We are all passionate about different things. Take the NCAA tournament as an example. Do you know anyone who is passionate about his basketball team? My wife Lara is normally very quiet and reserved. But you should have seen her this past Friday night as her basketball team took to the court. I had to draw the curtains.
From the first shot to the last, she becomes so animated that she dances around the television set. She physically reacts to every foul call and missed shot. She shouts at the players and coaches. She hoots and hollers. She shares in the emotion. Whenever they interrupt the coverage with commercials she races into our study and monitors the message boards to see what others are thinking of the game. Believe me, you do not want to be around if her team loses. It is quite a show!
Anyway, Lara is passionate about the Duke Blue Devils. She has been a Duke Blue Devils fan since childhood. My condolences to all the Illinois fans here this morning. Look, I have no idea why a preacher’s wife would root for devils, but that is the way our passions go. They are part of us. They make us come alive. The only thing that rivals her passion for Duke is her passion for NASCAR. She just loves driver number 8, Dale Earnhardt, Junior. If you imagine things getting out of hand when Duke plays, you should see her during the Daytona 500!
What are you passionate about?
But what are you passionate about? What triggers your deepest emotions? Why does that thing matter so much to you? Why should it matter to others? For some people, their passion is sports. Springfield and Chatham are such sport-oriented communities. Of all the places I have lived, I have never seen so many people so consumed with sports. It is practically a religion! Parents and athletes of all ages are taken in by the energy and applause. They are driven to make the cut, to be noticed on the court, to earn the applause of the crowd, to achieve victory and excel, or to become the Most Valuable Player in the league. It is exhausting just thinking about it!
But for the next person, sports mean nothing. They could care less about basketball. Their passion is music. It isn’t enough to slap down ten dollars for a music CD. They’ll pay fifty dollars a pop for premium concert tickets. They want to be in the front row and bask in the glory of their favorite artist. They want to feel the energy of thousands of like-minded fanatics swaying to their favorite hit. They want to be moved by the bass guitar and drum beat. They want to be mesmerized by the lights and special effects. They want to feel connected to the band and each other and lose themselves in the moment.
Still others will forget sports. They will forget music. Their passion is politics! They want to better their world. They want a deeper purpose to life, a cause worth fighting for. Save the whales! Save planet earth! So they eagerly take up the banner of their respective political party. Do you know anyone passionate about politics in Springfield? I thought so.
Jesus was passionate about celebration!
Some time ago I began looking even closer at the life of Jesus Christ. What was Jesus passionate about? What triggered his deepest emotions? What mattered more to him than anything else in the world? You can discover a person’s passion by what they talk most about. You can discover a person’s passion by what they spend the most time doing. But if you really want to know their passion, pay attention to what they celebrate.
When the circumstances were right, Jesus would go all out. He would call his friends and neighbors together. He would put together a great feast. There would be a public disturbance. The sound of music and dancing and rejoicing would fill the air. This morning I want to talk about Christ’s passion for celebration.
In Luke 15 we get a glimpse of those Jesus spent time with and what he did with his time. Even more importantly, we discover what triggers Jesus’ emotions. What matters most to him. In Luke 15 Jesus reveals his passion for celebration with three simple stories.
The story of the lost sheep- Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)
"Now the tax collectors and 'sinners' were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this parable: '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? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I 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."
This first story is simple enough for all of us to understand. Our first clue into Christ’s passion lies in the simple fact that he is hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. He is hanging out with people who have little or no connection to God. He is hanging out with the irreligious, the unchurched. Unrepentant people caught up in sin. Not only is he hanging out with them, but he is welcoming them. He is eating with them. He is egging them on. He is encouraging them and showing no signs of stopping!
The real issue is who Jesus isn’t welcoming and eating with. He isn’t welcoming religious people. He isn’t eating with the professional clergy of his day. He isn’t spending time with the community of faith. His passion isn’t for the ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. His passion is for the one stray sheep that needs to be found. That one who needs to find God, who needs to repent, and who needs to be restored. The one that isn’t amongst the ninety-nine.
And when that one sheep is found, passersby beware. Jesus goes all out. He throws that sheep on his shoulders. He goes home. He calls his friends and neighbors together. All of heaven breaks out in rejoicing.
The story of the lost coin- Luke 15:8-10 (NIV)
"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? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
The second story is just as simple, but takes us still deeper into the passion of Christ. A woman frantically sweeping the dirt floor of her house? A woman trimming her lamp? A woman carefully searching for a lost coin late into the night? It is just a silver coin! In a worst case scenario, it only represents ten percent of her income. Perhaps her misfortune might cause her to hold onto the other nine coins with greater care.
But no. That one coin has tremendous value to her. She turns her entire house upside down. She has to recover it! It’s a matter of great urgency for her. And when she finds it, she goes all out. She throws a party. She calls her friends and neighbors together. "Rejoice! I’ve found the coin!" Do me a favor, don’t call me in the middle of the night if you find some coin. Okay?
But this story isn’t actually about a coin. With Jesus, at any given moment it is as if that one last coin were the last coin on earth. It's as if that one unrepentant, wayward sinner were the last person on earth. And Jesus will do anything to help just one more sinner repent and connect with God. And when that sinner repents and is found, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God. Jesus is elated. He is thrilled. He begins hooting and hollering. He sings and dances. He comes alive with joy and enthusiasm. It's huge!
The story of the lost son- Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)
"There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
Did you notice that we practically have the same exact scenario in all three stories? Something of value is lost in all three stories. But the value of the item is in the eye of the beholder. What’s valuable to the shepherd, the woman, the father, and Jesus may not have much value to the world at large. Most people wouldn’t blink an eye at a one percent loss. Most people wouldn’t blink an eye over the loss of a single silver coin. Most Jews would have been so disgusted by the actions of the younger son that they would have had him stoned and left for dead.
But that’s the point. Jesus is passionate about the very things that have little or no value to us people. He celebrates things that seem utterly ridiculous! "Jesus, who cares about sinners and tax collectors? They get what they deserve! So what if they repent and come back to God? If you want to get all excited about sinners and tax collectors, then go ahead! If reconnecting people to God wets your whistle, then have at it. Jesus, we all have different passions. I’m passionate about these things, you're passionate about ungodly people. Let's just leave it at that."
Jesus passionately celebrates when lost people return to the Lord.
But perhaps it is not that simple. We're talking about people who ought to be our brothers. People who should be part of the family of God. People who are lost and need to be found. People infinitely more valuable then silver or gold in God’s eyes. People who have sinned and need redemption. People who need to find a connection with God. People who are dead and need to be made alive again.
Just now we are going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. But we need to approach this moment with fresh eyes. The bread and juice are really emblems of Christ’s passion. All who gather at this table gather for one reason. It's because Christ pursued us. It's because Christ lives to celebrate the return of sinners like you and like me.
At one time some of us were like that wayward sheep that wondered away from the ninety-nine. We followed the great shepherd, but for whatever reason, we lost our way. We turned away from God. We turned away from Christ. We stopped trusting and believing and hoping. We were overcome with doubt. We were led astray by sin and temptation.
At one time some of us were like that silver coin that was lost. We began measuring our worth in the eyes of the world, instead of through the eyes of God. And we stopped believing that we mattered to God.
At one time some of us were perhaps like that lost son, who was so eager to live life to the fullest that he abandoned his father and plunged into utter ruin.
We come to this table because Christ passionately pursued us. He wants us to be part of his family and not alone in the wilderness. He wants us to know he values us so much that he paid the ultimate price to have us back. He wants us to know that his arms are nailed wide open to receive us back the very instant we repent.
Celebrate by giving, so that God may use the gifts to seek and save the lost.
As the offering trays are passed in the coming moments, I want you to see this as an opportunity to share in the passion of Jesus Christ. We often see money as a means to our ends. Money is something that will help us take one step further in pursuing our passions with greater success. Money will give us the independence we desire, the security, the freedom, the power, the control, the material things we want. Just now, may we each remember that this isn’t really about our desires. It is about Jesus Christ. It is about the life he wants to bring to our world. It is about his passions. It's about advancing Christ’s kingdom and God using our gifts to seek and save the lost.
But we also want this to be a moment of surrender. In your bulletin there is a tear off flap. Please fill that out and indicate your desire to respond to Christ, to communicate prayer requests, or to express your commitment.