Text Luke 15:1-10; Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-10; 1Timothy 1:12-17
Theme Party Time
Subject Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
Occasion Lectionary 24 – September 16, 2007 – Zion – Iowa City
(Baptism of Madeline Lydia Holm & Morgan Suzanne Holm)
When you’re reading scripture
and you notice that a word or phrase is repeated,
It
rightly gets your attention – like when Mom repeats herself
This principle of repetition came to my attention in a
study of John 15
There the word abide
occurs 10 times in 7 verses
Probably
should pay attention to what it means to abide
Today, on the occasion of
Madeline and Morgan’s baptisms
On a
day when we can recall the life of Cyprian, bishop of Carthage
We hear in the appointed gospel a phrase repeated
There in verse 6
he calls together
his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found
my sheep that was lost.'
and then nearly identical at
verse 9
she calls together her friends
and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had
lost.'
What is
it to rejoice with me?
This phrase comes from a compound word
that is rare in the Greek New Testament
Though
“rejoice” occurs 64 times
As in the familiar imperative
from Paul to the Philippians
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Phil. 4:4)
“Rejoice with me” occurs only 5 times
2 of which are before us this
morning
This
brings to mind the principle of rarity
If a word in scripture rarely shows
up,
when it does,
pay special attention
Like when Dad sits on the edge of your bed to talk to you
Pay special
attention
Rejoice
with me
Principle
of repetition: it occurs twice within 4 verses
Principle
of rarity: 2 of 5 occurrences in all of the New Testament
Rejoice with me has our full attention
I dare
to say that such rejoicing is an invitation to a party
'Rejoice with me,
for I have found my sheep that was lost.'
It’s Party
Time
'Rejoice with me,
for I have found the coin that I had lost.'
It’s Party Time
I dare to say this because of
our context:
On
August 21st I read that according to the Princeton Review the University of Iowa is among the top 20 “party schools”
The
Princeton Review is not associated
with Princeton University nor is noted for its scholarly research
Nevertheless,
seems Iowa ranked 12th this year among the 366 colleges and
universities represented among the 120,000 students surveyed
My caution is because the
word party
means different things to different people
Party to
some is
·
to wear new clothes,
give a gift we would like to have, and eat cake and ice cream (maybe play some
games like Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey)
·
to others a party
is a gathering where good food is served, good conversations are possible, and together
there is delight in the significance of a person or event
·
to others a party is an occasion to be with acquaintances where one
gets hammered or watches others get hammered
The first, a birthday party,
is wonderful training and worth repeating
The latter is a dangerous
rite-of-passage that most need not take and worth avoiding
But a party delighting in the
significance of a person or event
That’s rejoicing
with me of biblical proportion
Christmas –
rejoicing at the Father’s love and the coming of Jesus
Easter – rejoicing at news of Jesus’ resurrection and
the promise of everlasting life
Today celebrating the baptism of Morgan and Madeline
In the
flow of Luke’s report are these 2 parables of Jesus (Lost Sheep and Lost Coin)
Luke’s been inspired to announce God’s hospitality
In the previous chapter everybody
was invited to the wedding banquet
This account tells first of Jesus welcoming tax collectors and sinners
And
righteous ones objecting
"This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." (v.2b)
As I
read these 2 parables seems to me the shepherd is Barney Fife and the woman is
Lucy
What was
this shepherd, Barney, thinking?
A hundred sheep
keep ‘em together, Barney; keep
your eye on ‘em
but whatever you do, Barney, protect the owner’s investment
don’t
leave 99 hunting for 1
Can you relate?
Not
as shepherd but as a sheep
Staying with the flock is easy enough but …
We wander …
What
kind of shepherd do you want?
I need one that will come and find me – you too?
A little bit
shy on business acumen and long on love
And have a party when wandering ones
are found
Call
together friends and neighbors
Celebrate the shepherd
Celebrate the one who would risk
the whole flock for 1
For me, for you – the wandering ones
What was
this young woman, Lucy, thinking?
She had a dowry of 10 coins
Probably
tied in a fabric – a new coin added periodically
She could wear it on her head
Suitors and match-makers could
know she came with silver
Lucy, don’t play with your dowry
Don’t
play with your future
But Lucy did unbind a piece and she lost
it
Of
course she turned the house upside down
Grumbling, “It’s gotta be here somewhere”
Sometimes we are at our best when we are free
But then we become unconscious in
our freedom and get lost in it
Oh, come find us Lucy
Short
on business acumen; long on persistent love
Have a party when the lost is found
Call
together friends and neighbors
Celebrate the restoration of the
future
Morgan
and Madeline are today
sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with
the cross of Christ forever
They now
belong with us to Christ’s flock
They hold the sure and certain hope, the dowry, of the
faithful
Today is
Party Time with them as we recall our own baptisms
Our own belonging
On this
commemoration of Cyprian, bishop of Carthage
It is Party Time for him and
the events of his day – the 3rd century
Christians
were being terribly persecuted
If they did not renounce Jesus as
Lord,
Their
eyes would be poked out, tongues cut-out, hands or feet cut-off
Many renounced him
Cyprian
ran to the hills – he said he ran “for the sake of
the Church”
After the persecutions ended, Cyprian
returned to Carthage
Some believers were there bearing the
wounds of their witness
They were known as Confessors and
held in highest esteem in the Church
Because they refused to renounce their Lord and savior,
Jesus
But what of those who did renounce
Jesus?
What
about the people
who had both eyes, could still
speak, and had all limbs in tact
because
they denied any allegiance to Jesus
Could
they belong again to the Church?
And by whose authority?
Could only
Cyprian grant such grace?
Would a
Confessor have such authorizing grace?
Cyprian’s
authority prevailed
Though
the wisdom, strength and faithfulness of the Confessors gave new stature in the
church to the whole people of God
This
is the first rustling of what we know today as
The Priesthood of All Believers
Today,
September 16, is Party Time
We’re here together
It’s been a tough week for some
It’s been a lonely week for
others
Some of us have wandered far from the flock
Some of us have gotten lost in
our freedom
But now
we’re here: friends and neighbors
Brothers and sisters in the faith
Rejoicing Together
Let’s
stand and sing
(Not spoken: LBW # 499 – “Come Thou
Font of Every Blessing”)