Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity – morning
Sunday 15th September 2019
Trininty 13 – Proper 19 – morning
1 Timothy 1. 12-17
Luke 15. 1-10
Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs
Exploring the Lost and Found….
What does good stewardship look like?
On one level, I am sure we would all agree that to be a good steward means to be careful. To consider wisely. To maximise our resources. To conserve items of value. Not to waste food, or money, or the planet.
And of course, we would be right. It is important to care for the world around us – recognising that so far at least, there is no Planet B! This world of ours is precious and we seem to be doing a pretty good job of messing it up at present. Oh dear! It is not a very attractive image is it?
And it is easy to feel guilty. Every time we climb in the car, or buy something wrapped in plastic or treat ourselves to a take-away. Guilt is never far away.
But the trouble with guilt is that it can paralyse us and stop us taking action for the good. Stop us doing the sort of things that will make us feel good about ourselves.
And it seems that guilt is not the emotion that God wants us to fall victim to – whatever our Victorian forefathers may have thought. God actually wants us to rejoice and be happy – to thrive. Not to be gloomy and pessimistic.
As Christians we should be purveyors of Hope to the world, not merchants of gloom and despair! So what do our readings bring us of Hope and Rejoicing this morning?
Well quite a lot as it happens. To begin with, Paul is feeling really grateful that – even though he has done some dreadful things in his time – and by his own admission was a man of violence – nevertheless God has selected him for a very special task. Christ Jesus comes to the world to save sinners – which is why churches are full of sinners – me included – not just saints! But however great our sins, whatever we have got wrong in life, even whoever we have managed to hurt along the way – God will always give us a second chance – a chance to redeem ourselves, or rather, for him – in the person of Jesus – to redeem us.
How fantastic is that!? To know that you are so valued by God that he will go out of his way to rescue you and prove how much he loves you! You are lovable! You are valuable.
And then Jesus goes on to tell us these two stories about the lost and found. In the first story the sheep is the one that has wandered off and is separated from the herd. Now sheep are herd animals by nature; they like to be with others of their own kind, so this must have been a particularly independent and foolish animal in the first place! Any sensible good shepherd would think to himself or herself, “Why should I go off after such an awkward customer? I have the rest of the herd to think of. If I go off after that odd one, who is going to protect the rest of them?” That would be the wise, the sensible response.
But God is not like that. God cannot bear to lose even the awkward, odd one out sort of sheep – even though it will probably always cause him trouble! That one sheep is so valuable to him that he will risk leaving the rest to look after themselves for a while on the off-chance that he can bring the wanderer back to the fold.
In the second story, it is the woman who has done the losing – the coin is an inanimate object so cannot ‘lose itself’ in the same way that the sheep does. No, she has been careless or preoccupied in some way. I remember being told once that in all probability, this coin was part of her dowry. The headdress that a Jewish woman would have worn at her wedding, consisting of a row of coins strung together and worn across her forehead. To lose one would be a bit like losing your engagement or wedding ring. Has anyone here done that? How did it make you feel?
I have only ever (thank goodness) suffered one burglary, and it was many years ago in Oxfordshire. It was principally my jewellery that was targeted and the three most memorable objects that were taken were a small gold brooch that said ‘Baby’ which my grandmother had given me as a Christening present; a dress ring that my parents gave me for my 16th birthday and my engagement ring. This had moonstones in it – not as valuable as diamonds perhaps, but it had been individually designed for me by a friend and I hated losing it. None of the items were of huge monetary value in themselves, but they were priceless to me. And I never got them back. So I kind of know where the woman in Jesus’ story was coming from. I know that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach that you feel when you discover the loss.
Can it be true that God feels like that when one of us ‘goes missing’ or is stolen away by other distractions?
No wonder there is ‘Great rejoicing in heaven’ when the lost is once again found and restored to its rightful place!
So you see we have no place feeling miserable or guilty – not unless it prompts us to do something about it. To search out the lost item. To consider what we can do, each of us in a small way, to help the environment and counter climate change. To consider whether our purchases are the most ethical we can make.
And last but not least, to respond with joyful abandon when we come to consider our financial resources.
Later this morning, we will be thinking about our financial position as a church family. And you know we are so amazingly lucky here in Pattingham! Thanks to the generosity and husbandry of past generations and individuals we do have money to spend on our building; keeping it in good shape and improving it for our current and future needs. But when we look at our day to day expenses and income, the situation is not so rosy! We barely pay our way – which for a community like Pattingham seems a sorry state of affairs. So I am going unashamedly to ask you to go looking into the corners of your heart and your wallet and purse. Think about what may have gone missing on those weeks when you were not able to come to church, and I quite understand that we have so many demands on our time and our resources.
But if we believe – as I firmly do – that God never, never gives up on us, how best should we respond? Not, I think by keeping our giving at the same level as we have for years, and years, and years! But by realising that God’s generosity calls for us to mirror him in our own generosity. Maybe even by taking steps – such as using the direct giving scheme – to ensure that we are contributing to the life of God’s church, even on those weeks when we are busy with Life elsewhere. God loves a cheerful giver – I challenge us all to give a bit more, not because it is our duty, but because it is our joy! Amen.