This week we begin a series of readings in St. Luke’s Gospe that sometimes described as the Gospel of the Outcasts. It’s about finding those who are pushed to the edges, those who are living on the margins, those who are lost?

What do we have to offer the lost? If we are to search alongside the Shepherd, if we are to sweep the house with the diligence of the woman, what exactly do we have in our hands to share?

We are more than a party. The church is not just a social club, a group for the well-sorted and well-behaved. The joy of finding the lost is not just about “completing the guest list.” If that were all, we would have missed the heart of the Gospel.

What are we inviting people into? What have they lost, and what do we claim to have found?

We invite them, and ourselves, into reconciliation: to God, and to one another. This is not superficial inclusiveness, but a radical sign of God’s kingdom. We are all sinners, all redeemed, all brought home on the shoulders of Christ. We do not invite the lost to become like us; we rejoice that together, we are found by Him.

You can view the sermon directly by using this link.