God's House - Coins and Clutter

September 15, 2013 Psalm 14.1-7, *Luke 15.1-10 “God’s House – Coins and Clutter” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

It used to be that Saturday morning in many households was reserved for dusting, polishing, cleaning up, wiping down, waxing, and refreshing the home. Sometimes in the clean-up process, one would find lost items, toys that disappeared and coins underneath chair cushions that you did not even realize had left your pocket.

One of the good things about cleaning up our act and decluttering our homes, our hearts, and our lifestyles is that it often reveals what God values, something that has been lost in the shuffle and needs to be found.

Jesus reminds us through parables that we are sheep, and we can easily lose our way, lose our footing, loose our balance. We need our shepherd, and we need each other. There may be seasons when we are like prodigal children, squandering love while investing in destructive pleasures. We can be lost like coins, taking ourselves for granted. Still we are treasured by a God who watches over us day and night like widow in Jesus’ parable who sought after the coin perhaps because it could be cashed in and her future needs would be met. God seeks us as if God can’t live without us.

Who do you know that is lost, today? Is it a neighbor who has wandered into a wilderness of sin, family member who has strayed into dangerous pathways, a valuable friend who is lost and forgotten by many?  Week after week, we may barely notice the lost. We may get used to the way things are. Still, the Holy Spirit stirs our hearts to remember, not only the 99 of us that are doing great, but also that ONE who may be lost.

Setting aside time to clean up and declutter our lives, helps us see that we are all precious in God’s sight, and God will do anything to be with us, to love on us, to care about us no matter how broken and beat down we might be.

I met a man in a Baltimore neighborhood who had a great government job, but he began to miss more and more days because of his drinking problem. Eventually, he went to the hospital as his vital organs began to rebel. I chatted with him and a couple other neighbors on the stoop one afternoon. Though he was just a few weeks from the grave, he talked about a grievance hearing he had with his job and the many opportunities he had lost.

As he talked, I felt God’s great compassion for him. I began to believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding me to tell him that I love him. Not that God loved him or we loved him, but that I loved him. I barely knew him, I argued. What if he misunderstands, I debated. It was a ridiculous thought, declaring love to someone so lost. Eventually, I found the words that connected us as brother and sister. His face lit up, those listening took notice, and I knew I had made a good decision. I also knew that whatever God did was not about words, it was about the power of the Holy Spirit to work unity and harmony in unlikely places. It was about being surrounded by the sound of God’s mighty, rushing wind giving us words and deeds that matter whether we are ready or not, whether others get it or not. 

Those who know of Maya Angelou know that she had been molested, and as a result of the trauma became mute from age 7 to 13. She later worked as a madam and an entertainer. The story is told of her taking voice lessons. Her teacher gave her an exercise where she was to read out of a religious pamphlet. The reading ended with these words: "God loves me." She finished the reading and put the pamphlet down. The teacher said, "I want you to read that last sentence again." So she picked it up, read it again, this time somewhat sarcastically, then put it down again.

The teacher said, "Read it again." She read it again. “God loves me.” Then she described what happened. "After about the seventh repetition I began to sense there might be some truth in this statement. That there was a possibility that God really loves me, Maya Angelou. I suddenly began to cry at the grandness of it all. I knew if God loved me, I could do wonderful things. I could do great things...*

If you have not already experienced it, in time you will see for yourself that the love of God finds us in many places and in many ways.  That makes it that much easier for us to unclutter our lives long enough to see what God sees, each neighbor is treasured  neighbor, all family members are precious, the forgotten friend is very valuable.

Who is it with whom God is calling you to share a word of comfort, a faithful deed, a prayer of healing? Surely, God is calling each of us to connect with at least one person as if we are blood relatives, because we are. Amen.

*Sermons.com Mark Trotter