Sermon for Sept. 12

Pentecost 16
Sept. 12, 2010
Luke 15:1-10
The Angel’s Joy

In the name of Jesus, amen. In our Gospel lesson this morning, does Jesus teach us how to make an angel happy? Jesus does talk about happiness and angels. And if you want to make an angel happy, if you want happiness in heaven, here is what you have to do: repent.

Again, for at least the fourth week in a row, the Gospel lesson focuses our attention on repentance, the necessity of it, and the blessing of it. And repentance is not something that we like to hear.

Happiness and repentance are not usually placed in the same sentence. Happiness and repentance are often placed at the extreme ends of a pole, of a spectrum. They are considered to be polar opposites, but that is not so. That idea is a delusion, and clouds our vision.

There is a lost sheep. There is a lost coin. The last half of Luke 15 shows us two sons who are both lost. And when the lost are found, when the lost discover the depths of their “lost-ness”, there is repentance and there is tremendous happiness, joy, frivolity, and mirth.

The angels before God in heaven experience joy and happiness, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the children of God who repent. Repentance occurs, not because people enjoy the way it makes them feel, but repentance occurs because God wills it. God our Father desires repentance because God longs to receive our sorrow, our shame, so that He can forgive our sins. God longs to forgive our sins of thought, word, and deed. God longs to forgive the sins we commit against our family and against strangers, against God Himself.

And when repentance takes place, there is rejoicing. The angels of God celebrate, give each other high fives and fist bumps. They cheer over the sinner being reconciled and restored to a right relationship with God. What we have today is the Gospel of the outcast for the outcast.

The last several Sundays Luke has talked about fellowship with the Lord and God’s desire that all people come to Him through His Son Jesus. Jesus is the narrow door that we enter through. We love the people around us because we love the Lord Jesus more. We have fellowship with God the Father because of Jesus the Son. But this fellowship, this inclusion, does not make all people happy.

There was grumbling because Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners. These people were drawing near to hear what Jesus had to say. They were drawing near and Jesus was receiving them, welcoming them, eating with them, and accepting them. He gave them what they needed. He gave them a call to repentance. And he gave them restoration.

Losing something is awful. Finding what was lost is great. The sheep that was lost was devastating news. Shepherds didn’t work alone, but in groups, at least in pairs. The shepherd responsible for the lost sheep would go after the lost one, leaving the ninety-nine in the hands of other shepherds. So you can imagine the joy at finding the sheep he is responsible for. The sheep likely didn’t know it was lost, and now finds itself being carried home on the shoulders of its shepherd.

We are often the lost sheep for we do not know the condition of our own lost-ness. Choices are made and paths are taken that we believe to be the right one but the realization soon comes that the choice was wrong and the path was not correct. We follow where our heart leads. We take the path of least resistance. We look for others to do our work. We seek something for nothing. And before long we realize that we are in the wilderness. We don’t know exactly where we are, we simply know that where we are is not where we want to be or where we need to be. And from that pitiable perspective, we are lead to believe that no one is coming to search for us. We believe the message that since we have made our beds we are the ones who will sleep there. We believe the message that the things we have done, the choices we have made, the paths we have traveled are so wrong and mistaken that there is no way to undo what was done or to even turn around and go back. As lost sheep we lie down and wait for our death. We are lost, beyond hope of being found.

Those are the messages of the devil. God cannot forgive you. You aren’t good enough. You don’t pray enough. You don’t do enough. You don’t give enough. You don’t believe enough. True, true, true. All of that is true. My devotional life is lacking. My prayer life is deficient. When the opportunity to give is presented to me, I jam my hands in my pocket. When the voices cry for mercy and compassion, I plug my ears and turn my back on them. And all of the devil’s messages, which have been bought by our world, are delusions.

Delusions. They are deadly because they cloud our minds, our heart, our vision of the truth. Here is the truth: “Jesus sinners doth receive; Oh, may all this saying ponder who in sin’s delusions live and from God and heaven wander! Here is hope for all who grieve: Jesus sinners doth receive!”

Here is the truth, as the prophet Ezekiel spoke the Lord’s words: “I myself will be their shepherd.” The shepherd searches for the sheep. The shepherd searches for you, hunts for you, listens to your crying and sobbing. When the shepherd finds you, there is rejoicing. He picks you up, hoists you onto his own shoulders and carries you back to the flock.

We repent of our wandering, of our chasing after what is worthless. We repent of the way that we push others out of the way, using our shoulders and sides to force the weaker away. We butt with our horns to make sure we get what is ours. And we realize how terribly we treat our fellow sheep. We repent. We acknowledge to God all of our sins. When that takes place, the angels in heaven rejoice at what takes place. They rejoice as the cross of Christ is lifted high, as the Lamb of God’s self-offering is celebrated. The Shepherd is the Lamb that was slain who takes away the sins of the world. The Shepherd is the Lamb, by whose blood we are sprinkled and cleansed. We are found. We are restored to our place within the family of God.

And there is joy, the joy of the angels over our repentance. And the Father beams as He looks at His beloved and says, “The lost is found. The outcast is brought in. My sinful child repents. My sinful child is forgiven.” This is joy, joy to the heart. “Let these words my soul relieve: Jesus sinners doth receive.” SDG