to all –

The real challenge is put ourselves in a position to receive – the same questions that the crowd and Pharisees asked Jesus –
so we too can tell them these stories about Jesus finding someone who was lost –  

 
Prayer to Finish

 In the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit

AMEN