This Sunday's Gospel reading is from Luke 17, telling the familiar story of the ten lepers who came to Jesus for healing. All were healed, but only one of the ten returned to give thanks to God for the miracle, and moreover he was a despised Samaritan. The lesson for us readers seems self-evident: we ought always to actively give thanks to God for the blessings we receive from his hand, and we should not be like the ungrateful nine, denying God the praise he deserves for his grace and mercy. But is that all there is to it? If the story is intended as an exhortation to behave in a certain way, it seems to be missing a key element: motivation. What penalty is there for ingratitude, and conversely, what reward is there for gratitude? The answers to these questions are not easy to find in the story. The key must lie in the very end, where Jesus tells the grateful ex-leper that his faith has made him well. This is not an unusual way for Jesus to end one of these encounters. Do we really understand what he means?

Our readings this week continue from last week’s readings. In our Gospel, Jesus is still responding to the Pharisees’ dismay at how he eats and drinks with sinners, with the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. Amos addresses those who think they are comfortably out of reach of the drama and judgement that will befall the rest of God’s people. Paul, writing to Timothy for the sake of a people in the midst of a complex hostile culture, teaches on godliness with contentment and the dangers of the love of money. All of this is relevant to our lives in a place where the cost of living is so high, and the prevailing expectations of our culture don’t leave space for God, family, or contentment.

This week, our readings are all about forgiveness and mercy, something that God specializes in. In Exodus 32:7-14, Moses begs God to forgive His people and God relents. In the Psalm 51:1-11, David begs for forgiveness after he has been confronted by Nathan over his sin with Bathsheba. Our gospel reading from Luke chapter 15:1-10, which we could probably name the lost and found chapter, begins with the parable of the lost sheep, goes to the lost coin and ends with the lost or “Prodigal Son.” At the beginning of the chapter, we see Jesus' old nemeses the Pharisees and the teachers of the law are again muttering against him. It seems that Jesus’ penchant for hanging out with sinners and, heaven forbid; eating with them is a problem for them. Jesus responds to the Pharisees in His usual manner with a few stories to get them to see the error of their ways. In the first parable, Jesus appeals to their pocket books. He poses the question, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and looses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” Jesus goes on to describe the rejoicing over the found sheep and ends by comparing this joy to the joy in heaven over those who repent. “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Just in case our Pharisees and teachers of the law didn’t get the point, Jesus continues with another story. Again Jesus starts with a question. “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.” Do you see the pattern here? Jesus poses a question, then He gives the answer in the form of a parable, finally He explains the parable. Jesus’ comparison here is almost the same as the first one, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” What is our theme so far? Heaven rejoices over the one sinner who repents, more than over all the others who do not need to repent. The good news for us in that God’s love embraces all sinners. Jesus story shows the contrast between the self-centered exclusiveness of the Pharisees, who failed to understand God’s love, and the concern and joy of God at the repentance of sinners. Remember that God loves each one of us as though there were only one of us. "How much more rejoicing is there in heaven over one sinner who repents?

So much of our lives involve working and striving and competing. In our Gospel reading this week, Jesus is observing the complicated sorting process going on as people sit down to dinner, where social rank determines who sits close to the head of the table. In our lives the jostling and sorting may be less explicit, but it is not absent. Jesus says that we should choose the lower spot & humble ourselves, rather than risk presuming and being corrected. It is another way the kingdom of God turns the affairs of men upside down.

In last week’s gospel, we were reminded to store up our treasures in heaven, because where our treasure is our heart will follow. We were told to always keep watching or be on the look out for the day of the Lord’s return. This week our lessons are all about the judgment that will take place when the Lord does return. Jeremiah compares God's Word to a fire and a hammer that smashes the rock to pieces. Jesus reminds us that he did not come to bring peace, or prosperity, but rather as the reading from Luke 12:49-56 says, " I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Clearly the coming of the Lord will not be a fun time for those who have chosen to reject Him. Too late they will realize the error they have made. But these readings also remind us that since we have chosen Him as Lord and Savior, our sin is covered over with His shed blood, and God sees us as His precious children. Because of Jesus we never have to fear the coming of “that Day” again. We will be judged, but only on the basis of what we have done or not done for Jesus. Jesus tells us, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city..... I, Jesus have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Rev.22:12-14 … “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Luke 12:32, 40