Good Morning! God is good and we are blessed.
In the Gospel reading for today we are told that one of the complaints that the Pharisees had with Jesus was this: “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” As I said, we are blessed.
I’ve always been intrigued by people who are so rigid in their beliefs – both spiritual and social – that one of the epithets that they occasionally hurl at others is “Don’t start down that slippery slope. You may not be able to get back!” It seems to me that Jesus spent His entire ministry on “that slippery slope.” Some people act as if sin is a contagious disease, but Jesus was never afraid to be in the presence of sinners. He never caught whatever it was that they were suffering from.
Believe it or not, there is a peculiar question that used to be asked of candidates for ordination in the Presbyterian Church. It’s a very Calvinist question. It goes like this: “Would you be willing to put your personal salvation at risk for the glory of the Kingdom of God?” The “correct” answer is a resounding “YES!” I think the secular version of that is the notion that if you want to succeed in life you can’t be afraid of failure. We will all face failure. The ends don’t justify the means but the ends do justify the risk of failure. The question is simply whether or not the goal we have in mind is worth the risk and are we ready to get back up and continue our journey.
This Gospel lesson today brings us two of Jesus’ shorter parables about finding something that is lost. A shepherd turns his back on his entire flock of sheep to go off and find one of them that has gotten lost. That was quite a risk. Jesus was never afraid to break certain accepted norms if it was necessary to show the love and mercy of God. As Christians we are called to bring back to God those who have been pushed away or simply fallen away. We are called to risk failure pursuing the glory of God’s Kingdom and knowing that Jesus has already accomplished our forgiveness. As Christians we live either on the edge or on the slippery slope.
“This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” It’s funny what some people think is a put-down of someone else. The best news is that even we are called to join Him at table!
God is good, and we are blessed.
Let us pray: Compassionate God, You continue to call us back, again and again. We fall, sometimes in pursuit of Your glory, sometimes is pursuit of our own glory. Again and again You lift us up, remind us of Your love, and send us on our way. Forgive us. Strengthen us. Give us the faithful courage to risk all for Your sake even as Jesus gave His all for our sake. In His name we come humbly and confidently into Your presence, now and forever. Amen.
Today’s readings are Joel 2:12-19l; Revelation 19:11-21; Luke 15:1-10; Psalm 119:97-120; Psalm 81 & 82.
Blessings.
Pastor Jim
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