Lost and Found: Let Jesus Carry You

September 12, 2004

The Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Godlefski, Pastor

Montgomery United Methodist Church

Luke 15: 1-10

1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, good morning! How wonderful to be back with you, and to greet new friends as well!

Let’s dig into the Word. Our title today is “Lost and Found: Let Jesus Carry You.” At the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, there is a wonderful campus of a church. If you are ever in the Anaheim area, please visit the Crystal Cathedral. One of the features of the campus is its many sculptures, beautiful, beautiful sculptures, of Biblical themes. Now, if a picture is worth a thousand words, a sculpture has to be worth ten thousand.

One of them in particular I want to talk about with you today. It’s a sculpture, a statue, of Jesus, and over His shoulders is a lamb. It’s an illustration of Luke 15, one of the most beautiful and heart-warming passages in the Bible, the good shepherd saving the lost lamb.

One of the most remarkable things about this particular statue is the expression on the face of Jesus. So often in religious art Jesus is pictured looking very serious. But in this sculpture He is beaming with joy. His face looks as though it’s about to burst into joyful, grateful laughter.  It’s an amazing sight. And it’s a picture I’d like you to take with you this week. Let Jesus carry you.

And as you think about the sermon this week, I would invite you to do this: Picture what it would be like to be a lamb on the shoulder of Christ. In your prayer time, in your meditation, won’t you think about that? What would it feel like to be a lamb on the shoulder of Christ?

Well, let’s look at the Biblical text together today. I’d like to talk about three points in the text. First of all, we all make mistakes. Second, God is looking for you. Third, let Jesus carry you.

First of all, we all make mistakes. Let’s see what happened in the Gospel. Luke 15:1: “All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees [the radical religious legalists] and the Scribes [the teachers] were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”

What’s that about? The Pharisees were perfectionists. They believed that if you followed the letter of the religious law perfectly, God would love you. And one thing that you’re supposed to do, according to the Pharisees, is never hang around with “people of the land”; the word “sinners” refers to that group. Don’t hang around them; don’t trust them. Heaven forbid your daughter marries one of these people! There was a lot of animosity toward the “people of the land,” the sinners.

And here was Jesus eating with them! When you share a meal with someone, it is a very highly symbolic act of reconciliation, very strong in the mid-Eastern mind. “Jesus is eating with the people of the land? This defiles Him! How could this be?” said these perfectionists.

Jesus did not reprimand them; Jesus told them a story. Notice that Jesus never called them sinners. He called them lambs that have wondered off. He likened them to a coin that has value but gets lost. That’s what Jesus thinks of us. Oh, the beautiful mind of the Master!

So, instead of reprimanding the Pharisees, He said, “Let me tell you a story. If you had a hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, would you not leave the ninety and nine and go find that one? And when you found that one, would you not put it on your shoulders and go home rejoicing? [That word ‘rejoicing’ is what inspired the statue I told you about.] When you got home, wouldn’t you call your family and friends together and say, ‘I have found the lamb that was lost’?”

Back in those days, flocks of sheep were often owned by the whole community. Appointed shepherds, for instance three from the village, were out watching the flock. Sometimes two of the shepherds would bring the flock home and would give word that the third shepherd was still out there looking for a lost one. And the whole village would look for the shepherd coming home. When they saw him, carrying the sheep, there would be great rejoicing in the whole town. That’s the picture that Jesus was referring to.

Friends, we all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. But know this: if you made mistakes, if you have strayed, if you have felt distant from God, God is looking for you. God loves the core of you, and He is looking to save you. God is looking for you.

One of the most interesting things about this passage for me is that Jesus doesn’t talk about the gladness in the heart of the lamb. He talks about the gladness in the heart of the shepherd! In the heavenly host! What does it mean? It means you make a cosmic difference. Did you think that God was so all-sufficient that nothing we did or said made any difference to God, one way or another? Did you have a picture of an impersonal God?

Hear the words of Jesus: You make a difference to God! Isn’t that amazing? God can be gladdened and God can be saddened. God can rejoice or feel crushed. Can you imagine? Jesus is pointing to this. He circles around it twice, not just once. The heart of God is gladdened when a person turns to Him. Amazing! Is it you? Is it me? When we turn to God in prayer and say, “Lord, just as I am, accept me please?” and we know the answer is “yes”. When we stop running away and we start turning around, we feel, not gently pushed on home, but carried on the shoulders of Jesus. You matter to God.

Finally, let Jesus carry you. What does it feel like to be one His shoulders? Oh, friend, if you were trying to make it on your own, making all your own decisions and relying only on your own guidance, isn’t that a lonely place to be? If you’re on the shoulders of Jesus, you’ve got direction. “Lord, I don’t know what direction to take, but guide me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah, Pilgrim in this barren land,” and He will.

You’ve got direction, and you’ve got protection from your enemies – of worry and fear. And you know that you are loved by the very heart of God. It should cause lightness in your heart, direction for your life, and purpose for your steps.

Oh, friend, let Jesus carry you this week, because He loves you. I do, too. Have a blessed week. Amen.