Lost Ones

September 11, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois

Luke 15:1-7[1]

The crowds press in, coming near to listen. Tax collectors, sinners, all manner of people have come to hear the teacher. Outsiders, those with a bad reputation, people who don’t really belong anywhere are coming near to the disciples, the Pharisees, and the scribes. The community, the group of insiders, begins to mumble: “Who invited them? What are they doing here? Does he not know who these people are? Look, he welcomes sinners and eats with them!”

Jesus, hearing the grumbling, tells a story. He talks about the nature of God and God’s kin-dom, using terms they can understand. The shepherd, caring for the flock, seeks out a lost one. The shepherd values each sheep; they are the source of income after all. The shepherd is responsible for their health and safety, and must account for every one of them. What is of great value to you, and what would it be like to lose it?

God is like the shepherd who values each sheep in the flock. The flock is incomplete without every sheep. When one goes missing, God goes searching. It is the nature of God to love, and love searches tirelessly for the lost loved one. God is the one who will search long and far, clear a path through the thicket to pull you out, reach down into the hold you have dug for yourself in order to lift you up. And God searches not only to save, but also to return the lost to the community.

There is a difference between saving and restoring. Religious insiders are often more comfortable with saving the lost than welcoming into the community those whom they perceive to be lost. Saving is about power, restoring is about intimacy. Saving is focused on the individual, the lost sheep. Restoring is focused on the community, the flock which welcomes the lost one.

Jesus also presents them with the nature of the one who is lost. The lost one has wandered, losing its way, getting more and more fearful and isolated. The lost sheep could bleat out in distress, but doesn’t out of fear. Instead, it will hide from predators, alone in the wild. It is too risky to cry for help. There is safety in hiding the fact that you are lost and alone, vulnerable. Besides, who can undo the mistakes that have been done? Who can walk back in time making different choices?

The grumbling scribes and Pharisees judge Jesus by the company he keeps. This fellow who welcomes sinners and eats with them must be himself a sinner. The sinners and tax collectors see things differently. Jesus understands what it means to be lost and alone, isolated, empty, and unable to return. Jesus doesn’t turn away from the sinners, but toward them, seeking them out like lost sheep in order to make a place for them, to restore their relationship to the community.

In restoring the lost, the community becomes whole again, the flock is no longer ninety-nine and one, but one hundred. Sinners and tax collectors join the Pharisees and scribes at the table? Rejoice and be glad! They have been forgiven and now sit in the presence of the Lord. The sheep that has wandered away, lost in the wild, trapped in the thickets, is returned safe and sound. Be glad and celebrate!

We may think of ourselves as the lost one, the wanderer who needs God to seek us out. Rest in the assurance that God will search for you, far and wide, even at great cost. Even if you are too afraid to cry out, the shepherd will search until you are found.

We may think of ourselves as the flock, safe in our community, yet fearful of outsiders. Remember, the community is not whole when some are lost, excluded, or unwelcome. The shepherd left the ninety-nine in the wilderness to search for the lost one. God cannot forget even the least member of the family who has gone missing. Our community will not be whole until all are included and none are lost.

We may think of ourselves as the shepherd. We know that there are lost ones out there. Are we compelled to seek them out, to restore them to the community? Will we search diligently and not give up until the flock is whole again? And will we rejoice over even one sinner who repents and is reunited with the family of God?

There is one last thought I want to leave with you. It is the anniversary of 9/11. I want you to remember that there are hijackers out there, though I’m not talking about the kind that crash airplanes. There are people out there who want to hijack the truth and replace it with fear and lies. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing who want to hijack your faith, and cause you to hate your neighbor, to suspect people who are different from you, to treat others with anger, hatred, and violence. But true discipleship means loving others as they are, not how you want them to be. True discipleship means trusting God, even when everything is going wrong. True discipleship means loving our neighbor, even if they are an enemy. True discipleship means that wherever we go, our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, will lead us, will search for us when we are lost, and will rejoice in each one who is restored to community.  Amen.

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[1] The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.