Sermon on Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

This is one of Jesus’ most famous parables, but we sometimes forget what goes on around it.

It starts with people wanting to listen to Jesus. That’s good, right?

Well, there are some folks who don’t think so. You see, these people who are coming to listen to Jesus just aren’t the right kind of folks. These are tax collectors and (gasp!) sinners. If Jesus were a respectable rabbi, he would not be attracting this kind of rabble.

What they don’t realize is that they belong in this crowd, too. They are just as lost as the tax collectors and sinners.

When Jesus hears what they’re saying, he responds with three parables. We only read the last one this morning, but there are two more before it.

In the first one, there’s a shepherd taking care of100 sheep. One gets lost. The shepherd goes and finds it and invites all the neighbors to celebrate that the sheep has been found.

Then, the second parable tells of a woman who has 10 coins, and one goes missing (and these were really valuable—like 10% of her life’s savings is lost. It’s a big deal.). So, she searches the house until she finds it, and then she invites all the neighbors to celebrate with her that the coin has been found.

Finally, Jesus tells the parable commonly known as the Prodigal Son. But, when you take a look at the two parables before it, it might be better titled “The Lost Son,” or even “The Two Lost Sons.”

There are some common elements between these three parables: something has been lost, that something is found, and then there’s a celebration because what was lost has been found.

But in this third parable, the story keeps going. The elder brother begrudges the lavish way his father is celebrating the younger son, when the elder brother has been faithfully toiling all these years unacknowledged. He refuses to take part in the celebration—that third common element in the pattern of these parables.

And the story is left open-ended. We hear the father’s impassioned speech about celebrating his younger son’s return and appreciation for the elder son, but we don’t know how the elder son responds.

It’s like Jesus is saying, “The end of the story is up to you.”

The Pharisees and the scribes—the religious elite—are just as lost as the tax collectors and sinners. They are missing out on the celebration. They’re refusing to join the party, because they resent the treatment of those they deem below them.

But Jesus’s parables show us that God searches out and celebrates the lost. The lost tax collectors and sinners are flocking to listen to Jesus. The lost Pharisees and scribes are refusing to join the celebration.

But just as the parable remains open-ended, the invitation to the party is still open to all who are lost: tax collector and Pharisee, scribe and sinner.

And we are all lost, too, one way or another.

We might be lost in a way that society would agree makes us lost, or we might look successful in the eyes of society and yet be lost deep down.

One way or another, we are all lost.

And that’s why we need God.

And fortunately for us, we have a God who searches for those who are lost—all of us.

We have a God who wanders the wilderness until our poor little lost sheep selves are found.

We have a God who turns all the lights on and sweeps the house until we are found.

We have a God who doesn’t wait until we change our ragged, pigsty-stained clothes or even apologize before God runs to meet us and wraps us in God’s arms.

And we have a God who celebrates those who are lost—again, all of us.

God calls all the friends and neighbors, orders a stack of big pizzas with lots of toppings, hires a DJ, and even hangs a pinata.

We have a God who loves parties.

And God’s favorite type of party is for the lost—celebrating that they (we) are part of God’s family.

If you’re looking for a role model, there are worse places to look than, well, God.

So, if you’re interested in imitating our celebration-loving God, you’ll have to get ready to party.

There’s a lot to celebrate right here in this place. I know there are so many things that go on here that don’t get acknowledged. There are people who don’t get thanked enough. There are things that get done without seeking recognition.

I want to give you the opportunity to notice, appreciate, and celebrate each other. You’re each going to get a few post-it notes. On each post-it note, I want you to write down someone’s name and something you want to acknowledge them for.

This could be someone who does the same thing every week and you think they should receive extra thanks for it.

Or it could be a one-time event you noticed recently when someone did something kind or welcoming or thoughtful.

If you don’t know the person’s name, just write “to the person who…[did whatever you want to thank them for].”

Then, we have this poster to put them on (thanks to Terri Robertson and the stewardship team). It’ll be right back there as you exit. Stick your post-it notes inside the heart. Maybe grab a few more post-its to take home as you’re inspired to celebrate more people and post the celebrations next week.

For those of you joining us on the live-stream, you can join in the fun, too. Email your celebratory notes to me at pastorjennifergarcia@gmail.com and I’ll make sure to add them to the board.

I’m going to give you a couple minutes to get started on your celebrations.

Thank you! Thank you to every one of you lost, found, and loved children of God. Let’s continue to celebrate each other as God celebrates us.