Christian Pathway

Luke 15: 1-10

I wrote a very short sermon today, not because it’s late, not because I’m lazy, but because the point this story makes is central to Jesus teaching, and it’s a simple one, and like all simple points, it gets less powerful the more complex we make it. So I’m not going to do that, I really don’t want to dilute it in any way, because once you get it, all the ramifications of this are yours.

This reading asks us one question

What did the sheep do apart from wandering off? What did the silver coin do apart from falling out of the woman’s pocket? Answer nothing,  as Jesus sits with sinners and tax collectors, and people fret about whether he should be seen with them, or if they in any way deserve it.   The Pharisees and the teachers of the law mutter, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”



What could we do to deserve Jesus? Answer nothing.

I think that’s the lesson here if ever you catch yourself wondering whether someone is  a bad person, and worthy of your love.  If they are of fighting age, if they are legal, they clearly don’t deserve our love.
They have done nothing to deserve it.

It’s tough this Jesus lark, it’s counter to our natural instincts to share with the people we think deserve it.

Grace is not cheap, grace this forgiving of the wrong in us, is not free?
We have to forgive all these people whom we would rather not?
In Jesus time, sharing a meal meant friendship, loyalty, and solidarity.

It wasn’t just eating; it was:

•        recognising someone as part of your social world

•        treating them as clean, worthy, and included

•        signalling that you were not ashamed to be associated with them

To eat with someone was to say:

“You belong at my table.”

for those of us who shared in the eucharist today, none of us, not one of us belonged there except through grace; Jesus makes us all belong. In fact its even more than this, this God doesn’t just welcome us to your table, this God Seeks the lost, those that fell down the settee of life or wandered off.

Even if the sheep is our black sheep, even if the coin was one among many squandered and spent badly.

There’s literally no one who doesn’t belong at this table, nobody , not a single soul of any description.

Nobody is unworthy, because nobody can we worthy, we are all forgiven, and not just a grudging it  will get better with time forgiven. Sought out, leave all the other sheep  behind, rejoice when they come home forgiven. Loved enough to make themselves vulnerable forgiven , laughing and rejoicing when found forgiven.

Whatever sin you think of that’s unforgivable, that should exclude you from some aspect of the church life or rite.  That’s the one our lord forgives you for. Welcomes you to his table and eats with you , treats you respect and affirms you belong at my table.

The ask of this story is who do you other, who’s sin do you refuse to welcome to your table, not a grudging we love the sinner but not the sin, but welcome as a welcome as part of your world, as worthy and included, not somehow unclean,  but that you belong at my table. As you are, he wasn’t expecting the tax collectors to stop collecting taxes. You are part of my flock and I will rejoice when you rejoin it.

This story asks us who do we consider unclean, beyond the pale, grudgingly allowed in,  That’s the person or part of society Jesus happily sits with, and so should we