It had been very wet weather for Allan Cunningham's party. Distances were being measured on a trundle wheel attached to the back of a cart. Allowances had to be made for when it bumped over rocks and logs. Cunningham was trying to find a way through to the coast. Whichever valley he went up he came to an impassible rock face. Eventually, he retraced his steps, went further north and discovered Cunningham's Gap.
As Bill and the Nats worked on their project, again and again they thought they were on the right track… but then the next piece of evidence didn't fit. At last some pages came which referred to some white quartz rock. Bill said, "I know where that is". Once that clue was solved, all the other pieces fitted together. Cunningham's whole route was clear.
We have holidayed many times in Girraween National Park. We have the maps. We have walked all the walking tracks. We know the landmarks. I have led the younger members on walks sometimes as long as seven-and-a-half hours on uncharted routes. We can add the Bread slices, Kitchen Caves, the Match-sticks… to our repertoire. Because of rocks or undergrowth, a new route may take longer than we had hoped, but we have never been lost. We have our map and compass and know the landmarks.
Have you ever been lost? There are several levels of lostness. You can be lost and not know it. You can be lost but not admit it. Then there's that terrible feeling of lostness. Perhaps there is a fourth level too - a false feeling of lostness when, in fact, we have just lost our bearings for the moment.
In our reading there were two groups present - "Tax collectors and 'sinners'" and "Pharisees and teachers of the law". The first group knew they were doing the wrong thing - they knew they were lost. The second group could define right and wrong and could have stated who was and who wasn't "lost". But it was always "the others" and never them. They would never admit to being "lost" themselves.
Jesus told three parables about lostness. I am not sure the sheep meant to be lost. Perhaps one tuft of grass just led to another. It was lost because of a number of small decisions - or the failure to make a number of small decisions. However it got there isn't the issue of the story - it was lost.
What is now Sundown National Park near Ballandean used to be sheep country. With the permission of the owners we entered by an old mining road, giving them a wave as they drenched their sheep. As we made slow progress by four-wheel drive, we saw a very shaggy sheep. It had managed to miss out on at least one year's shearing. Was it lost? From the owners' point of view, yes, though we suspected it was happily lost.
Palestinian sheep faced real dangers if separated from their shepherd and flock. Lions, bears, wolves, jackals and hyenas were on the prowl, looking for prey. It wasn't safe to be lost. Flocks were small and the shepherd took personal care for the well-being of his sheep. One lost sheep out of a hundred was cause for concern and action.
The coin was accidentally lost - it hadn't chosen to go missing! The loss was quite significant to the woman. Some have suggested that it may have been one of a set of ten worn on her forehead as a sign of her marriage. But not necessarily so. It represented the equivalent of a day's wage, and for the average person, that represented a great deal.
The third story, not in today's reading, was about the lost son - and the lost elder brother! The one had chosen to go far from home. After all he did there, he wasn't sure he was entitled (or welcome) to return home. The other had stayed at home and lived a straight life - but was living outside his father's love.
The three stories are all coming from different angles at the universal problem of human lostness - the situation in which all of us are sinners and separated from the God who loves us.
The three stories all speak to us of the searching, redemptive, forgiving love of God. The central message is that, though all humankind has been lost in one way or another, there is good news that in Christ all can be found.
Note well the love of God. Whoever we are, wherever we are, whatever we have done, God loves us. Sin and rebellion have their consequences and the Scriptures speak of "the wrath of God". But while God may be angry, he isn't anger. God is love.
The one sheep is valued. The one coin is prized. The foolish son who has brought shame on the family name is loved. It isn't a good or safe matter to stay lost, but it is a vital part of restoration to know that God loves us.
Note also God's search for the lost. The shepherd doesn't have "more important" things to do. The woman isn't satisfied until the lost is found. The father saw his son "while he was still a long way off" - the son had never been forgotten. Home is still home, and a warm welcome is awaiting every sinner who repents and returns. However they became lost, God is seeking out each sinner.
This searching, redemptive, forgiving love of God came to its focus in the life and ministry of Jesus. It's the very reason Jesus came. It's the key to seeing the significance of all he did and to understanding why he died.
The searching, redemptive, forgiving love of God… Jesus who was born to save his people from their sins is the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep, who calls others who are not yet of his fold, who goes out to seek and to save the lost.
The three stories all speak of celebration - of great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents.
Being found and brought back isn't some kind of stern discipline - "and you had better stay put this time!" There's a celebration - a celebration of the searching love fulfilled, an enfolding into the community of love.
We all fit into the story somewhere. It doesn't matter how we became lost. We don't have to stay lost. God's love is reaching out to us, wanting to forgive, wanting to bring us back home. The important thing is coming home - being enfolded in the Father's love and giving cause for the great celebration.
Back to Sermons