Changin' The World

Luke 15:1-10New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Last Sunday was so awesome.  It is such a blessing to be a part of a community of believers who has made it through so much.  A community that holds together despite the odds.  A community that sometimes grows and sometimes shrinks but one that sticks together through the many challenges faced.  As I listened to the past clergy speak, I could see many smiles from those who were listening.  I could see many of you recalling the memories they were sharing.  It was a truly special event.  And as I listened to Bill Spangler-Dunning give us a message, I sat there thinking, “Yea, yea, he’s right.  Where do we go from here?”  I sat there thinking this is exactly what they needed to hear.  I was almost cheering him on in my head and hoping that all of the hearers of his message were really listening to what he was saying.  I didn’t really take to heart what he was saying, I was just hoping all of you were.  

That changed later in the week.  I have a co-worker who often asks me what the message is going to be about each week.  As we went through this nearly weekly ritual this week, our conversation opened my eyes.  He asked me what the message is going to be about so I explained to him the celebration we had last Sunday and the message that BSD gave.  I explained further that I wanted to expand on what he said.  I told this co-worker something along the lines that I wanted to explore the ways that Fairview could change the world.  I expected him to nod his head and carry on which is how all of our previous conversations about the message each week usually go.  But that is not what happened this week.  His eyes got big and looked right at me and said, “I am tired of hearing that ‘we need to change the world.’” He continued, “Our minister is always telling us that we need to start doing things that matter in the world.”  He explained to me his frustration with not taking care of our communities first.  He knows there are people in other parts of the world who need help but he wants the church to help those who need it in their own communities first.  He is passionate about helping those in need who live closest to him.  There are many others whose passion is helping those who live in extreme poverty around the globe.  Who is right?  Who is wrong?  Both and neither.

As I listened to BSD speak, I was focused on the global outreach of Fairview.  How are we going to change the world?  I was focused outward, which we ought to be, but I neglected to look inward.  A church headed in the right direction ought to do both.  And I think we do.  But here is where I struggle:  If we focus outward (globally) and look inward (ourselves and our communities) then what is left to do.  Could we be better at both?  Of course.  But how?  We adopt two families for the holidays to ensure they have a great Christmas.  We help those in need when they need it and we are asked to help.  We give to the region and the denomination.  So what else is there left for us to do?  I often challenge you to step up to the plate and help those in need and you guys always come through.  Yet, here I am still asking you to do more.  And you are sitting there probably thinking “what more do I need to do?”  Don’t get me wrong, we answer the bell when we are asked.  We are there to help when called upon and it is so great that I can say that about this congregation.  But I want to see more from you.  I know we all have full plates.  I know we all are more busy than we have time for but there is still room for growth and improvement.  Where?  I am glad you asked.

When we look at the mission to ‘change the world’ the responsibility can become overwhelming.  When we look at all the possible ways we could improve someone’s life, there are so many great causes that we could support.  How do we choose one?  However, I don’t want to start there.  Instead of focusing on changing the world.  Let’s focus on changing the world around us.  When we look at our scripture for this morning, we see two parables of someone desperately looking for something.  In the first parable, we see a shepherd desperately looking for one lost sheep.  A shepherd’s job was crucial.  The group of sheep is most likely communal and belonged to the many people of the village he was from.  Most likely, he didn’t own any of the sheep that were in the herd but it was his job to make sure they returned safely from the pastures.  Why was he so invested in something that wasn’t his to begin with?  So what if one wandered away, he still had 99 to take care of.  It makes no sense to sacrifice the 99 to go in search of one, right?  Many of you have raised livestock, how many of you would leave one cow or calf in the pasture when you took the rest home?  How many of you would spend hours looking for that one animal?  (share story about looking for cow and dad realizing he sold it) I spent many hours searching for an animal only to find that the fear of it being dead had come to fruition.  And yet, we looked anyway.  One area where we could grow is being more like that shepherd.  We can seek out those who are in help like the shepherd seeks out that lost sheep, like the farmer who spends hours searching for that calf.  Because sometimes, that calf is just separated from the herd and scared.  Sometimes they are simply lost and desperately seeking to find its way home.  That is why we must never stop looking.  The other parable was of a woman who was looking for her 10 silver coins.  Those coins represented about a day’s pay for a Palestinian peasant.  She was also desperately searching.  Those coins could mean the difference between her and her family eating or not.  The absence of these coins could mean a very real hunger for her family.  In those days, the homes only had one 18 inch window for lighting and the dirt floors were covered with dried grasses that acted as a carpet.  It would be very literally like looking for a needle in a haystack if something small fell on the floor.  Like the shepherd who found the lost sheep, the woman is elated upon finding the coin she lost.  God will search the ends of the earth to find the sinner and take them home.  Our duty is found in aiding in that search and showing everyone that they are worthy of being so desperately searched for.   

We can change the world around us by seeking God with the desperation of the shepherd and peasant woman.  We can change the world around us by being the shepherd and woman in seeking to find those who are in need.  By changing the world around us with an attitude of hope and love we will most certainly change the world.  I think it is difficult for us to imagine that sort of desperation because we simply haven’t lived it.  That is not our fault but we need to find something we are passionate about and use that passion as our fuel.  As I listened to BSD last week, I made one major mistake.  Instead of hoping all of you heard his message, I should have been thinking of the ways I could improve the world and it took that conversation with a co-worker to figure that out.  Instead of being critical of someone else’s decisions, let us seek God with the desperation of the shepherd and the woman trying to feed her family.  Out of that loyalty to God and one another we will find what it takes to change the world by starting with ourselves and our communities.  Jesus could have sat back and pointed fingers at the mistakes of many.  He could have let God’s justice work itself out.  Jesus could have said he has done enough, that he has put his time in.  But he didn’t.  Instead of sitting there hoping the masses heard God’s messages, he did something about it.  I think we often forget that.  Don’t sit there hoping someone else hears this message.  This message was for you.  What are you going to do about?  Amen.