Third Sunday after Trinity (2023)
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Luke 15:1-10
Luke 15:1-10
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we speak today of Life Sunday, and we celebrate it to today instead of in January because what we had hoped for and longed for, for many years happened. That our prayers were answered and a window was given for us to speak up for the life of those who are in need, and have no voice of their own. This issue is one that is a hot button topic, and we must approach it with love, and keep in mind that our primary hope and goal is that those who are lost are brought to Christ.
Those who are Lost
Satan is the father of lies.
The devil’s goal from the beginning has been to move mankind away from the word, and to abandon the truth that we find in God alone. Satan has been doing this since the garden of Eden and we must remain vigilant for he seeks to devour those that belong to God.
The devil want us to believe is that life is not good.
In fact he wants to persuade us that we are better off dead, and that there is nothing better than for us to be dragged down into the ground that we might belong to long for death. Since life is so awful, we are actually doing something good when we bring others down into the grave as well. Now if someone came up to us and said this, we would make sure they police had their description and knew their location. But he is crafty, and so ...
He convinces us to measure life by its worth.
Just like the garden he seeks to corrupt that which God has given and wants to lead us down the road to death, and despair that we might be trapped firmly in hell with him at the end of time. So he seeks to change our understand of what makes for a good life.
Worthiness in the World
What does the world prize?
Think about it for a moment what is pushed to the forefront and what attributes of life does it value?
It values strength, health, and intellect.
There is an exercise that they have people do in school, where there is some type of disaster situation and you have to decide who to take with you. You take those who can are strong, healthy, and smart, and yourself of course. The other thing the world values
It values the potential of youth.
We think back on when we are young and how the world lays before us and doors are open for us to accomplish whatever we might want. Because so many of those doors have since been shut.
To make it sound nicer it is defined as quality.
You have want to have a good life, a decent life, a life that is valued, and that sums it all up. or ....
As the Nazis put it, life worthy of life.
They had set aside God, and looked at what the world offered and all of those things were treasured and valued by their members and they removed whatever wasn’t worthy. You need to understand what drove them, and it was that they determined what the best life was.
The Lost Sheep
What is the value of one sheep?
Compared with the 99 sheep, it’s one percent of the value of the entire flock, is it worth risking the 99 for the sake of one? We might look a bit, but to leave the 99 behind and go find the one seems a bit extreme.
The shepherd doesn’t abandon the lost sheep because it is precious to him.
The value of that sheep is found not in its various attributes, but rather its worthy comes from the one who loves it. The shepherd in this case, and that is why
There is great joy when it is brought home.
For the sheep that was lost has been found and because of his great love for it, he wants to rejoice that it has been rescued from the darkness of this world and brought to life.
The Value of Life
Man was brought to life by the breath of God.
We were shaped from the dust of the earth, we would say that by our substance we are nothing much, but God breathed into this lifeless clay and gave us life, life that comes from the Creator of all things.
Each person was knit together in the womb.
God didn’t stop at giving us breath, the Scriptures tell us that even while we were yet in the womb he knit us together that we might be formed and brought forth into the world. When you speak of a work of art, the value comes from the worker of the material. The greater the skill, the greater the piece of art. We were formed by God himself.
We see the value of life at the cross.
For there upon the Cross the Son of God is nailed to a piece of wood, gasping for breath, bleeding from his head, his hands, and his feet, and upon his head is a crown of thorns.
What was the price paid for your life?
It was the life of the Son of God, the Blood of Christ poured out for you, his body given into death, his spirit tortured and in anguish as he suffers for your sins, and he finally bows his head and gives up his spirit for you.
This is why every life is valuable.
It doesn’t matter how young or old they are, it doesn’t matter if they are strong, if they’re healthy, or how smart or dumb they might be, or if they are poor or rich. The devil wants us to ignore what Christ did there, wants us to ignore the fact that God created us, and for us to get rid of those who don’t meet the world’s standards.
Walking in the World
We ought to rejoice that life has been protected.
We agree that what the Nazis did was awful, and our nation ended more lives than they did in the womb. That is a reason to celebrate and rejoice that this was overturned after nearly 50 years.
Our joy is not yet complete.
This has just opened the door for us and we would be remiss to focus just on those it affects in the womb. Changing laws doesn’t change hearts, it doesn’t explain to people why life is valuable, but we have those answers and can share them with our neighbor.
We are in the world, but not of the world.
We do not want to fall prey to the lies that wily snake continues to sow seeds of doubt and dissension. We want to share God’s Word, that they can see what God has done that we might have life, and have it to the fullest.
We stand up for the truth, and to point people to Christ.
The world has largely forgotten this, this because many do not know what Christ has done, they speak of being Christians, but they don’t know God’s word. Let us point them back to Christ for we can and we have something good and wonderful to share with them.
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have reason to rejoice, for the door has opened a bit for us to remind our neighbors that life is a gift, and a wonderful gift that comes from God. Let us not fall back into the ways of darkness, but let us bring the light of God into the world to share with others, the issue of life is one that is a great treasure and we ought to continue to champion this cause lest we lose the ground that has been gained by God’s grace. In Jesus name, amen.