16th Sunday after Pentecost / Proper 19 (year C) 

In today’s Gospel reading Luke 15:1-10, Jesus uses the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin to address the complaints of the misinformed and spiritually blind religious leaders in his own Jewish religion. As the Son of Man, Jesus taught, revealed and demonstrated the truth that God eternally loves and deeply cares for all people [John 3:11-17]. In today’s epistle 1 Timothy 1:12-17, the apostle Paul talks about how God's mercy, grace, love and truth brought confession, forgiveness and conversion in his life, through his personal encounter and faith in the indwelling, risen Christ.

Like many other aggressive and misinformed religious leaders in all the world religions, in ignorance, arrogance, and unbelief, Paul sought to literally destroy not only the teaching of the Gospel of Christ but all people who choose to follow the historic Jesus. After his conviction, confession and conversion Paul recognized that Jesus of Nazareth came into the world to save sinners, of whom he considered himself foremost and chief. To Paul, the invisible and eternal Christ of faith, as revealed in and through the historic Jesus, displayed the utmost patience and confidence, by making him an example to all who would eventually come to believe in the Historic Jesus and the Christ of faith, for eternal life.

Like Paul, disciples of the historic Jesus who have spiritual understanding, recognize and embrace their privilege, challenge and responsibility as ministers of reconciliation through the Christ of faith. These witnessing communities proclaim and share the truth of God’s unconditional love and caring especially for repentant sinners who have been estranged and marginalized inappropriately within all religions, cultures and ethnic groups [1 Timothy 1:14].

Converted, spiritually awake believers know they are called by God, to follow Jesus and Paul in seeking and saving those who are no longer experiencing God’s indwelling presence, providence, protection, provision and promises through the Christ of faith [Luke 19:10, John 3:16-17]. Many repentant sinners have chosen to dwell in ignorance, error and spiritual blindness. They have not embraced the fact that all people were originally designed by God to experience and manifest God's image and likeness both individually and collectively [Genesis 1:28-31].

The historic Jesus and the apostle Paul both stress God’s patience, mercy, and love for all who have lost the vision and experience of their divine heritage. Paul especially highlights God’s forgiveness and conversion of especially aggressive and violent sinners like himself, who choose to repent and put their faith in the historic Jesus and the Christ of faith [Luke 15: 1-10,1 Timothy 1:14]. In the Christ of faith, God’s has provided the universal means of mankind's deliverance and freedom from past sin, guilt, unbelief, fear and ignorance.

Repentant sinners can have forgiveness of their sins and experience spiritual understanding, new birth and reconciliation with God and one another through the Christ of faith. The presence and work of the living Christ and the Holy Spirit in the hearts, souls and minds of repentant sinners provide discernment, conversion and entry into the kingdom of God, through the spiritual core of all people [Luke 17:20-21]. Grace, love, truth, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life are among the most important words and human experiences described in the Gospel of Christ.

In Jeremiah 3:10, God’s revealed to Jeremiah that the religious teachings and practices of the Israelites were ineffective, because the Jews were not taught to return to God with their hearts, souls, minds and strength, through the indwelling Christ of faith and the Holy Spirit. Outwardly they were taught to embrace much physical change, but inwardly they remained estranged from Abba Father, the Christ of faith and the Holy Spirit [Trinity], the presence, image and likeness of God in their spiritual bodies.

Throughout his ministry, the historic Jesus declared and modeled the inner spiritual path as the only means of forgiveness, conversion and sharing God’s means of grace, truth, salvation and reconciliation with God and one another [John 14:6, 17:20-26]. The well know author Emmet Fox puts the Paschal Mystery of reconciliation with God and one another through the Christ of faith in these words. “Salvation comes to a few gently and easily, but the majority has to work out their salvation with a certain amount of “fear and trembling”, for the time being. The actual way in which it comes is really not important, for come it will – when we seek it with our whole heart.”

Let us give honor, glory and full recognition to the historic Jesus, as the fully orbed, image and likeness of God, the Christ. As spiritually awake witnessing communities, let us like Jesus and Paul, not only proclaim, but also effectively model God’s grace, forgiveness, truth and steadfast love for those who are lost and estranged from their divine heritage of abundant and eternal life through the Christ of faith. As witnessing communities let us, in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit proclaim and model the forgiveness and conversion available to all repentant sinners through the Christ of faith.

Virtue of the week: Steadfastness

Prayer of the week: Using the mental power already within you