The Lost One

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon delivered by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, September 14, 2025, drawing from Luke 15:1-10.

Today, in the Gospel of Luke chapter 15, four parables are gathered together under the overall theme of “finding what was lost.” The first two are relatively brief, followed by the famous story of the “Prodigal Son” in the latter part. In a sense, today's Scripture passage might serve as an introduction to that latter story. The first one is about one lost sheep out of a hundred, and the second about one lost silver coin out of ten; both are lost, and their owners search diligently and find them. The latter story, as you likely know, is about one of two brothers who runs away from home.

When we read these three stories in Luke 15, it always makes me think about the concept of fractions. The first is one out of a hundred, the second one out of ten, and the last one out of two. Expressed as percentages, that's 1%, 10%, and 50%. And perhaps we lose sight of the importance and meaning of the numerator always being the same - 1 - when the denominator of the fraction is so large. But no matter how large the denominator seems, no matter how much one might feel like 1% of the whole is so small as to be unimportant, for the one who was lost it is everything; 100%. Jesus likely placed these three parables side by side as a warning against our tendency to view things solely through the lens of what percentage we are of the whole.

Our society often emphasizes majority rule and the power of numbers. Yet, each of the hundred sheep should be equally precious, and the value of one silver coin is the same as any of the other nine. A mindset which says, “One sheep or one coin is no big deal compared to the whole, there are plenty more,” is actually very dangerous. And if you were to be the one ignored or forgotten because “it's just one person,” we should never allow ourselves to accept that. This text shows the profound fear which comes when we lose sight of the importance of the small, the minority, and that one individual.

Let us pray.

Lord, help us to always remember that we are each of us loved and protected by You as individuals. May we continually give thanks that You guide our flock, our church, and the gathering together of each and every one of us. For the sake of the little ones, the weak, and the small whom You cherished and loved, we pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.