First Lesson: Jeremiah 32: 1-3, 6-15
Responsive Reading: Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16
Second Lesson: 1 Timothy 6: 6-19
Gospel Lesson: Luke 16: 19-31

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Today’s Gospel Lesson is an interesting one[1].  Jesus tells the tale of two characters a rich man and Lazarus.  The Rich Man and Lazarus are both residing in Hades.  The Rich Man is suffering, whereas the poor beggar Lazarus is receiving comfort. 

Jesus’ original intentions when telling this tale is to confront the Pharisees love of money.  While proper stewardship is important, there is something much more interesting going on here.  The Rich Man and Lazarus are both described as dead.  They are living within eye sight of each other.  Their mailing address is both Hades.

People continually debate whether this passage is a symbolic or literal description of the life that is to come.  If this is literal, it means a few things.  It means that this is the only preview within the entire Christian Scriptures of what happens between the time of Death and the Final Resurrection.  It helps shed insight into the current state of all our loved ones that have gone before us. 

Now I have a few reasons why I think we take this passage regarding Hades, Lazarus and the Rich Man literally.

One- the story gives a name in Lazarus.  Giving an actual name in Lazarus would make the Gospel unique among all of Jesus’ parables. Parables always speak about unnamed characters (a good Samaritan, a prodigal son) to illustrate broader spiritual truths.

Two- parables seek to use earthly concepts (money, seeds, and personal conflict) to explain heavenly concepts.  Parables never use spiritual concepts such as Hades as a way to communicate earthly truths such as how the Pharisees treat money. 

Three- The wider Biblical narrative of Hades as being the “abode of the dead”  with the Old Testament concept of “sheol” being the home of the dead both “faithful” and “unfaithful.”   Hades would be the ground where believers would eagerly anticipate the Resurrection that is to come. 

So if our Gospel lesson for this morning is literal then there are two questions to explore this morning.

Question one: "What happens when we die?"

Steve Molin tells the following story[2]:
“When Muhammed Ali was at the height of his boxing career, he was on a commercial airline, and upon take-off, the flight attendant asked Ali to put on his seat belt, but Ali refused.  "The plane will not take off until you put on your seat belt" the flight attendant warned.  Ali stood up and said "I am Superman, and Superman don't need no seat belt!" And the attendant said "And Superman don't need no plane, neither!”
Here’s the greatest spiritual truth that we all face at some point in our life.  We are not Superman.  We will die.  Now here’s the question.  What exactly happens when we die.

A couple of years ago, Our LCMC/NALC Ministerial Association in Duluth hosted an event on the Afterlife[3].  The event attended by Mary Bauman, Kathy Toland, Marie Kaiser and I ended up being a three-way debate between myself, the keynote presenter Steve King, and another minister.  What made this discussion so fascinating is we all approached the Bible in a similar manner, yet we came to radically different conclusions.

For example, the keynote presenter Pastor King thought of death as merely a form of sleep or rest until the time of final resurrection.  The scriptures more frequently use “sleep” than any other term when describing death.  Luther himself in many of his writings comes very close to outright endorsing the position that the soul is unconsciousness until the time when it reunites with the body at the Final Resurrection.

So why do I disagree that the dead are merely “asleep” in the present age?  I try to glean from what I can say for certain from the scriptures.

Exodus 4[4]: The Lord declares unto Moses: “I Am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  Jesus would late quote from this passage in the Christian Gospels where he declares “‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”-Matt 22:32. 

2 Kings 2[5]: Elijah ascends to Heaven in a Whirlwind. Fast forward to the Transfiguration story during Jesus’ ministry:  Elijah after having ascended into heaven 900 years prior and Moses having been dead 1300 years both appear alongside Jesus upon the Mount of Transfiguration. 

Luke 23:43: Jesus answered The Thief upon the cross by saying “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

  Now Jesus in other places in the Christian Gospels points people like the Sadducees to the day of Resurrection which would be the great hope of the Christian faith.  In this passage, Jesus’ doesn’t use any language portraying a distant, future event but rather the Greek indicates a present event stating that the word “today” perhaps should be taken literally. 

What does the word “Paradise” mean[6]? Paradise comes from a Persian word meaning “In the Garden?”  Think back to the story of the Garden of Eden:  Adam and Eve were residing in a fixed location from which they were thrown out.  We can think of Paradise being in line with our Gospel text by serving as a waiting room for believers eagerly anticipating the final resurrection of the dead. 

Is Paradise the same thing as Heaven? Now let’s answer a different question “Where did Jesus go when he die?”  Jesus’ body went to the grave.  Where Jesus’ spirit went is a more interesting question.  For example, Church Tradition holds that Jesus’ spirit traveled into Hades to preach there.  Hence the Apostles Creed. He descended into Hell or better yet, Hades or the place where both the Rich Man and Lazarus’ spirits lay upon death.  So if the thief’s body lies beside Jesus in the Jerusalem, there is nothing to say that the Thief’s spirit could not be alongside Jesus’ in Paradise even during the period while he lied in the grave. 

So what about all the Bible’s references to “sleep ” as death.  A few different things need to be noted here.  Number one- the Apostle Paul who did more to articulate the beliefs of the Earliest Christians stressed that Resurrection is the ultimate destination for Christian people. 

What those who had gone were anticipating was not Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise, but rather Christ’s Second Coming.  I often here people say upon the death of their loved one’s that they are in a “better place,” what’s also true is that they are not currently in “the best place.”  The New Heaven will be the place of perfection.  The current separation between the living and dead is why New Heaven cannot now exist. The New Heaven and New Earth shall not be separate in any way. New Heaven will be an advance of a purely spiritual existence. 

The thing about the Biblical imagery of the New Heaven and the New Earth is it shall be the place where pain and separation shall be no more.  These realities explain why Christians eagerly anticipate the Second Coming regardless of where God currently cares for our loved ones. 

My belief about the scripture references regarding death as sleep is that they are referring to the present state of the body.  Lying in the ground, motionless awaiting the final resurrection.  I believe the whole of the Biblical witness is strong enough to lead me to believe I will not die; I will not see death.  I will not taste death.  [7]I believe upon death that I will enter into My Lord’s presence eagerly anticipating the Final Resurrection which is to come.

So the second question for this morning:  How aware are our loved ones regarding what’s taking place on Earth?  Last December, I was visiting both Guss Krake and Karl Jevning in the hospital.  Guss had cancer.  Karl had congestive heart failure.  Both were soon to leave this world within a matter of days.  Now, what was also going on at this time was that the Minnesota Vikings had a big game coming up against the Green Bay Packers for the division title.  Now what you need to know is both Guss and Karl were huge Viking fans.  

So what do you suppose I told Guss and Karl “When you get into God’s presence, make sure you tell him to let the Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers, finally.”   This appeal for seemingly the first time actually worked.  Believe me; I’ve had plenty of failed appeals to God on the Vikings' behalf before.  But this story does raise an interesting question of “How much our loved ones know about what’s going on Earth?”

You’ll often hear it said “So and so is watching over us.”  I have a pastoral colleague who some years back lost the love of his life.  Her presence was such that she can never be that far away from him every day moving forward.  Many of you probably have loved ones in your life of whom you feel the same way.  The Book of Hebrews describes us as “being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses[8]” as we seek to live out our Christian faith.  What “the witnesses” presence might be is a much more open question.
 
This week, I was wandering around Barnes and Noble at the Miller Hill Mall.  I came across a book whose underlying theme was questioning regarding death from a non-religious perspective.  One of the questions on the cover was “Do the dead watch us shower?” 

Now as I see this book, I could merely chuckle under my breath.  The reason for this is because that I believe when believers enter into God’s presence their whole outlook on creation is changed.  They begin to understand God’s plan and presence in a new, unique way.  So to watch living people shower would be a contrary focus to how people actually exist within the afterlife. 

When I was in Seminary, I had a classmate who was Roman Catholic.  She one day asked, “Why don’t I pray to Saints?”  “What’s wrong with having others intercede to God on your behalf?”  What I answered and still believe today is we don’t know what those currently in God’s presence can hear or see on our behalf.  I think it’s also worth pointing out that upon death, our loved ones would have an understanding of God’s ways that it might be tough for us to speak the same language regarding things of faith.  We shouldn’t view this as a bad thing, though, but rather a good thing if they like Lazarus from our text are currently experiencing God’s comfort and care.

As we await our own final answers, how can we make sense of all these issues this morning regarding Hades, Lazarus, The Rich Man, and the afterlife?  What I do want to caution this morning is that there are questions regarding our faith that we will not be able to answer on this side of Heaven clearly.  “What happens between the day of the believer’s death and resurrection would be one of those questions.” My personal conviction is that our loved ones like Lazarus in our Gospel lesson are currently in a conscious place of rest and comfort eagerly awaiting the Resurrection that is to come.   

Whenever we consider these afterlife questions, Resurrection needs to be the focus.  We need to draw hope from Christ’s promise to come back for us and gather all believers both living and dead into his presence for once and for all.

Let me close with Jesus’ famous words of comfort to the Disciples as they prepare to mourn his death from John 14[9]:
“In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”  Amen


[1]
[2] Molin, Steve. “Have You Heard about These Two Guys?” Lectionary.org. 2001. 
[3] The conference was hosted on Saturday, October 25th, 2015 at New Life Lutheran in Duluth. 
[4] Exodus 4:5. 
[5] 2 Kings 2:1-12. 
[6] User 3353. “What is the “paradise.” that Jesus references in Luke 23:43?” Stack Exchange(Christianity).24.Oct. 2012. Web. Sept.17.2016. 
[7] Norland, Pastor David.  “Afterlife Discussion.”  LCMC/NALC Lake Superior Conference Clergy Word Document. 03. Nov.2014. E-Mail. Sept.17.2016. 
[8] Hebrews 12:1. 
[9] John 14:2-3.  

First Lesson: Jeremiah 8: 18 - 9:1
Responsive Reading: Psalm 79: 1-9
Second Lesson: 1 Timothy 2: 1-7
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 16: 1-13

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Carmine Gallo tells the following story[1]:   Mami (Mommy) Sato (Sat-o) was your normal 19 year old college student at Waseda University in Tokyo.  One day though Mami’s life would change forever.  Mami began to feel an unexplained pain in her right ankle.

The pain turned out to be cancer, within a matter of weeks Mami Sato would be forced to amputate her leg to save her life[2].  Mami had no idea what her life might ever look like going forward with one functioning leg.  Mami Sato was depressed at the thought of the “future”.

Sato’s ailment though changed how she viewed the world.  With her previous goals seemingly unreachable, she began setting “small goals” instead.  Once she met a number of small goals, her life started changing.  Mami Sato becomes a Paralympian in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and was preparing for London in 2012.  Sato’s life though was about to take another dramatic turn. 

March 11, 2011.  A 9.0 earthquake hit 230 miles northeast of Tokyo[3].  Waves got as high as thirty feet on the Pacific Coast.  15,000 people were killed.  Sato’s hometown of Kesennuma (K-Sen-New-Ma) was covered in water. Sato had no idea of her family’s fate for the next six days.  They had survived but her hometown lie in ruin.  Mami Sato along with 200 other athletes start visiting Kesennuma (K-Sen-New-Ma) to bring not only supplies, but also hope.  These visits to her hometown helped Mami Sato realize the power of sport[4].

September 2013[5], Mami Sato stood at a podium standing before the International Olympic Committee detailing while her home nation should be chosen to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Sato’s speech was thought to face hopeless odds against the other finalists of Istanbul and Madrid. 

It was in Mami’s Sato tragedy that her path to triumph began to unfold.  Sato’s speech on “The Power of Sport” by many is considered to be the deciding factor that will bring the 2020 Summer Olympics to Tokyo. 

Here’s what makes Mami Sato’s story so interesting, two disasters beyond what she would ever wish for herself ended up charting the course for her to become a national hero in Japan[6]. 

I want to tell you another similar story today that comes from our Gospel lesson.  I want to tell you the story of another guy that faced a seemingly hopeless situation and managed to triumph from it.

Jesus tells a story about a rich man who had appointed a manager to take care of his affairs[7].  The manager was accused of malfeasance.  The manager was going to be fired.  The manager really didn’t want to pursue another job as he “was too weak to dig[8]” and “too proud to beg[9].” The manager would certainly never get another job as good as his management gig. 

The manager though remains “unfazed.” The manager hatches a plan.  The manager’s boss man had a number of debtors.  The manager was going to be “shrewd” or “desperate” though if it meant keeping his job. He gathers all his master’s debtors one by one and starts cutting their debts in half.  You owe 100 measures of oil, you now owe 50[10].  

Such a scenario would seem to be inviting disaster.  The manager was already going to lose his job, if this plan didn’t work he’s probably going to end up behind bars for a long, long time.  The plan seemed a longshot to work since why would his boss not like having more money? 

The manager after his debt collection finally faces a moment of truth facing his boss.  What does the boss do in the presence of such a scheme? The boss praises the manager’s shrewdness[11].   The manager used his darkest hour to seemingly advance in his career. This is a really tricky story to try to sort out but what stands out to me is this.

The manager’s outcome seemed certain he was about to be fired, just like Mami Sato’s outcome seemed certain as she lost her leg.

Yet here’s a funny thing about the Christian Gospel the verdict is never certain.  It is often only at the moment of potential death from one’s way of life, does one’s resurrection story begin to unfold. 
Let me tell you a story as told by Phillip McLarty[12].

A man was working the night shift at a small hotel in New York City.  Most of the patrons were ones that you would expect to show up from fresh out of the bar in the middle of the night.  One night a desperate elderly couple comes in requesting a room.  They had been traveling all over New York City receiving nothing but “no rooms available” for an answer.   The couple finally arrives at this sad looking hotel off the beaten path. The clerk working the front desk proclaims his hotel also full.  The couple was trying to make sense of the hopeless situation.  The clerk then proposes a solution.  “Why don’t you take my room for the night. I’m going to be down here all night.” The couple was overjoyed, they offered to pay him double or even triple the going rate[13].  The clerk refused their money and helped bring their bags up to his room.  The clerk had forgotten about this encounter two years later until his life was about to change forever. 
The same elderly gentleman shows up at the end of the clerk’s shift.  The sun was starting to rise above Manhattan.  The elderly gentleman asks the clerk to let him show him something[14].  The clerk was confused but reluctantly went along.  The elderly gentleman escorts him into a stretch limousine.  He orders the driver to journey into the heart of Manhattan.  The driver stops in front of a hotel more stunning than anything the clerk had ever seen in his life.  The elderly gentleman introduces himself as “William Waldorf Astor”. He presents the clerk with an offer to manage his new hotel called “The Waldorf-Astoria.”   A simple act that the hotel clerk thought meant nothing ended up meaning everything.  Yet it is in this story that at one of the lowest points in this clerk’s career, does the path to redemption begin to reveal itself. 

Later tonight, my beloved Minnesota Vikings play.  What you might not know is their Head Coach Mike Zimmer’s story. 

Mike Zimmer’s dream was to become a NFL Football Coach.  He dreamed of his wife Vikki enjoying this dream with him.  Zimmer’s becomes a defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys, only to see the team want to move in a different direction.  Zimmer takes the same job with the Atlanta Falcons only to see his one year there end in disaster with his boss quitting in the middle of the year.  Zimmer takes a similar job with the Cincinnati Bengals who were considered “laughing stocks of the league.”  The owner was considered to be the cheapest owner around.  At least Mike Zimmer still had Vikki Zimmer through all these ups and downs. 

October 8th, 2009.  Mike Zimmer gets a phone call that his wife isn’t answering her cell phone[15].  This was out of character. Mike Zimmer walks into his apartment to find his fifty year old wife dead of natural causes.  The time ahead was just spent trying to grieve Vikki’s loss while focusing on the more mundane tasks of football.  Zimmer would sit in church time after time, lighting candles hoping to see a sign that God could possibly be at work in the hour of his darkness. 

 The next few years see Zimmer’s coaching star keeps rising, teams are interested in hiring him as a Head Coach, but he keeps receiving “No, thanks” for answers.  Zimmer was too old, he wasn’t charismatic, teams continually wanted a different fit.  Mike Zimmer kept seeing a plan at work though regardless of any evidence around him.   On January 15, 2014, Mike Zimmer is hired as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.  As Vikings coach all sorts of things don’t go according to Zimmer’s plan, yet it is often during these times of our lives where God’s movement is the greatest. 

I came across a really interesting insight about prayer this week from Andy Stanley[16]. 

“Prayer doesn’t force God’s hand. But it keeps us on the lookout for his intervention.  Prayer sensitizes us to the subtle changes in the landscape of our circumstances.  When he begins to move, we are apt to recognize it.”. 

I want to close this morning with the story of the Biblical character Nehemiah[17].  Where as Mike Zimmer had lost his wife and all sorts of job opportunities.  Nehemiah had lost a nation.  The people of Israel had been driven from their homeland by the Babylonians, who were driven off the land by the Persians.  Nehemiah was now living and working in Persia over 1000 miles east of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah didn’t have the type of job that one would think could change a nation as he merely worked as a servant of the king.  God began pulling on Nehemiah though.  God wanted Nehemiah to return to his homeland to ultimately rebuild his homeland’s walls.  Nehemiah’s task was thought to be impossible.  Nehemiah was surrounded by more powerful nations who would delight in his failure.  Nehemiah’s countrymen had grown cynical and despondent over God’s lack of presence in their affairs.  Nehemiah lacked a great leadership background as he was merely a cupbearer to the king. Nehemiah saw though what no one could see and that was the possibly of resurrection in the midst of death.  Nehemiah saw how one day Jerusalem would be guided by a hope from above.  Nehemiah becomes Jerusalem’s governor and begins to bring forth light out of the greatest of darkness.   Nehemiah’s presence begins to rebuild not only a nation but its faith from the most devastating of rubble.  Just like in the case of the shrewd manager, in the darkest hours could God’s greatest plans begin. 

Mami Sato probably couldn’t see anything good come from the moment where she lost her leg, the manager from our Gospel never wanted to lose his job, the clerk probably saw life turning out differently then working the night shift at a rinky-dink motel, Mike Zimmer probably wondered whether all the pain of getting to the top would ever pay off and Nehemiah was putting his life into God’s hands when he dared attempt to rebuild a broken nation in the presence of its enemies.  
 
You might be at a fork in your life no different then the shrewd manager this morning.  You might be worried about your health.  You might be searching for answers regarding your relationships.  You might be worried about your finances.  You might have all sorts of other questions about the future.  What our parable today reminds us is that no matter what your situation may be that our God can make the best of it.  Our Gospel lesson for today is a crazy story.  A seemingly crooked manager being redeemed in the end[18]. 

Yet it is in the presence of the manager’s career death being seemingly certain that paves the way for his resurrection.  It was by the manager’s death that he raises others unto new life.  I know of another story like this that involves a cross.  Amen


[1] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. Saint Martin’s Press. New York. 2016. P.87-90
[2] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. Saint Martin’s Press. New York. 2016. P.87
[3] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. Saint Martin’s Press. New York. 2016. P.87
[4] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. Saint Martin’s Press. New York. 2016. P.88
[5] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. Saint Martin’s Press. New York. 2016. P.88
[6] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. Saint Martin’s Press. New York. 2016. P.88
[7] Luke 16:1-13
[8] Luke 16:3
[9] Luke 16:3
[10] Luke 16:6
[11] Luke 16:8
[12] McLarty, Phillip. “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.”  Lectionary.org. 2011. Web. Sept.6.2016.
[13] McLarty, Phillip. “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.”
[14] McLarty, Phillip. “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.”
[15] Merrill, Elizabeth. “Mike Zimmer finds solace in coaching.”  ESPN Online.  2. Aug.2010. Web. Sept.14.2016. 
[16] Stanley, Andy. Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision. Multnomah Publishing. 1999. Print.  P.30. 
[17] Nehemiah’s story is the focus of Stanley’s book. 
[18] Capon, Robert Farrar. Kingdom, Grace, and Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus. Eerdman’s Publishing. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002. P.302-309.  

First Lesson: Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28
Responsive Reading: Psalm 14
Second Lesson: 1 Timothy 1: 12-17
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 15: 1-10

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Mount Rose, Minnesota is the scene for the 1999 movie Drop Dead Gorgeous. Drop Dead Gorgeous tells the story of two girls: Rebecca Leeman and Amber Atkins.  Let me tell you a little bit about both the girls[1].  Rebecca Leeman had it all.  Rebecca’s dad was the richest man in Mount Rose.  Rebecca’s mom was a beauty queen herself and sat on nearly every committee within Mount Rose.  Rebecca Leeman would seem to be the ideal beauty pageant contestant:  long stunning brown hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth.  Rebecca Leeman would boost quite openly about her faith.  Rebecca’s favorite catch-phrase was “Jesus loves winners”.  

On the other side of the beauty pageant was Amber Atkins.  Amber Atkins grew up on the other side of the tracks. Amber lived in a trailer court in fact.  Amber’s mom sat around all day drinking beer and using foul language.  Amber didn’t have a dad in the picture.  Amber had a chipped tooth.  While Amber was nice, she didn’t invoke Jesus’ name every five seconds.  We all know Rebecca Leeman and Amber Atkins.  Many of us would make snap judgments about both Rebecca and Amber and how their stories end up.  We’ll get back to Rebecca and Amber’s story in a bit. 

Now as you picture Rebecca and Amber let’s talk about our Gospel lesson for today from Luke 15.  Jesus has been having meals with tax collectors and sinners.  Jesus is having meals with the Amber Atkins types from the other side of the tracks.  Certain Rebecca Leeman types like the Pharisees and Scribes couldn’t figure out why Jesus would waste his time. 

How did the Pharisees think let me tell you another story.  When I was growing up, I had a friend named Ira.  Ira and I were playing golf one day.  Ira didn’t take to golf too well.  Ira would swing at the ball and “miss”.  Ira’s best attribute was not his patience.  Ira would proceed after every attempted shot to A.  Yell out church inappropriate language.  B. Pound his club into the ground.  C. Throw his club down the fairway. 

Eventually, another twosome catches us on the “golf course”.  Part of this two-some was the local priest Father Chuck.  Now the thing you need to know about Ira is finding out that he’s playing with a Catholic priest is just going to cause him to act out more.  So Ira swings then misses then hits the ball way off the fairway then cusses then throws his club into the ground. 

Father Chuck would just like act what Ira was doing was normal.  His playing partner though was a different story.  Trying to distract from the outburst, I asked him where he lived.  After answering, he turns and sneers as he asks “What group home did Ira and I live in?” 

Now picture this guy.  Picture the Pharisees.  Picture Ira.  Now picture Jesus sitting down to eat with Ira like this was how normal people play golf.  The Pharisees were kind of mad with this whole scene. 

So Jesus seeks to educate the Pharisees and Scribes by telling a couple of parables.  The first parable is the Parable of the Lost Sheep[2]. 

Here’s the scenario[3].  One-hundred sheep are under the watch of a shepherd.  One sheep runs away.  The shepherd has two options at that point: He can declare the one sheep a sunken cost or he could foolishly pursue the lost sheep to risk losing everything that he had.  Any normal shepherd would have described the “lost sheep” as a not worth the investment.  The Kingdom of God doesn’t work like this, though!

Jesus seeks to drive home the point of the power of one by telling another parable.  Jesus tells the story of a woman with ten coins who lost one coin[4].  The woman wasn’t going to view this “lost coin” as any normal coin, though, but rather as the most precious coin that she owned.  The woman is immediately going to turn her whole world upside down because she can’t bear not being in the presence of this one single coin.

Now it would have made more sense for this woman to invest her time in trying to make more money, but Jesus is saying that he doesn’t do things like other people do things. The women's devotion to the one coin instead is how the Kingdom of God works. 

Phillip McLarty makes the following point[5]:
“When you think about it, our whole lives are based on an acceptable percentage of failure.  We start every school year knowing there will be a certain dropout rate.  Not everyone will graduate.  Marriages start out with a predictable rate of divorce.  Not every marriage will make it.  We’re happy when the employment rate is below five percent.”

What our parables illustrate though is the depths of God’s love are such that even one lost sheep is way too many. 

A couple of years ago, I was staying at my parent's place before leaving on a vacation to Las Vegas.  The morning that I’m supposed to go to the airport, I begin to look for my keys.  I couldn’t find them anywhere.  I finally had to stop looking as we needed to leave for the airport.  As I’m in Las Vegas, I couldn’t shake for three or four days, what happened to my keys.  I finally get back to Lindstrom, I must have gone over every inch of my parent's house multiple times.  You know how it is?  I still couldn’t find the keys.  I had to take a spare car key and get all new keys made in Silver Bay.  The new keys though were an annoyance as they didn’t work as good as the old keys, and I kept getting them confused.  Finally, it happens My Mom had by accident grabbed my keys put him in her purse, where they feel on the floor of her middle school classroom.  At this point, I didn’t care about how the keys became lost in the first place.  When the lost becomes found, you act without abandon.  I made sure the keys got sent to me as soon as possible.  Now think if keys or coins could generate such emotion. Now reflect on how far you would go to reunite with someone you love.  You understand this story.  You know this parable.  

Now consider it from the other angle of those whom Jesus receives. 

Forrest Gump was getting on the school bus for his first day of school.  Forrest Gump didn’t look like he was going to fit in whatsoever.  Forrest had braces on his legs.  Forrest was slow and socially awkward.  Whenever Forrest attempts to take a seat next to another child, the child would snap back “seat’s taken”.  Finally, a young blonde girl named "Jenny" tells Forrest that he could sit next to her.  Forrest’s devotion to Jenny would not cease from that moment forward, all the days of both their lives[6]. 

The Colin Kaepernick story of the past few weeks brings back to mind another story the story of Bowe Bergdahl.  Bergdahl did the worst thing that a soldier could ever do in a fit of rage at his unit[7]; he left his post in Afghanistan.  Many people figure Bergdahl got what he deserved as he was quickly captured by Taliban soldiers and held a prisoner for five years.  Bowe Bergdahl is eventually returned to the U.S. in a prisoner exchange.  The problem is though that everyone else in the Army hates his guts.  Soldiers from his unit confess to wanting to “murder” him.  Bowe Bergdahl is reassigned in the Army to desk duty but requires an armed guard because of the nature of his sin.  Now let me ask you two questions: 1. What might you say when someone like Bowe Bergdahl lets you down when you need them the most.  2. What do you suppose that Jesus might say?

What do you suppose the Pharisees thought about the type of people whom Jesus reached out to in his ministry?  They thought the prettiest girl in Minnesota, Rebecca Leeman always end up on top.  They figured Amber Atkins’ types weren’t worth the time.  Only this is how not the Kingdom of God works.  Rebecca’s rival trailer park Amber Atkins ends up in a moment of fate becoming one of the biggest television stars in Twin Cities.  The Lost can always be Found! 

Let me close with one final story.  John Newton’s dad was a sailor; his mother died when he was young. John Newton as an orphan gets sent to military school.  Here, John Newton was such an obnoxious brat; his instructors nearly beat him to the point where he broke his back.  Newton got so mad at the beatings; he ran away from school.  John Newton decided to go to the only place that might take a guy like him; he was going to become a sailor.

Out at sea, John Newton came in contact with every bad influence in the book.  John Newton joined the British Navy, only to end up becoming dishonorably discharged.  John Newton left England hoping never to see anyone he knew ever again. He became involved in sailing for the African slave trade.  While on board, Newton would often openly mock the captain by creating x-rated poems and songs about the Captain with the hope of creating an uprising against him.  John Newton would steal rum as a way to bond with the rest of his crew.  John Newton’s lifelong rebellion kept resulting in further beatings and public humiliations.

One night during a storm, John Newton’s life changed.  John Newton became convinced that his ship was about to sink, and he wasn’t going to make it through the night.  John Newton remembered the religious words of his mother from years before. 

In one final act of desperation, John Newton cried out for the Grace of God to protect him.  John Newton called on God’s own son to save him.  It was on this night in the midst of dangers, toils, and snares that John Newton came to realize that the only reason,  he had breath was because of the Grace of God and it was possible for this Grace to lead him home. 

After the storm of this night, Newton eventually becomes an ordained minister within the Church of England.  One day, Newton sits down to write a sermon whose words become his great legacy: “Amazing Grace- How Sweet the Sound” “That Saved a Wretch like Me” “I once was lost but now am Found” “Was Blind” “But now I see”.  John Newton didn’t just think of these words; his life knew these words. 

Who would have sat with John Newton in the days of darkness? Jesus.  Who would have gone to Amber Atkins trailer court to say “The Kingdom of God belongs to people like her?  Jesus.  Who would have responded to my friend Ira’s golfing antics with grace and mercy? Jesus.  Who would forgive Bowe Bergdahl after the rest of his troops' vow never to walk alongside him again? Jesus.  Who would offer awkward Forrest Gump a seat on the bus when no one else would? Jesus.  Who rejoices when the lost become found? Jesus.  Amen


[1] “Drop Dead Gorgeous”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 7.Jul.2016. Web. Sept.6.2016. 
[2] Luke 15:3-7. 
[3] Capon, Robert Farrar. Kingdom, Grace, and Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus. Eerdman’s Publishing. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002.P.184-188. 
[4] Luke 15:8-10. 
[5] McLarty, Phillip. “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.”  Lectionary.org. 2007. Web. Sept.6.2016. 
[6] Bryan. J. “Serial Season 2 and the Second Prodigal Son.” MBIRD (Mockingbird Ministries). 27.Jan.2016. Web. Sept.6.2016. 
[7] The Forrest Gump analogy comes from Pastor Bill Shappell of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutherville, MD.  The analogy is found on the Pentecost 19 (Sept.11.2016) section of Text Week.com under grace.  

First Lesson: Jeremiah 18: 1-11
Responsive Reading: Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18
Second Lesson: Philemon 1: 1-21
Gospel Lesson: Luke 14: 25-33

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

“At any moment, you must be willing to give up what you are, for what you will become.”- Eric Thomas. 
​
Let me begin with a story.  As told by Carmine Gallo[1].  Some years ago, a young man set out on the journey from London to Los Angeles.  The young man seemingly had nothing going for him; no job, no place to live and merely a few hundred dollars to his name.  The young man was twenty-two years old and he had not gone to college.  His dream was now to make it big in a country that he had never previously visited.  The young man believed that the future was a blank slate.  The young man after a couple of years starts selling t-shirts at Venice Beach.  This young man had no background in sales but was good at reading people and telling stories.

Eventually, the young man gets so good at selling t-shirts that he’s making $1500 a day.   The young man invests this money in real estate deals and finally he buys the rights to a British team extreme sports competition.  The premise was what would happen if you put sixteen strangers together on an island.  Who would lead?  Who would follow?  Who would get voted off[2]?  The man was Mark Burnett.  The T.V. Show was Survivor. 

Survivor becomes an American phenomena leading to Burnett’s involvement in all sorts of other programming The Apprentice, Shark Tank, and The Voice[3].  When Mark Burnett arrived in America, he only had two things going for him: optimism and confidence that things were going to work out for him.  He believed that his previous journey in life was merely crafting him for a difference purpose.

Now you might here Burnett’s story and say “It’s easy to be optimistic when you’re twenty-two with the world full of possibilities.”  Let me tell you though about another guy though was also struggling with his life’s purpose. 

Jeremiah didn’t want to be a preacher[4].  Jeremiah’s excuse was that he was too young[5].  Jeremiah probably though didn’t want to deal with the hardship of a preacher’s life.  Jeremiah didn’t have much in his bank account.  God had previously told Jeremiah that he wasn’t going to marry[6].   Jeremiah’s not too well liked around Jerusalem because people didn’t really like his sermons.  Jeremiah would spend his nights sleeping on dirt floors[7], seemingly isolated from everyone in the world. 

One night though God sought to change Jeremiah’s life, God taps Jeremiah on the shoulder[8].  God leads Jeremiah to the streets of Jerusalem to a potter’s house[9].  

Why did God take Jeremiah to a potter’s house?  God wanted Jeremiah to see a potter working with clay.  Clay is a material with limitless possibilities.  Clay can always be shaped in a different direction[10].  God wanted to show Jeremiah how involved he would always be shaping Jeremiah’s plans moving forward.  Here’s why this is important. 

I have a friend who I’ll call Jackie.  Jackie had a serious boyfriend some years back.  The boyfriend cheated on her.  Jackie then began to go through the phrase where “All men are like this”.  Jackie after several years decides to give online dating a try.  Jackie runs into a few dead ends this way.  Jackie had finally had it.  Jackie was looking at the world through all that she didn’t have.  Jackie believed her trust issues were such that she could never find a relationship with any meaning.  Once people abandon hope it’s tough to bounce back. 

Life will certainly throw you moments where you feel like Jackie does.  Jeremiah would face all sorts of circumstances where he would have wanted to give up on being a preacher.  Jeremiah was arrested. Jeremiah saw his writings burned.  Jeremiah was forced to wear humiliating clothing in public. Jeremiah saw his home fall victim to a foreign power.  Jeremiah had to spend his dying days living far, far away from home.  So what is God saying to both Jackie and Jeremiah on this day?

I was reading a book by Andy Stanley a while back where he talked about life being a series of chapters[11].  The chapter that you’re currently living may very well not be the chapter you would write.  The current chapter though always can shape the next chapter.  The next chapter may even be written after you've left this world behind.  The current chapter may provide opportunities for God’s purposes to come to fruition within the next chapter. 

What God is seeking to assure Jeremiah in our lesson for today is “I have a plan for you.”  So that even as Jerusalem burns.  Even as Jeremiah wonders if God has forgotten his people, God is saying “My love shall never cease “[12].  Hope is soon coming to your city of Jerusalem in the form of a child.  Hope is coming in the form of a cross.  Hope is coming in the form of a resurrection even as the city currently burns.  The Potter will not abandon his clay until it reaches its final form in the world that is to come. 

What I want you to take from Jeremiah’s story is this that it is possible to be optimistic even in the most difficult circumstances of life.

Let me tell you another story.  Let me tell a story about a kid born an albino named John Walsh[13].  Walsh like most albinos had really bad eyesight; Walsh struggled to learn and read because of this.  Walsh, more than anything else in the world, loved playing sports growing up.  But because of his eye sight, he couldn’t play very well.  Sports though gave him the focus and discipline to improve his school work.  Walsh enrolls in college.  He decides that since he won’t be able to play sports for a living that the world had a different path for him.  John Walsh became the rare almost blind Sports Editor[14].  The first magazine that Walsh founded folds in 1982.  Walsh bounces around at odd jobs for a couple of years.  In 1987, he got hired as a consultant by the Sports Network ESPN.  Six months later he gets put in charge of a program called SportsCenter[15].  SportsCenter under Walsh’s direction becomes a national phenomenon.  John Walsh could have all sorts of times going through the world could have called out “woe is me”, but regardless of John Walsh’s eyesight.  He was able to maintain his sense of purpose.

Dr. Rich Guerra presents the following scenario[16].

Imagine living in medieval times and you’re traveling through the countryside.  There’s all sorts of dust, noise, and activity.  You come across a man with a sledgehammer and he’s smashing rocks.
“What’s going on here?” you ask.
The man responds, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m breaking rocks.”
You continue on your way and find another man who’s got a sledgehammer and he’s breaking up rocks.
“What’s going on here?” you ask.
The man responds, “I’m making a living.”
You walk further down the road and you see a man doing the same thing.  He’s got a sledgehammer and is smashing rocks.
“What’s going on here?” you ask.
“I’m building a cathedral.”

What this story illustrates is how the Potter sees the world.  The Potter does not merely see lumps of clay at any given moment.  The Potter never loses sight of what this lump of clay might become.

Let me close with the following story of why this is so important for God's purposes within our world.  Joe Falkner dreaded going to Middle School[17].  Joe had heard horror stories of ninth-graders bullying seventh graders leaving them without any pants.  Joe seemingly had nothing going for him.  Joe was short, fat, and shy.  Joe didn’t have a dad living at home.  Joe was poor and it had crushed his self-esteem.  As he began Middle School, Joe encountered a teacher named Miss Evridge. Miss Evridge was seemingly the tallest woman that Joe had ever seen.  Miss Evridge seemed cold with her hair worn in a bun and glaring eyes for anyone who ever crossed her path.  If you were a second late for class, then Miss Evridge would mark you as tardy.  All the kids thought Miss Evridge was mean and unfair.

Joe Falkner began to see something in Miss Evridge over time[18].  She was fun!  She could get the students both laughing and learning at the same time.  Miss Evridge was also a Christian.  When Joe Falkner found out, he let her know that he was too and their bond deepened.  Miss Evridge eventually encourages Joe to enter a speech contest.  Joe was way too timid and shy for public speaking.  Miss Evridge promised that she would work with him.  Joe Falkner won the public speaking context. 

Miss Evridge and Joe were one day talking about what Joe was going to do in life[19].  Joe wanted to be a “scientist”.  Miss Evridge suggested that he could be a preacher.  Joe stomped his feet at that suggestion.  Joe Falkner was like Jeremiah he never wanted to be a preacher, but God had other plans.  Joe Falkner became not just a preacher, but a preaching professor.  Miss Evridge helped take a short, fat, shy lump of clay to mold it for God’s purposes.

The point is this.  It’s real easy to get defeated in life.  It’s real easy to look everywhere around you and see no sense of purpose.  Jeremiah would have understood this reality.  So Jeremiah sees a vision on this day.  The vision has Jeremiah see a potter working on some clay; the clay begins to lose its intended shape or form.  The Potter had two choices at this moment.  The Potter could curse at his imperfection, or the potter can keep working on it until the clay ultimately serves the Potter’s purposes. 

As I’ve talked about before, I do not stand here on this day apart from the influence of my Great-Grandpa Arvid who shaped my life well into his nineties.  Mark Burnett doesn’t become one of the biggest influences in television apart from his optimism.  John Walsh doesn’t change American sports if he doesn’t keep faith even as life veers off course.  Joe Falkner doesn’t become a preacher apart from the influence of Miss Evridge.  The Potter is looking to lump clay in your own life.  The Potter is looking to work with your strengths to change the lives of those around you.  God is saying on this day “Follow me to the Potter’s House.”

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”-Jeremiah 29:11.

Amen 
 


[1] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. Saint Martin’s Press. New York. 2016. P.18-22. 
[2] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. P.20
[3] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. P.23
[4] The Sunday lesson is Jeremiah 18:1-11.
[5] Jeremiah 1:4-10. 
[6] Jeremiah 16:2. 
[7] Hyde, Dr. Randy. L. “Jeremiah: The Season of Discontent.” Lectionary.org. 2004.  Web. Aug.31.2016. 
[8] Hyde, Dr. Randy. L. “Jeremiah: The Season of Discontent.”
[9] Jeremiah 18:1-11. 
[10] Portier-Young, Anathea. “ Commentary on Jeremiah 18:1-11”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 4. Sept.2016. Web. Aug.31.2016. 
[11] Stanley talks about this in the book Ask It. 
[12] Lamentations 3:22-24. 
[13] Wagner, Dr. Keith. “A Play-Doh Like Faith.” Lectionary.org. 2001. Web. Aug.30.2016. 
[14] Walsh, John. “His Own Unique Self.” Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal. 11-17. May. 2015. Web. Aug.30.2016. 
[15] Walsh, John. “His Own Unique Self.”
[16] Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. P.153.
[17] Canfield, Jack, Mark Victor Hanson, Patty Aubrey, and Nancy Mitchell. Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul. Deerfield Beach, FL. Health Communications Inc. , 1997, Book. P.189- 193. 
[18] Canfield, Jack, Mark Victor Hanson, Patty Aubrey, and Nancy Mitchell. Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul. P.190-191. 
[19] Canfield, Jack, Mark Victor Hanson, Patty Aubrey, and Nancy Mitchell. Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul. P.191-192.