"Seeking & Finding"

TITLE:                    “Parables of Power:  Seeking & Finding”
SERMON TEXT:    Luke 15:1-10
PREACHER:           Rev. Kim James
OCCASION:           July 17, 2016, at First UMC
 
 INTRODUCTION
                 One of the unique and delightful things about Ogden is the herd of painted fiberglass horses that appears on the downtown sidewalks every summer.  I read in the newspaper this week that the original purpose of the horses was to serve as a trail to direct and lead people toward the Pioneer Days Rodeo.  With that information in my head, I have now observed that the horses are facing in a variety of directions.  Maybe in the beginning of the painted-horse tradition, they were all facing toward the Pioneer Stadium.  But today, they’re facing north, south, east, and west.  So, I think it might be a bit confusing to try to follow the horses to the rodeo.  Anyone who would try to do so would probably end up going in circles and get lost.  While the horses display some fantastic artwork that’s enjoyable to look at, maybe it would be better to use GPS or Google Maps for seeking and finding the rodeo.
                In this month of July, we’re thinking about Jesus’ “Parables of Power” in the Gospel of Luke.  On July 3, we read a parable about investing in the future.  On July 10, at our worship service in the park, we gained power from the parable about sowing and growing.  Today, we continue with not just one, but two of the parables in Luke 15 that tell about something or someone that is lost and found.  Let’s examine these Jesus stories and consider how we can be empowered by seeking and finding.

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