NOTE: How can you respond to the Gospel in your life? These reflections, based on Sunday’s sermon, are meant to keep the message alive throughout the week. Share how the Christian adventure went for you–use the comment section below:
Perhaps it’s easier to imagine ourselves as sheep than as coins. Sheep and shepherds are pretty common biblical metaphors, and rather comforting, as long as you can get past the insulting implications of being thought of as sheep. Coins, on the other hand—how do you entertain that image?
Maybe that’s why the first parable, that of the lost sheep and the determined shepherd who locates it, is so much more familiar. The sheep wanders off, the shepherd gets it and brings it home. That story is easy to imagine. Jesus’ other parable—how do we relate to a lost coin, gathering dust in a dark corner somewhere? The coin doesn’t even recognize that it is lost, or that anyone is looking for it, until the housekeeper’s broom sweeps it out into the light.
Here’s the question: Does the coin need to recognize that it is lost in order to be found? Too many Christians go to great lengths trying to convince people that they are sinners in need of a shepherd. The God they preach comes across as petty, ready to condemn humanity to eternal damnation for the telling of one lie. Are we really lost sinners because we aren’t perfect? Aren’t these demands a little unrealistic? Has God never taken a psychology class?
People see themselves as basically ok—do we really need to argue the point? What if instead of expecting repentance from coins comfortable in the darkness, we shine a light that demonstrates what they are missing? What might that light be? How could we show that we who are believers have hope, life and direction—that this isn’t as good as it gets, and we have a vision to make things better?
So this is the challenge and adventure for this week: How can you shine the light of your faith in your world? What can you do to demonstrate that at the center of your world is your unique identity as God’s beloved? Then, once you have identified a way to shine your light—what happened? Report back here!
One Response
The first thing I thought of was the passage in Matthew: “Judge not, lest you be judged. For whatever judgment you have, you shall be judged and whatever measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why do you see the mote in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?” The thing about judging (we all do it) is that it’s our challenge (opportunity) to look inside ourselves. I resisted that for a long time. I like a quote I heard about judging – “If you spot it, you got it!” That always stops me in my tracks. I dislike hearing “love the sinner, hate the sin” because it doesn’t make any sense to me. Who am I to judge? We are all part of God’s creation and everyone has their own path to redemption. Regarding the coin parable, I’ve been that coin and can go there temporarily at anytime, but I’ve been brought into the light many times before, and I know that my God loves me and takes care of me – always. I have friends and family members who live as coins in the darkness and I can bring light to them through Jesus’ teachings of kindness, compassion, sharing and caring. It works if I remember who I am and “Let it begin with me.”