Do we Value Life?

I would like to share with you four stories. Three are found in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 15. 4“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? 5When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
8Or what woman, if she had ten coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ 10Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”
11He said, “A certain man had two sons. 12The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. 13Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. 14When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. 15He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 17But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! 18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
20“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; 24for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
25“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. 27He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ 28But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
31“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’’
Jesus told these three parables because of what He had heard the Pharisees say in verse two of chapter 15. They said, “This Man receives sinners and eats with.” Can you imagine these religious leaders sitting around observing Jesus and He accepts an invitation to eat with sinners? I can imagine their conversation was a little livelier than what Luke recorded. Here is this guy, supposed to be this great teacher and he sits down to eat with the likes of these! As they spread the news to others I can hear them saying, “You aren’t going to believe what He did next! He actually sat down and ate with these derelicts! Not only that He, oh you are really going to flip over this one, He served them! No really! The Man served them! Aren’t you glad we aren’t like that?”
These religious leaders, these church folks had a big problem that caused them to have this attitude, they devalued life. I decided to look around me and see if the world valued life. I remember the headlines a few weeks back that told of 1000 dead in Iraq in one week, mostly civilians. Who can forget September 11th when a group of men flew planes into the world trade center, the pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania? Did these men have any concern for the lives behind them, or in the buildings they were about to hit? In all these instances they devalued life so much they are willing to destroy it just to promote their agenda, their religion.
Okay that is the world, but here in the good old USA we value life. I looked around here as well. How many walk by a homeless person without even meeting their gaze, because we are afraid they may ask us for a dollar or two? How many babies, not fetuses, babies are aborted because they are an inconvenience to the parents? How many of our elderly are tucked away in assisted living wondering why their friends and family don’t visit them? How many children go hungry while we are full? Having taking a cruise recently, I found out that they feed you. We ate in a restaurant on ship, three times a day. Not just simple meals mind you each meal was a five course meal. If that wasn’t enough to fill you up than you could hit the 24 hour buffet on the top deck and have pizza, hamburgers, fruit, salads, or French fries. I was sick of eating. Yet that is something that a hungry child can not imagine. Do we really value life in this country?
Then I looked at the church, surely this institution of hope would not let me down. I knew if I looked at the church I would see a place that valued life above all else! How many families have left the church without someone trying to bring reconciliation? How many members missed two Sundays without someone calling them or at least dropping them an email, saying hey, missed you Sunday. Is everything all right? How many disagreements have been left to fester, rather then taking a biblical approach to repairing relationships? Do we value life in the church?
Let’s break down the stories Jesus told. In the lost sheep parable Jesus says, “who wouldn’t?’ As if it was common knowledge if you lost a part of your livelihood, which one of you wouldn’t leave the others behind and go search for the missing sheep. I learned that sheep when lost will lay down not making it easy for the Shepard to find them. So he really had to turn over some bushes to find this sheep. It was valuable to him, it was part of his income, and he wasn’t about to lose it. When he found it he rejoiced, he did a happy dance, high fived his companion, and called all his friends over to celebrate that something valuable to him was found.
I think in this world we sometimes value animals more than people. Oh I am just as guilty. As I got out of the car to preach at Kline church I was greeted by a beautiful brindle boxer female with no collar. She came to me and I bent down to fuss over her, telling her how beautiful she was and that I would love to take her home with me. Would I be so quick to kneel next to a homeless person and tell them how beautiful they were and I would love to take them home with me? Knowing that a brindle boxer is the dog that I love above all dogs, I feel God sent me that boxer to remind me that I would be preaching to myself as well. Sometimes I feel as though God doesn’t play fair.
This shepherd valued the life of the lost sheep so much that he was willing to leave the other 99 and search until he found it. I wonder what the 99 were doing while their shepherd was out looking for their wayward companion. Were they grumbling amongst themselves? “He never pays this much attention to me!” Or were they praying that the shepherd would be successful? I know sheep can’t pray, but Jesus was addressing the religious people of the day. Just a side note, as our leaders go out and bring the lost back to the fold, the leaders that are in place in the church should be stepping up to make sure the 99 left behind are cared for. I am sure that the shepherd had under shepherds who tended the flock as he was gone.
Just so you ladies don’t feel left out let’s look at the next story. We find a woman who was saving ten coins. We are not told why she is saving ten coins, just that she is. These ten coins could represent her retirement and she went to count it every day and thanked God that she would be secure in the future. She could have been saving for a trip to the mall, a vacation we just don’t know. One day she went to count it and realized that one of the coins was gone. She went into a panic because something valuable was lost to her. She began looking all over her house for the lost coin. When I want to find a coin that is lost the first place I consider is the couch. So she is feeling down in the cushions bringing up everything but her coin, sweeping the floor in hopes that she can hear the coin rattling in the vacuum cleaner. Her friends are calling her and she tells them she can’t talk right now, in other words she turns her life upside down to find what is lost.
She had placed great value on that coin and was willing to go to great lengths and put her life on hold so that it would be restored to her.
When she found it she called all her friends and told them to come over and celebrate with them that her future was once again secure. While she had them on the phone she looked around and realized what a mess she had made of the house and told her friends. While you are her can you help me straighten up a little bit.
Next we have a son who for whatever reason decides that living in dad’s house just wasn’t what he wanted out of life. When I was on my own for the first time I began to realize how good I had it at home, usually as soon as I had to pay for the things that I had long taken for granted. According to Jewish tradition the eldest son received 2/3 of his father’s estate and the younger son received 1/3. So being the younger son he may have been a bit jealous of his brother thinking that he work just as hard as his brother, loved his father just as much as the brother and deserved an equal share. He may have been tired of living under dad’s rules and thought that life would be better without dad telling him what to do. I can still remember my step dad telling me. “Boy.” He always called be that, I think to remind me who was boss. “Boy, as long as you’re in my house you live by my rules.” So this son might have been thinking well then maybe I won’t live in your house anymore. Oh but there is the matter of the inheritance. So he tells the Father give me what is mine and I will make a life for myself. He could have thought that dad was a great guy and all but I have some great ideas for how to make more money, and make him proud of me. For whatever reason he wanted his share then and there and was not willing to wait till his father passed to receive it. So the father relented and gave him his share and the son set off to make a life of his own.
The son began to live a prodigal life, or as we call it he became a backslider. He ran off to Vegas began throwing money around the casino’s, throwing lavish parties, spending his time in the bars and buying drugs. Now what happens when you come into a lot of money and begin to throw it around like there is no tomorrow? You gain a lot of friends. So here is the son, gaining friends, gaining popularity, until one day the money is gone and with it goes the friends. All those friends who loved the son as long as he was supporting their habits, now left him and forgot they ever knew him as they were concerned about how they were going to survive in hard times of their own. The son went from door to door looking for a hand out. Saying; “Hey remember me? We used to party together.” Only to have the door slammed in his face or hear how bad the other person had it, till he knocked on the door of a pig farmer looking for a handout. Now remember that Jesus is addressing the Jewish leaders at the time and every good follower knew that pigs were off limits, they weren’t to eat them, or even touch them.
Isn’t the wisdom of Jesus wonderful? Only He could tell this story and bring it right back to address the original audience. Can you imagine the anger that began to build as they listen to Jesus? Jesus never intended to anger them on bring them to a realization that they were valuing the law more than the people. Back to the son, how had obtained employment feeding the pigs. He became so hungry that he now lusted after pig feed. He had spent all his money on his lust and now he actually lusted after what nobody else wanted.
At this point he began to realize that maybe dad wasn’t so old fashioned after all. He begins to think that many dads’ rules weren’t so bad, that maybe being the younger son really wasn’t a burden. He began to realize that even dad’s servants were cared for better than he was. He had reached rock bottom and began to look at home. He did say, “Well I will just go back home and resume my life as though nothing had ever happened.” He didn’t say, “I will go back home and let dad take care of me.” He said, 18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’ The son swallowed his pride along with the corn husks and went to his father, he had become truly humble.
Let’s turn our attention to home as well, as we see what dad has been doing while his son was off finding himself. The father didn’t send his son off not caring what happened to him but I am sure he prayed for him, asked any travelers if they had any news of him and went out looking, and longing for his son’s return. In other words he valued his son’s life enough to let him make his own mistakes and long for the day he would return. I remember putting my daughter Ashley on a bus by herself headed for New Orleans and I new life for herself and can’t help but feel this father’s pain. I am sure you to can relate to the father as you have shared similar situations. Seeing her ride off was a beginning for her but an ending for me. I had to let go and allow her to make a life for herself.
On one of his journey’s he recognized a man walking towards him in the distance. His walk might have seemed familiar to him and I can imagine that as he first saw this figure his heart leaped at the thought that this could be his son. He also had time to think of what he would say to him. He might have heard stories of his exploits, and had to check himself that he would not be critical of his son. I remember the first time that my step-father let me drive his El Camino by myself. I was in a parking lot smoking the tires thinking that I was safe from detection till a few days later he came to me telling me someone had seen me, so it is not a stretch of the story to think that the father might have got wind of his son’s exploits.
When the two met the father didn’t criticize his son but lifted him up. He didn’t tell him that he knew he would come back with his tail between his legs; he didn’t ask what became of his fortune. He attempted to build him up by letting him know that he still belonged to the family, he still had a place at his table. He placed a ring on his finger so that everyone who saw that ring knew that he belonged to the family. If you look at my finger and see a wedding band attached to it you know that I am married. Teresa makes sure that whenever my picture is taken that the ring shows. She tells me she wants everyone to know that I am attached.
In each of these stories someone placed great value on the person or thing lost. What if the shepherd said, “I have 99 other sheep, I don’t need that other one, if it wants to go off on its own let it!” What if the woman said, “I have nine other coins and I can live just fine on it, besides that coin will turn up one day.” What if the father said,” I have another son, if my younger son wants to make a life for himself, let him go make a mess of his life.” Would they have valued life? What if a church member began to let sin rule their life? Would we go after them? Would we put our lives on hold as we searched for them till we brought them back to the fold? Would we value their lives enough to do that?
How would we react to once they returned? Would we behave as the other son and refuse to enter the Father’s house and worship with them? Would we remember their past and hold it over their heads for the rest of their lives? Or would we value you their lives to welcome them back into the fold? Would we lift them up, encouraging them in their renewed walk, asking them how we can help?
I promised you a fourth story. The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled. To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone." Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked. "No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?" The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?" "See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile." "Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything." "This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it." Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?" "This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered. "Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business." Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place." The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?" ‘Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms." "And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?" "What business is that of yours?" "I sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company." "Oh." The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?" "No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty." "Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?" "Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice." The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer." The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said. "That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this." She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?" Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so......I mean you do look familiar." "I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry." "Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. "I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat." Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy." "I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all right." "So you started your own business?" Old Jack said. "I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a
visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet And if you ever need anything, my door is always open for
you." There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you," he said "Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. thank Jesus. He led me to you." Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said."On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered.
"Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And... And thank you for the coffee." She frowned. "I forgot to ask you whether you used cream or sugar. That's black." The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "Yes, I do take cream and sugar......
perhaps more sugar than is good for me " He patted his ample stomach. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't need it now," he replied smiling. "I've got the feeling that this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar."
You never know the impact you may have on one life. God may not be asking you to open a homeless shelter. He may not be asking you to feed every child in America. He may not be asking you to make it your responsibility to restore every one that has left the church. In all these stories one life was changed, one coin was found, one sheep was returned to the fold because someone placed great vaule upon what was lost. Could we not help one person out, just one? Surely we know one person that we can reach out to today. It’s a start.