In working on my sermon for this weekend, the gospel reading is Luke 15:1-10 and the part that jumped out at me was the accusation levelled at Jesus that he welcomed sinners and ate with them. His response was that heaven celebrates when the lost is found, when the 99 are left to fend for themselves while the shepherd seeks out the one.
Churches have a hard time grasping this. We love the image of the Good Shepherd but forget the content of the image – Jesus seeking out the stubborn, ornery, rebellious sheep that won’t stick with the flock. If you are going to be like Jesus, that is where you go. You give up security to risk finding the one who is farthest from the flock. Of course, the result is that the flock is either confident in their own abilities to hold together or they get anxious and mad because the shepherd isn’t doing his job – taking care of them.
I think the metal mass is a great example of this tension and shockingly, it is the creation of Lutherans, Finnish Lutherans no less. Proof that heavy metal Lutherans is not an oxymoron or shorthand for describing pipe organs.
Lutheran pastors around Finland are embracing this because the “lost” generation of 40 and under have left the organized church. If they showed up on a Sunday morning, to say they wouldn’t fit in would be an understatement. However, if you watch the video, the response has been incredible.
Luther is worth remembering – speak the gospel in the language of the people and they will hear. Just remember, sooner or later that language won’t be your own and you will have to learn theirs.
yes, there is a podcast in this. give me a couple of days.