Joy Found

This Sunday our gospel (Luke 15: 1-10) is two of the three “lost” stories – the lost sheep and the lost coin. For some reason we do not get the third lost story – the lost sons – or the unfinished story of a father who had two sons. Never mind.

It is surprising to hear how often these stories are understood to be about the need for repentance. Sure Luke does give that editorial edge to it. But there is very little repenting in these stories, and the stories were told because Pharisees and Scribes were grumbling about sinners and tax collectors coming to Jesus, and Jesus not only been ok with that, but welcoming it and even celebrating this by eating with them – not the done thing socially or religiously! Even then there is no indication these tax collectors or sinners were repenting. Just searching.

Rather than being about repentance these are stories filled with loss, searching, finding, relief and communal celebration. They invited the original hearers to name their own sense of loss, their own seeking, and to join the joyous party of the found. They are stories of joy; joy in heaven, joy among the angels, the father’s outrageous joy. They invite us to do the same.