Reflections on "Storytelling" Luke 15: 1-10; Psalm 23

I never posted last week's sermon, which was my first sermon at St. Andrew, Denton.  I had some technical difficulties, but if I resolve those I will post that sermon on the blog.

Another sermon title that did not quite match the content of the sermon.  I focused on a story told by Jesus about God/Jesus.  If I could write the sermon title after the sermon is finished, I could have a better title.

This is my second sermon at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Denton, TX.   When I know the congregation a bit better, I will have a better sense of how to preach to the congregation.  
Both passages are familiar ones.  I do not think I broke any new ground in the sermon, but I had a bit of fun in reflecting on what the sheep and the other shepherds might have thought.  We probably do not identify ourselves with the Pharisees, but in some ways we are the Pharisees.  

“A Story about Jesus” October 9, 2016; SAPC; Opening series; Luke 15: 1-10; Psalm 23

Luke 15: 1-10 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.  And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “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?  When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.  And 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.’  Just 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.

 “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?  When 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.’  Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Introduction:  If you could tell one story to someone to describe God, what story would you tell?

You are at lunch in the school cafeteria, or maybe at a dinner party and someone corners you and asks you about your faith or to explain God, what story would you tell that person?

What story would crystallize what you would want someone to know about God?

As we were reminded last week, the Apostle Paul probably would choose to tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

There are lots of great stories, but I think I might tell this story that Jesus told the Pharisees. The one we know as “the Lost Sheep.”

Let’s take a few moments and reflect on that story.

Move 1: not everyone was happy with the shepherd looking for the one sheep.

a.     Look at it from the perspective of the 99 sheep.

1.    They were with the group like they were supposed to be.

2.    They had not strayed looking for some better grass, or chasing a butterfly, or just wandering around like the one sheep had done.

3.    Now they were being left in the wilderness while the shepherd goes looking for one of them.

4.    The shepherd whose voice they knew, who had guided them and protected them was leaving them to fend for themselves while he goes after that blanket, blank lost sheep.

5.    There is resentment among the sheep toward the lost sheep who is taking their shepherd away from them.

b.     The shepherd union does not look kindly on this haphazard decision by the shepherd to leave the 99 sheep to look for the one.

1.     95% safe sheep rate was their goal.  This flock was at 99%. No need to leave the other sheep to find the lost one.

2.     Not only was it risky, but it might set the expectations a bit too high!

c.    Ok.  We do not really know what the sheep were thinking or even the other shepherds in this story were thinking.

1.    But we know what the Pharisees had in mind.

2.      They are not very happy with Jesus at this point because he is talking with sinners and eating with them.

3.     Why did this bother them?  Because the Pharisees were like the 99.   

4.     They were the ones in power.

5.    They made the rules.

6.    There were probably a few Presbyterian wannabes among them.

7.    What upset them the most is not the people with whom Jesus is associating, but the fact that Jesus does not seem to be abiding by their rules.

8.    He should stay away from sinners.

9.    Instead, he embraces them; eats with them; invites them to join with them.

d.    When the Pharisees complain, Jesus does not side with them, instead he challenges them.

1.     The Pharisees are like the 99 sheep who follow the rules, who do what they are supposed to do.

2.    Instead of Jesus telling a story that celebrates those who abide by the rules and show up where they are supposed to show up, Jesus tells a story about how much the shepherd goes after the sheep who has broken the rules, drifted away, gone somewhere out of bounds.

3.     A not-so-subtle statement about what Jesus thinks of the Pharisees and all their rules.

4.    They are part of the 99; in some ways, there is nothing wrong with being one of the 99.

5.     in fact, I would guess that many of us here today fit in with the 99 – we follow the rules; we show up at church on Sunday morning; we volunteer here and there.

6.    But, Jesus wants more than the 99, Jesus wants more than the Pharisees; Jesus wants everyone, even the one lost sheep.

Move 2:  This story is really about the shepherd.

a.     We call it the parable of the lost sheep, but it’s really about the shepherd.

1.    The shepherd who is not willing to settle for 99%.

2.    The shepherd who will search after the one lost sheep.

3.    The shepherd who epitomizes the God who desires to find everyone.

4.    The God who desires to find not just the Pharisees; not just those who have it figured out; not just us;

5.    Our God who wants to find everyone, bring everyone into the fold.

6.    That’s great news for us, unless we want to keep God to ourselves.

b.    Notice how much God desires to find everyone.

1.    Even if you can make sense of the shepherd going to find the one lost sheep, it is still ridiculous to throw a party when you find the lost sheep.

2.    Throwing a party was not part of the shepherd’s job description.

3.    Everyone who heard the story knew it was ridiculous.

4.    But how else describe the outrageous love God has for all of us?

5.    To emphasize this point, Jesus tells a second story about a woman who has lost a coin.

6.    The woman not only goes to great effort to find the lost coin (which of course matches the great effort the shepherd extends to find the lost sheep), but then the woman enthusiastically celebrates beyond what seems reasonable.

7.     This woman gets so excited about finding a small amount of money she calls all the neighbors and has a party.

8.    An extravagant reaction that far exceeds a normal response.

9.    Unless you are describing a God who relentlessly pursues those who are lost to bring them into the fold.

10. That God, the God who sent Jesus to save the world, reflects that kind of celebration because that God so strongly desires finding all the lost among us.

c.      Note that the story may be about the shepherd, but it is still personal to each of us.

1.     Shepherd image takes us back to the 23^rd Psalm

2.    James Mays, one of the foremost scholars on the Psalms, notes that the use of the image of shepherd is not unique, but the use of it in the first person is unparalleled (James L. Mays, Psalms, Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, 119)

3.    Even as Jesus challenges the Pharisees to look beyond themselves to see all those other people with whom God wants to be in relationship, the Pharisees can lay claim to “the Lord is my shepherd.”

4.    Whether you feel among the lost today or you feel found, you can lay claim to “the Lord is my shepherd.”

Conclusion:  In the church I served in OH, the youth loved to play games, particularly games that allowed them to roam around the church.

After dark, the church had some areas that would be pitch black, which made it great for games where people wanted to hide (also for games where people wanted to scare each other, but that’s another sermon!). 

The youth had names for the games, some of which sounded kind of scary.  I strongly suggested that their games should have names with a biblical background.  Not only would it give them a chance to use a biblical story, but it would sound a lot better if they told church members they were playing some biblical sounding game.

One of their favorite games was some scary named game that was a variation of hide and seek.  I suggested that “Lost sheep,” would be a good name for it.  They humored me and would call it that in my presence (probably not any other time).

The game went something like this.  Everyone would go hide, except for the person who was it. 

The person who was it would give lots of time so they could find a great hiding place.  I actually played it one time when the youth climbed up a bathroom stall and somehow laid across the top of it, rendering him nearly invisible in the darkness of the bathroom.   

Then, the person who was it would go to find the others.  When he or she found someone, it became essentially a game of tag, until the person was tagged.

Then, that person joined with the person who was it, and together they would look for the next person.  And so it went until the last person was found.

Basically, you are lost, until someone finds you, and then you begin looking for others who are lost.

 A game of lost sheep.

A game God still plays today.

A game Jesus invites us to play.

Amen.