September 16, 2007

24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Preparation for Worship

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.

Luke 15:6

The parables that are Jesus response to the Pharisees murmuring still have the power to expose the roots of bitterness that dig there way into us whenever we feel that God is too good to others and not good enough to us. Typically, we want mercy for ourselves and justice for others, but the Lukan parables call us to celebrate with God because God has been merciful not only to us but to others also, even to those who we would not otherwise have accepted into our fellowship…The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin expose the grudging spirit that prevents us from receiving God’s mercy. Only those who can celebrate God’s grace to others can experience that mercy themselves.

R. Allan Culpepper

Tell me, Father, why is there so much pain and darkness in my soul?

Mother Teresa

In the coming weeks, we will be exploring a number of parables recorded by Luke. Parables serve as more than illustrations of ethics, theology, and folk wisdom. Parables are instead a form of “subversive speech” in which the world is turned upside down and a different kind of reality is portrayed. The particular parables we focus on in today’s worship are told by Jesus to Pharisees who complain about his willingness to embrace tax collectors and sinners. In the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin we glimpse the overwhelming grace of God seeking out the lost.

     This theme of lostness and being found is reflected in our liturgy and music this morning. Our opening hymn contains the line “Wandering and lost, Thou hast sought us and found us.” The hymn following the sermon has the refrain “Come home, come home, ye who are weary, come home” reminding us of God’s desire we finally return to the fold. Our Prayers of the People has the congregation singing the first line of Amazing Grace in response to the prayers of the leader. We profess “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”