“RESCUED”
Saint Luke 15. 1-10
Third Sunday after Trinity: 20 June Anno Domini 2010
Fr Watson SSP
Jayson Tobias, just like the little lamb in the parable, was lost, operative word "WAS." The lamb hadn't done anything wrong - - it was "wrong," that is, it was a lamb, a creature that without its shepherd dies. Our newest little Christian brother hadn't done anything wrong (well not much; there's a limited number of actual sins in deed and word (squeal) that an infant "does." No, Jayson, like the lamb, was "wrong." Original sin is a horrible condition; far worse than cancer, muscular dystrophy, or autism.
Original sin means that every little lamb, four-footed ones and two-footed ones, will (WILL) by nature, wander away, get lost, and be destroyed by predators, starvation, poisoning and dehydration.
Draw near dear ones and hear your Shepherd.
You are the tax collectors and the sinners. You know what you do. You, and you alone, know what you think. You know that the "face" you hold up to your spouse, your parents, children and co-workers… and at times to God, is a "false-front." You know that all the white-wash that you attempt to slather over your crypt of trespasses does not stifle the odor of rot in the Lord's nostrils. And yet, He loves you all the more. He receives sinners and eats with them. He has received you and, now, Jayson. He will dine with you shortly.
It's not bad, lowly, or demeaning to be a baby or an infant, or "one of these little ones." This new little Saint is the exemplar, the "type" the 'poster-child' if you will, of how an Augsburg parishioner should receive and interact with the Christ, and His doctrine, passively and sponge-like.
It's not embarrassing, insignificant, or insulting to be a sheep.
But… there are many in this fold, this parish, (about 30 plus) that would rather be the wise all-knowing Owl, the pontificating Parrot, and the busy and dexterous Chimp. And then, there's that pastor guy… with the long ears and the he-hawing noise. All of the sinners here (and that means everyone) resist being sheep. But all the denial in the world doesn't change one of the Lord's immutable realities.
Paul reminds you, don't be a peacock thinking too highly of yourselves. Don't lord it over your brother and sister as Leo the Lion; we already have the Lion of Judah, and He doesn't need you as co-regent. And don't bray like an ass and boast like a popinjay. Paul says if you must boast, boast of Christ. Boast in Christ. Preach and proclaim the Crucified One for He is your Good Shepherd. He lays down His life for His sheep. If you're not a sheep then how will His sacrifice benefit you? That is, if you reject Him, if you refuse the gifts of the Spirit, if you run after the wolf pack and the brood of vipers, and absent yourself from the sheepfold, the dovecote, how will you be rescued?
With men, with your efforts, and works, and resolutions, and memory factoids, and degrees, and pedigrees, and libraries, and organizational memberships, and brainiac-ness, you will not be saved. But with God, all things are possible. Why even a sinful little bundle of … original sin… can be made brother to Christ Jesus and co-heir of the Universe!
Your Good Shepherd is the Father's Son. Your Shepherd, which means "pastor," is the one Who left the glorious worshipping of the assembled Seraphim to be born in a stable, in a cave, of a virgin. Your Shepherd did not find you, "a lost and condemned creature," by ambling over amber waves of grain, whistling a happy tune. Shepherd's work is dirty and painful. Leading a flock is not glamorous. David the King got more adulation than David the Shepherd boy. But it was the Shepherd who slew Goliath, the "typos" of Satan. It was the Shepherd David who rescued lambs from wolves, bears and lions, the "typos" of Christ rescuing Jayson, and you, and me, from the predatory world, demons, and sinful flesh-carcasses we carry around with us.
This God/Man Shepherd Who has lead you today to this green pasture of Augsburg, His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church HERE-in Shawnee, did so by the sweat of His brow, the work of His hands, the obedience of His will, the servitude of His actions, and the perfection of His love for God. Your suffering Shepherd found you: alone, wet, dirty, starved, parched, petrified with fear, and, not only near death, but in death's clutches. He found you not by wandering around and bumping into you by chance, or because you lifted up your furry little sheep-paw and volunteered to be saved. He found you by stepping into the jaws of the wolf and dying for you on the Cross. By His stripes and open wounds your flesh is smooth and spotless and your fleece is free from your own blood. By His blood you are clean. By the Water from His mouth you are sated and nourished. By the grass He leads you to eat, the pure Word of the Trinity, the right Word of the Sacraments, you are filled and faith-fortified until the day of Resurrection.
Today you have already seen the Shepherd at Work, working His love and mercy at the still waters. Now, you will see Him prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies. And your cup shall overflow even as the cool waters of regeneration flowed over our new little brother's brow.
The Lord is your Shepherd, and you shall lack nothing.
In the Name + of Jesus