God the faithful, persistent shepherd who will do everything possible to save the lost: A major theme of this coming Sunday.
Will you be trying to reframe this image, so familiar yet so divorced from modern folks' life experience, for your people this week? Are you planning on preaching from one of the other lessons? Are you on the "Creation Sundays" lectionary track? Or are you focusing on something else altogether?
As always, please share your insights, worship plans and conundrums here.
I will be preaching the gospel. I like the idea put forth by another that the church is not the destination, but is only a way station tot finding Jesus among the lost.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I came across astory sometime back about a Christian missionary in China during the Cultural Revolution. He was question on this text. I need to refind it, and double check. But the guards questioning him had issues -- they felt that you ignored the one for the good of the many. Early thoughts are that it might preach, too.
Going with the Gospel since Jeremiah calls us stupid. I do think that the first verse from Psalms is tempting thanks to Stephen Hawkins latest proclamations.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest challenge? I once again was sucked in by the location of our church sign at a very busy corner and in honor of our recent parking lot travails named the sermon: Sink(hole) or Swim.
I still don't know if I am preaching this week - I'll get the word later today or tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteBut reading the story of the woman with the lost coin reminded me of my daughter's frantic call to me the last time she lost her ipod. She had tore her place apart, retraced her steps, and was calling to see if I had seen it. She decided to tear the place apart again to look for it. About an hour later, I got another call -she had found it!
Hmm...what teenager, having lost her ipod, will not turn over heaven and earth to find it. What rejoicing when she does!
If I do preach, at least I have my opening illustration.
I'm going with being found in Christ. Would like to do something interactive to get people moving around and talking but not sure if what I have in mind will work. Have you ever done that icebreaker where people line themselves up with end being one extreme and the other end the other? With the theme being no matter how much of a lost sheep you feel like you can be found/join your flock in this faith community. It's Rally Sunday and I hope to have a biggish crowd including many visitors.
ReplyDeleteLife imitated lectionary at our house today as I hunted frantically for my birth certificate...when I found it, I certainly did want to call my friends and neighbors to rejoice with me!
ReplyDeletehey. I'm doing the gospel, although not sure how yet. three years ago I started out with a visual aid: the church lost and found box! things lost and never picked up, for various reasons. so my suggestion to you: take a look in your lost and found. might spark something.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to hide a quarter and my daughter's stuffed lamb somewhere in the sanctuary and have the kids find them.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I'm going to say about it...hmmm...have no idea!
silent - I did that three years ago with the kids - and when they found it, I had pre-planned with the choir that they would stand and sing a snippet of the the Hallelujah chorus. Fun!
ReplyDeleteRats! I don't think we have any stuffed sheep in our collection. Although we do have two poodles once mistaken for lambs...
ReplyDeleteI'm using both 1 Timothy and Luke, continuing on with the message from my first Sunday about the embracing nature of God's love, this time getting further into how both Jesus and Paul expressed that love, though I know there's some question about whether Paul actually wrote the letter to 1 Tim. Oh, well. The theme is the same, which is that no matter how far off we've gone or how thoroughly we've been lost, God still wants us back again, Jesus still wants to come to the table with us.
Martha,
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's sheep is actually from a furniture store. You know the Serta mattress sheep from commercials? It's a mini one of those. We visited a store and the salesperson gave one to her--maybe you could get your hands on one of those if you really want to use one.
Not preaching this week as I will be at a Presbytery meeting 2 days travel north of here. But 3 years ago I preached on the first verse of the Psalm and borrowed the title of Dawkins' book. I checked and found that I had indeed transcribed and posted the sermon on the church blog.
ReplyDeleteYou can read The God Delusion and see if it gives you any ideas
I am preaching the gospel, and am intrigued by what David Lose has to say in his side-bar note over at Working Preacher. "A parent is only as happy as his/her least happy child." Think about what that might mean for God; finding one more lost sheep would for sure be cause for celebration.
ReplyDeleteHe also points out the irony of the parables--a woman who was that concerned about her coin probably wouldn't invite all her friends to celebrate b/c she couldn't afford it!
Lots to think about...
This week, I'm also going with 1 Timothy and with Luke. But I'm focussing a bit more on the beginning of the gospel passage - about the pharisees grumbling about the company Jesus kept. Hoping to talk about mission - how we want to be more concerned with those outside our fellowship than those in. I think that's where I'm headed anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Luke and Timothy this week. thinking about how we respond to God's grace - do we dance or sing or look for other lost sheep - or do we accept God's grace then ignore, or make life hard, for others. It is Wednesday mornign here, so still some thinking time left.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the Creation track, my first try at it. The gospel is Luke's version of the lilies of the field and the ravens (birds) of the air and not worrying. At this point I'm not coming up with anything more than the very literal reading which doesn't get me far. I like reading it with an eye toward what comes before since it starts with a "Therefore." That makes it much more about greed than worry. I don't know what I'm doing with that or anything else, but tomorrow is writing day so I hope to figure something out!
ReplyDeleteGoing with the gospel, and am glad to visit this post late--you all have given much food for thought. Although I will only preach a mini-sermon as it is regathering weekend--installation of SS teachers, lots of announcements, new minister of music....
ReplyDeleteWhew!
word verf: "Oatemish".
I think I am feeling "oatemish" today. ;-)
Working on sermon stuff today as I will be with a parishoner most of the day tomorrow for surgery.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten about Tony Campolo's Birthday Story. Click here for a YouTube version...or google it.
I will be using it for the Luke passage.
Doing the gospel, and focusing on the feelings of the lost one who is being sought, rather than the shepherd. Those feelings of discovering that one is lost, and where is everyone else, and how do I find them? Remembering when my nephew was missing in a busy place, and how he had been taught by his parents to just stay put - to let them find him. If we are open to having the Good Shepherd find us, we won't stay lost for long. If we search around aimlessly, and explore all sorts of fruitless paths, it's harder for us to be found.
ReplyDeleteFocusing on the woman with the lost coin, as a clear and moving feminine image of God that people really need to learn about. It's generally overlooked in favor of the generally presumed to be masculine (shepherd) and definitely masculine (father of prodigal) parallels between which it is sandwiched. Or else she is treated as just a human example in her parable while the shepherd and father are recognized as God in theirs. It's ironic God the Mother is as lost a treasure to most Christians as the coin she searches for! Highlighting that focus a bit with opening and closing hymns I have composed featuring Wisdom and God the Mother, and my own journey to feminine God-language as part of inclusive language rather than just neutral (Very progressive community so this should be welcome)...But, since we have discussion and sharing after the homily, also asking people to share their own journey to a loving and empowering image/relationship with God, whatever that may be.
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling with conflict within a small church community, hurt feelings, fear, anger, etc. while all the while being caught up in the "burn the Quran"/Park 51 thing, and what that is bringing out in folks - some of the same issues....... Don't know how or if I will even go there, but right now it's on the surface.
ReplyDelete