Today is the 15th
Anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy and the other horrific events
that unfolded September 11, 2001. What I remember most from that day, aside
from all the television footage, was the chapel bell ringing at the seminary
and all of us knowing we needed to be there. We gathered at first in stunned
silence, then some of us weeping, some of us whispering, some of us wondering
because we had relatives in New York or elsewhere, and some of us numb and not
thinking at all, only feeling lost and grieving. And then together we began to
pray. As the prayer rose and gathered strength, rising unseen on the still air
in the chapel, we grew stronger, more determined, more ready to move into a world
torn apart and in deep need of God’s love and forgiveness. We made ready to
find the lost sheep of God.
The first parable in the Gospel today
is one of three back-to-back parables Jesus tells in the fifteenth chapter of
Luke. There’s an old Gospel hymn about the first of the two parables we hear
today. It’s called, The Ninety and Nine. Anybody know it? (Only one person
raised a hand. One other person later confided to me s/he knew the hymn, but
hadn’t her raised a hand.)
Elizabeth Clephane, a Scotswoman,
wrote it in 1868. Ira Sankey, who was the music associate of the Evangelist D.
L. Moody, spotted Ms. Clephane’s poem, printed in a newspaper. Mr. Sankey
tucked the poem in a pocket as he and moody boarded the train to an evangelism
event. On the train, Sankey tried to read the poem to Moody, but could tell
Moody was not paying attention. He tucked the poem back in his pocket and
forgot about it. During the worship service that same afternoon, Moody preached
on the Good Shepherd and at the end of his sermon turned to Sankey and asked
him to end the sermon with an appropriate solo. Sankey remembered Ms. Clephane’s
poem, pulled it out of his pocket, muttered a short prayer for God’s help,
struck an A flat on his little portable organ and began to sing, composing as he
went. When Sankey finished, both he and Moody were in tears. Moody asked Sankey
where he had found that beautiful text, and Sankey replied it was what he had
tried to read to Moody on the train. “I just didn’t hear it until now,” said
Moody.
In spite of all the other things
these parables about the lost sheep and the lost coin have to say, the primary message
of the parables is about joy. Yes, the parables are about loss. Yes, the parables
are about being found. And yes, these two parables are about the deep and
abiding love God has for us, even in the midst of our sins and sorrows.
Despite what you may hear elsewhere
in the world, God is the God of forgiveness. And God is the God of joy. Our
Lord Jesus Christ is the God who goes out looking for the least, the lost, and
the lonely.
So today, it seems particularly appropriate to let the words
of Elizabeth Clephane, the author of The Ninety and Nine, preach the Gospel.
Her words tell us, no matter how far
we stray, God rejoices and all heaven sings when we are found. This is how we
can live our lives even in the midst of horror, whether global or personal.
This is how we know who is the finder of the lost sheep and the lost coin, and even
the one who thinks he or she can never be found.
(Our choir director and a male member
of the choir sang the first verse of The
Ninety and Nine. When they finished, I kept silent for about a minute and
then read the poem in its entirety.)
The
Ninety and Nine[1]
There
were ninety and nine that safely lay
In
the shelter of the fold.
But
one was out on the hills away,
Far
off from the gates of gold.
Away
on the mountains wild and bare.
Away
from the Shepherd’s tender care.
Away
from the Shepherd’s tender care.
“Lord,
Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine.
Are
they not enough for Thee?”
But
the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine
Has
wandered away from Me,
And
although the road be rough and steep,
I go
to the desert to find My sheep.
I go
to the desert to fins My sheep.”
But
none of the ransomed ever knew
How
deep were the waters crossed,
Nor
how dark was the night the Lord passed through
Ere
He found his sheep that was lost.
Out
in the desert He heard its cry.
Sick
and helpless and ready to die,
Sick
and helpless and ready to die.
“Lord,
whence are those blood drops all the way
That
mark out the mountains track?”
“They
were shed for one who had gone astray
Ere
the shepherd could bring him back.”
“Lord,
whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?”
“They
are pierced tonight by many a thorn,
They
are pierced tonight by many a thorn.”
And
all through the mountains, thunder-riven,
And
up from the rocky steep
There
rose a cry to the gate of Heaven,
“Rejoice!
I have found My sheep!”
And
the angels echoed around the throne,
“Rejoice,
for the Lord brings back His own!
Rejoice
for the Lord brings back his own!”
AMEN.
The Rev Nicolette
Papanek
©2016
[1]
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Song Book, compiled and edited by Eugenia Garson,
Harper and Row Publishers, New York, Evanston, and London: 1968
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