“Come, Join the Party” – Luke 15:1-10 – September 16, 2007

Remember the runaway bride? At first, the woman named Jennifer Wilbanks, who disappeared from Duluth, Georgia the week of her massive wedding, was considered to be a missing person, and a victim of foul play. A massive search was undertaken. Instead, much to the public's shock and outrage, it turned out that Wilbanks deliberately ran away.

When Wilbanks ran out of money in a seedy section of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a cross-country bus trip that took her first to Las Vegas, she called 911 and claimed she had been kidnapped by a Hispanic man and a white woman. Hours later, her story fell apart, and she admitted to lying about the kidnapping story.

Wilbanks wasted tens of thousands of dollars in law enforcement time and manpower, for a missing persons investigation that never should have been. Wilbanks later claimed she wanted to pay restitution to the city. She was eventually sentenced to community service.Her family also vowed to pay back the city for the cost of her search.

When Jennifer was found her family celebrated. Her fiancé was not very pleased, but he too eventually forgave her. The story made national headlines. Everyone, especially the media, focused on her faked disappearance. Few people however celebrated the fact that she was alive and ok.

As human beings we have a tendency to rush to judgment. Like the Pharisees who Jesus constantly confronted, we have difficulty rejoicing when someone has come home, come to their senses or resurfaced after a lengthy absence. We’re more apt to say, “Where the heck you been?” rather than, “It’s wonderful to see you again.”

A man recently won the lottery. When he was being interviewed about his good fortune he replied, “Leave me alone!” He didn’t want to share the good news with anyone. He was obviously afraid that people would want to take advantage of him since he was now a man of wealth.

The man’s attitude was very similar to the attitude of the Pharisees. They believed they were the good guys, the righteous ones. The outcasts and sinners of society who Jesus included in the kingdom of God did not deserve God’s love. They had not earned it but they were not part of the “in” group.The man who won the lottery was now in a different class, at least so he though. He didn't want to share his new found joy with anyone.

Jesus illustrated the attitude of the Pharisees with these two parables; the lost sheep and the lost coin. Taking the time to find a stray sheep and leave the rest of the flock unattended was offensive to the Pharisees. Why waste time on a single sinner when there are so many righteous folks? Also, why spend time and resources looking for one lousy coin that wasn’t worth much? A silver coin or drachma in that day was only worth about a day’s wages, not a great sum of money.

The parables are intended to show that God does not limit mercy to a special few. The lost and the worthless are important too. In fact they are so important to God that in both cases there is a celebration. Friends and neighbors are called together to share in the good news. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.”

God is more excited about people who are able to turn their lives around than He is for those who spend a lifetime being good. A celebration was in order for repentant sinners. The emphasis was therefore on the joy of recovery. More importantly God wants everyone to come together and join in the celebration.

The parable that follows these two parables is the story of the prodigal son. His father rejoiced over the fact that he had come home and consequently gave him a huge party. Unfortunately the elder brother was unhappy. “You never gave me a party,” he said in a begrudgingly way.

We can be just as lost in our unwillingness to celebrate as one who is lost in sinfulness. In other words, being good does not excuse us from participating in the party.

These parables are here to help us appreciate the greatness of God’s mercy. I believe that if we can’t appreciate God’s mercy we will never experience it for ourselves. Holding a grudge taints our ability to see the value of other people. And, if we can’t rejoice when someone is found we are missing out on one of God’s gifts for us.

God wants us to appreciate the fact that God’s mercy is not limited to a select few. God wants the faith community to celebrate the finding of the lost. That is all we are being asked to do. Unfortunately we are more apt to judge than forgive.

For the last two weeks search parties have been looking for Steve Fossett, the millionaire adventurer. He was the first person to fly a plane around the world without refueling and the first person to fly around the world in a balloon. But he is now missing in Nevada. Millions of dollars have already been spent as they have attempted to find the wreckage of his plane or Fossett, wandering in the dessert. Will there be a party when he is discovered? Will the world rejoice?

Jesus would say it doesn’t matter who you are or what your economic status is. Jesus would say anyone who is lost and found is reason for celebration.

Many people I know can’t appreciate a gift. When you give them something they say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Or, “What have I done to deserve this?” A gift is just that, a gift. God’s mercy is a gift and that gift is reason enough to celebrate. If we can’t accept a gift for ourselves than it is unlikely we will be able to accept God’s gift to others.

Perhaps we can’t understand the need for celebration because we have never been lost. As I said before, we can be just as lost in our goodness as we are lost in some other way. Some are too proud to accept the fact that they are lost. Others are just simply in denial.

In his book, I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church, Paul Nixon tells the story about a new church start called The Community Life Center. It was to be an outreach ministry of the Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in Florida. They flooded the neighborhoods with postcards and other publicity that asked the question, “Are we having fun yet?” That question puzzled some folks since church folks don’t traditionally have fun. The new facility was bordered by two churches who were, in contrast, overly serious. Neither of the neighboring churches enjoyed reputations as centers of fun and joy.

In the first weeks that the Community Life Center opened, hundreds of people from the community flooded into the building and into the life of the church at every level. The church worked hard to ensure that they had fun. In our culture most people will instinctively choose joy and fun over drudgery every time. To be a person of faith is to be able to experience joy, to celebrate the discovery of finding the lost.

To have faith is to be joyful. Christianity should be an exuberant and happy faith. Somewhere in history we have replaced celebration with stoicism and rigidity. God wants us to let our hair down. God wants us to join in the party.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio