Luke 15:1-10
“I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
It seems I am in a bit of a quandary this morning. I believe the Church pastor has an obligation to respond to events that shape the dialogue in the public square, but at the same time, we are still getting to know each other, so I am not sure how far to go.
I cannot just ignore what has happened this past week, as that would be malpractice and a disservice to all of you. I have stood before congregations after far too many shootings, trying to make sense of it all, and I just cannot. The senseless taking of a life, any life, does not make any sense to me, and it will never make any sense to me.
So let me start with something I think we might all agree with: violence and the killing of another human being is wrong. Sure, stand up for what you believe, take to the streets in protest, shout down the opposition, write letters, make signs, do all of that, but the moment your protest turns to violence, you are a criminal and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Yes, there are mitigating circumstances, but those are few and far between.
I was not a fan of Charlie Kirk’s message, but I believe in the right for him to be able to say the things he said because that right is the same right that I have to stand here today and to say the things that I am saying. As far as I can tell, Mr. Kirk was a strong advocate for freedom of speech, and he was passionate about what he believed. I wish his message were different, but it was his message. He certainly did not deserve to be killed for it.
Now, a word to some of the others. It sickened me to see how some people were celebrating the death of Mr. Kirk. No one should be celebrating the death of another human being, no one. I do not care how heinous the person was; celebrating the death, especially a violent death of another human being, is antithetical to what it means to be a Christian.
Wednesday evening, I officiated a funeral for a gentleman who did not have a great relationship with his family. I do not know all the details, but sitting in the front row in the funeral home was his sister, and it reminded me that each of us has someone who loves us, maybe more than one, but each of us has someone who loves us and will miss us when we are gone.
Mr. Kirk was 31 years old with a wife and a family who loved him deeply. His children will now grow up without their father because someone disagreed with what he said. Senseless.
I am praying for Mr. Kirk’s family, but I am also praying for the family of the person who did this. Another family has been shattered by gun violence. Another person has been lost, not by death but by hate.
I am praying for all of us, for our country and our world, that we can find common ground and come together. Thursday, I participated in my town’s annual observance of 9/11. 2001 was my first year in seminary, so the events of that tragic day have been a part of my ministry. I remarked to someone after the ceremony that I wished we could come together like we did on 9/12, but I am afraid those days are gone. We can find common ground, not with those on the extreme, for there is no common ground with those on the extreme, but common ground does exist, and we need to find it again.
And my prayer is for the 37 other people who were killed by gun violence on Wednesday, the names of whom are only known to those who loved them. They will not have the flag lowered, they will not have a televised address from the president, they will not have the full resources of law enforcement to find their killers, but they are dead, and their families mourn them as they do all those killed before and all those killed since from gun violence. When will it be enough?
It has always amazed me how those who put the lectionary of readings together give us just what we need when we need it. When I looked at the readings for this week, I thanked God for teeing up my message so nicely. Paul’s letter to Timothy and the passage from Luke dovetail so well because it is about forgiveness and the love of God.
The passage from Luke begins by saying that Tax Collectors and sinners are gathered around. It amuses me that Tax Collectors are separated from other sinners as if they have their own status in the world of sinners. But I digress, a crowd gathered around Jesus, and some thought these were the wrong people for Jesus to be hanging with.
The Pharisees were grumbling. The Pharisees were always grumbling. We have Pharisees in the Church today, although not here, of course, but in general. Pharisees are the holy then thou people, the ones who believe they are better than most because of how much money they give to the Church, how long their families have belonged to the Church, where they sit, what committees they serve on, etc.
Actually, Pharisees do not serve on committees because if they did, they would have to be part of the solution rather than sitting on the sidelines grumbling about things. Anyway, we all know some Pharisees in our lives.
The Church folk were grumbling over who the pastor was spending time with, so Jesus tells a couple of stories. One is about going off after a sheep, and the other is about a woman who has lost a coin, and both are important.
One of my favorite sayings is, “You cannot understand leaving the 99 sheep behind while going off to find the one until you are the one.” Until something affects you, it does not bother you. Why should I be concerned about immigrants being rounded up and sent out of the country without a hearing? It does not affect me. Why should I be worried about the military patrolling the streets of LA or Washington, DC? I don’t live there. Why should I be concerned if this one or that one wants to silence their opponents? I am not being silenced, not yet.
Until we are the ones, it does not make sense.
In 1946, German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller wrote a poem called “First they Came.”
First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Until you are the one, it does not make sense.
After Church last week, I was asked a question about love, especially as it relates to Jesus’ command to love everyone. Keep in mind that the Scriptures we read were not initially written in English. I know that may be a shock for some that Jesus did not speak English, but he didn’t.
Anyway, the Scriptures were written in Ancient Greek, and so we must rely on translations. In English, we have one word for love. So, we love our spouse with the same word as when we say, I love hamburgers. In Greek, there are no fewer than four words for love. At times, all these words are used, but the most common form, and the one used for loving your neighbor, is agape, or unconditional love. We love others because God loves others. And this love is what compels the shepherd to go after the one.
But the key phrase in the line is “as yourself.” We love others as we want to be loved. We treat others as we want to be treated. We go after the one because if we were the one, we would like others to go after us.
I said earlier that I supported the right for people to be able to say what they wanted because if I advocate for the limiting of speech because I don’t like the message, it is a short journey to someone wanting to silence me for my message they may not like. The one is as important as the 99.
Then comes the end of the story. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
We are never lost to God. There is nothing we can do to separate us from the love of God. Paul writes in his letter to the Church in Rome:
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Nothing. Nothing can separate us. NOTHING!
The shepherd did not force the one sheep to leave; the one sheep wandered off. God does not cast us out. God does not smite. God does not send hurricanes and tornadoes to wipe out people. God goes after the one, you and me, and brings us back. We wander off, we separate ourselves, but God is always in hot pursuit trying to get us back.
Although I think we need to talk about sin, we cannot do that right now. Sin can be a dangerous word that has many definitions, so let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that we are all sinners and we all need repentance. At the end of the day, we can all do better, we can all be better. We may not be murderers, but we are all sinners, and we all need to repent and ask for forgiveness.
God forgives us whether we ask for it or not. Asking for forgiveness is an admission that we can and will do better. We ask forgiveness as an acknowledgement of what we have done and a promise that we will try to do better and be better.
But the giving of forgiveness is also essential. Just as we must love others, we must also forgive them. Forgiveness is not for the other person; forgiveness is for us. If we withhold forgiveness, we give power over a portion of our lives to another person. Withholding forgiveness can lead us to harbor hatred for the other person, which can ultimately damage us even more. Forgiveness frees us from all of that and gives us power back.
But, just like loving everyone does not mean we have to like them, forgiveness does not mean we have to forget what they did to us or how it made us feel. Again, forgiveness is for us, and maybe that forgiveness includes keeping them out of our lives forever.
Now, I know there may be some people in your life that you will never be able to forgive, and that is okay. The idea is that we are open to the possibility, no matter how slim that possibility may be.
Since the tragic killing of Mr. Kirk on Wednesday, some people have been asking how we can make things better, how we can stop this senseless nonsense. Some advocate listening, and I would agree; however, I cannot and will not listen to anyone who thinks some people are less than because of where they are from, the color of their skin, their political affiliation, their religious beliefs, their economic situation, their legal status, or who they happen to love. Not all opinions are valid, nor do I have to listen to them.
There is no common ground for me with white supremacists or nationalists.
So, we find the ones we can have common ground with, and we listen, we really listen. Sure, it may make our blood boil, but remember, their blood may be boiling because of us. I believe the Church can be the middle ground, a place of coming together, a place for conversation. We should be a place where discussion can happen and where we do not shy away from difficult subjects because they make us feel uncomfortable.
Collectively, we are the 99, and our job is to go and find the one and bring them home, and we do that by loving them, not calling them sinners, not telling them they are wrong, but by love. We love them because we were once the ones who were lost, and thankfully, someone loved us enough to come and find us.
Amen
