Detours and the Gospel

Luke 15:1–7

Luke 15:1-7 

English Standard Version 

  As a man who hates losing things, this is one of my favorite parables.  Do you know the frustration of searching and searching and searching for something, but not being able to locate it?  Even if it's something trivial, you want to find it.  Often, it becomes more than just a search for the item -- it's a quest to prove that you're not crazy, that you remember where you put something.  I spent 4 days searching for a pair of sunglasses lately.  I had other sunglasses, but I couldn't find these at all, no matter where I searched.  

  Here is Jesus, telling us that the desire to save the lost is rooted in the way God looks at us.  We are the lost sheep, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the one who comes searching, the one who rejoices upon finding us.  We don't have to always find our way out of the mess we've got ourselves into.  We, the sheep who have run off, can trust that Jesus comes searching for us and is ready to host a party to celebrate reunion.  This parable allows us to have hope in the Christ who searches and saves, in the Christ whose joy is found in the reunion of the lost with the God who never stops loving.

Sermon on Parable of the Rich Fool

Luke 14:34–35

Luke 14:34-35 

English Standard Version 

  I've never been a big fan of fake meat.  If I want to eat meat, I go for the real thing, and if I want to eat vegetables, there are plenty of options there.  I don't like food that pretends to be something it isn't.

  Here, Jesus is asking people if they'd buy salt that didn't taste like salt.  Salt was (and remains) precious, as a flavor enhancer as well as a preservative.  But if salt isn't salty... then it's not good for much.  

  He's telling us about the role of the church.  The church has a part to play in the world -- we're called to be witnesses to the Good News of the Gospel.  We're called to be servants.  To tell the world about our hope in Christ.  

  If the church isn't doing that, then what is our role in the world?  What purpose are we serving?  We're called to be active and involved, so that the world may see the light of Christ shining in us and through us.