Each of these parables contains a focus upon things that are LOST

A sheep is lost. A coin is lost. A son is lost.

In each parable, the centre of gravity rests upon the One.

These parables teach us what it is to truly be the Church of Jesus Christ. We can measure how we do Church against these parables of Jesus. Jesus told these parables to direct, correct, and dissect the religion of his own people. In Luke’s time these parables were used in the same way for his community of faith. Two thousand years later they also speak to us. They can be a reality check for us. How do these parables measure us?

A Church maybe the most whizz-bang of them all, with all the right programs, right ministers, right music, right prayers, right doctrine, right people but, if it is not left on restoring the ONES or the ONE – we are not right with God.

The Parable of the Lost Son, is God’s story for the Church par excellence. Now, there is always a lot of focus upon the Father waiting all those months (years) for the return of the Son and upon his forgiveness of the Son. But there is something here that is often missed.

At the very beginning of the story, we find that the Father chooses to become powerless. The almighty father forgoes all his rights and privileges and dignity and gives his son the inheritance. He could have negotiated something with the son. But no, he gives all. He is prepared to give his whole life for his son. And this is what Jesus does for us. He gives us our inheritance before our time, when we do not deserve it and he gives it with no strings attached. To give such love requires the giver to be in a state of powerlessness.

God, through Jesus Christ offers all humanity unconditional love. Yet, the Church universal, which the Apostle Paul described as the Body of Christ seems to often offer its services conditionally i.e. if it can get something in return. True love (agape love) can only exist or be given when it is freely given. You try to force love or control others with it . you lose it.

Christ came to restore humanity to God by restoring humanity to itself. Through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, this mandate now rests with the Church of Jesus Christ.

How do we measure up?

“Stand up for your rights” is a great catch cry of our time. These three parables and indeed many other parts of the New Testament stand in contradiction to this notion.

The three parables of Jesus suggest instead: Stand up for the rights of others and abandon your own. This is how the Church is to exist. The Church is to die to itself to find itself in Christ Jesus. This is the only way true reconciliation between people can occur. Can you imagine what might actually happen if men began to stand up for the rights of women? Can you imagine what would happen if women began to stand up for the rights of men?

Can you imagine what would happen if a Church in the town began to serve the other Churches of the town? Can you imagine the revolution that would occur if we began to do everything from the point of view of the One!

The Church of Jesus Christ is being summoned again in this hour by the Holy Spirit to be a training ground of discipleship – to train and equip its members to abandon the constructed self of the dominant culture and to create a new self image/d in Christ Jesus.

Let us now measure the constructed self of the dominant Western Culture against the implied self of the Parables of Jesus.

How is the self portrayed in the dominant culture?

a.. Life is Easy

a.. You can keep looking and feeling young forever

a.. You are the most important

a.. You are in control

a.. Life is about You

How is the self portrayed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

a.. Life is Hard

a.. You are going to Die

a.. You are not that important

a.. You are not in control

a.. Life is not just about you

(Richard Rohr)

How do we measure up? Is the message, structure and life of our Church influenced more by the values of Jesus or by the dominant culture?

What things will have to change so that our Churches are countering the values of the dominant culture? For the values of Babylon are in reality not values at all, they are deeply symptomatic of a culture ill and diseased at its very core.

What things are we doing well? What reflects the glory of God in our Church? What does our Church do that co-operates with the Living Jesus amongst the poor and the lost in our communities?

What things have to change in Church? What attitudes need to change? Do some structures and traditions need to change or do some need to be made obsolete?

What are the core values of our Church? What do we believe is non-negotiable in these changing times? What things must remain, for us to be the Church in our particular neighborhood?

Key issues that Christian Churches need to be dealing with (i.e. giving direction, having dialogue, offering teaching and training, praying for, looking for Biblical solutions).

a.. Relationships (being proactive in affirming relationships between husbands and wives; emphasis especially on building up men in the congregation)

a.. Rediscovering the power and inspiration of the great stories of the Bible

a.. Strong emphasis upon the power of prayer

a.. People need to belong – emphasis upon small groups (but with strong, sound, inclusive, servant leadership)

a.. Discipling the congregation – lead, train and equip people to be disciples. A key here is the root word: Discipline

a.. Openness to the diversity of spiritual journeys within the realm of the Kingdom of God

a.. Models of Leadership – not hierarchy nor democracy but the strong, spirit-filled, servant leadership of Jesus is the core value of leadership. What is needed is the Jesus’ archetype: servant leader.

A Leader:

Knows the Way

Shows the Way

Goes the Way

a.. The priority of the poor and the lost in all that we do. (This was Jesus’ and Paul’s Way) Sir William Deane, Christian, Former Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, poignantly stated in his 1999 Australia Day Address: “The ultimate test of our worth as a truly democratic nation must surely be how we treat our most vulnerable.”

We need to support and reach out to our most vulnerable! That means being theologically, biblically, socially and politically active if we are to be as Jesus Christ to the world. This will be very unpopular at times (especially with fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord!).

Bishop Dom Helda Camara once said: “When I feed the poor they call me a Saint; when I ask why the poor are poor they call me a Communist.”

a.. Models of Church – moves toward defining the Church as a Corporation are occurring even with Churches of Christ. Does the means justify the end? Is it ok to adopt the practices of the world? But isn’t that what the Church has always done? How do we go about deciding what is ok to adopt from the world and when not to?

a.. The reality of God’s Grace – needs to remain the reality check for our Churches. Jeff May, Director of Pastoral Services for Churches of Christ in South Australia, has rightly said that when power brokers take hold of the Church – the first casualty is GRACE! Churches continue to erode God’s Grace by replacing it with laws. Or Grace is reduced to God letting you off the hook as long as you are feeling really guilty and will try harder next time! Or Grace is largely replaced by judgement. You can be one of the inner sanctum if you do this and don’t do that.

a.. We must learn to BE like Jesus – servants of all (but especially to the Ones). But Jeff May again reminds us: being a servant is tough – it’s washing the dirt off other people, it’s about being with people who are dirty and finding out we are pretty dirty too. We need to teach our people the unpopular lessons that resurrection life is not primarily found in the singing of The Great South Land – but is found in the crucifixion events of life – when we see that our South Land is anything but great. It is a land that is under a powerful Babylonian delusion. As leaders of the Christian Church we have a mandate to tell our people of the hope, power and triumph of following Jesus. Amen! But it is not easy street this following. To follow Jesus, to be like him, is to be led the way of the Cross. This is the way of Resurrection. Following Jesus, to be empowered and imbued with his Spirit, is to live as he lived. He lived a fully human life, immersed in his human potential, totally giving, vulnerable, resolute, strong for the weak, passionate, feeling, open, full of grace, raging against evil and injustice, funny, outlandish yet with dignity, outrageous in generosity. In short, Jesus is the most human One who ever lived – shorter still, he is thereby full of God’s glory.

a.. How do we measure up?

Blessings

KIM THODAY

HEWETT COMMUNITY CHURCH OR CHRIST, SOUTH AUSTRALIA