Based on Psalm 14, Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-26, 1Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10
In 1890, Francis Thompson penned an epic 182-stanza poem about God’s relentless pursuit of him. Thompson led a very difficult life, one that had him living homeless on the banks of the Thames River in London for a few years. Thompson was addicted to opium and for most of his adult life he led a solitary existence. He was a gifted poet, however, and he had a belief in God, having been raised up Roman Catholic. Throughout his tortured life he discovered that no matter how low he got, how destitute and abandoned he felt, how he tried to hide, that God was always searching for him – actually pursuing him, like a dog on the trail of a wild animal.
The poem that came out of his experience of God’s pursuit is entitled, “The Hound of Heaven” and it was an instant hit with faithful people and remains to this day a wonderful exposition on the presence of God and God’s longing to find us and bring us back into right relationship. The poem opens as follows: “I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears I hid from Him, and under running laughter. Up vistaed hopes I sped; And shot, precipitated, Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears, From those strong Feet that followed, followed after. But with unhurrying chase, And unperturbèd pace, Deliberate speed, majestic instancy, They beat…”
Francis Thompson realized that God was after him and all of us as well – even when we deny that there is a God or do our best to replace the One True God with lesser idols of our own making. The narrative of the Bible is clear – no matter how we try to avoid God or even if we state in our hearts that “There is no God”, as the fools in Psalm 14 did, still God is present and in pursuit of us to allow us to turn to God for comfort, unconditional love and a sense of peace and rest.
This “Hound of Heaven” that we call God is what our scriptures are speaking about today. Psalm 14 and Jeremiah 4 are both condemning what is happening with God’s chosen people. The writers of both scriptures denounce the people as fools who deny or forget all that God has done for them – the blessings that God freely bestows. God will give a righteous consequence for their foolishness and bring down calamity upon the people. Yet, God will not totally destroy them, for God’s covenant with Noah forbids it. God reminds the people, and us, that God is with the righteous, is a refuge for the poor and will pursue, find and restore God’s people.
The letter we know as 1Timothy is written to the church in Ephesus. The Ephesians had gotten off track and were even permitting some among them to live and act immorally. This letter is written to the leadership of the church to remind them of how they were supposed to be shepherding those entrusted to them. In our reading today Paul recounts how God’s mercy and grace saved him from his “ignorance and unbelief” – how God pursued him and caught up with him on the road to Damascus. Paul, the “worst of sinners” was shown “immense patience” by the Messiah so that Paul could serve as an example of how to live in God’s presence and love.
The section that we have before us today in the Gospel according to Luke is a narrative of the parables of Jesus. Chapter 15 contains three interconnected stories. In fact, the first two stories set up the parable of the Prodigal. The main message is about counting, searching for what is missing, and celebrating becoming whole again. Jesus is teaching the tax collectors and other sinners, while the Pharisees and teachers of the law are in the crowd. The leaders disparage Jesus for how he “welcomes sinners and eats with them”. In response to their foolishness, Jesus tells three Lost and Found parables. The upshot of each of these memorable stories is that we are never so lost that God cannot find us. God will continue to pursue us – never giving up the trail, until we are found and then rejoicing that the Body of Christ has become more whole.
All of us get lost and make mistakes from time to time. We are like the sheep that wanders away from the shepherd, or the rebellious child who just wants to do everything themselves. There are also many, many people right now who are wandering out in the world who have never heard the word of God in a way that they can understand. Additionally, there are those who have been so traumatized by people and policies of the Church, that they cannot find any good news here. Finally, there are those whose life choices or life circumstances have led them into a darkness and isolation that they believe is impenetrable for God.
To all those people, and to any who might be within earshot today I remind you of the truth sung in Psalm 139 – a part of which we used last week as our Call to Worship. Starting in verse 7 the writer poses questions about God’s abiding presence and then answers them stating, “…Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you….”
God pursued Francis Thompson throughout his life, his addiction, his homeless-ness and wanderings. God continued to search for him and ultimately sent a couple of people to him that changed his life and propelled him toward the light. His homelessness was relieved by befriending a woman who was also a social outcast. She gave him lodging and some stability. Thompson called her his savior, and her friendship allowed him to write poetry. In 1888, after three years on the streets, he was discovered after sending his poetry to the magazine “Merrie England”. He was sought out by the magazine's editors, Wilfrid and Alice Meynell, who recognized the value of his work. They befriended him and took him into their home, and they and their children appeared in some of his poetry. Because of God’s relentless pursuit, Francis Thompson was able to leave behind his first-hand experience of the blessing of God’s relentless search and find mission.
How about you? Do you have an experience of God’s pursuit of you – of you wandering away from God and God finding you and bringing you back? I know that I do. None of us should be surprised by God’s pursuit, because frequently in the Bible we are presented with stories of God searching out and employing unusual and unexpected people to move God’s plan along. God found the murderer Moses, Rahab the woman of ill repute, Jacob the usurper, the shepherds and Wise Men who left behind flocks and lives, all of the Disciples, the Apostle Paul and so many who are unremembered but who played an important role to bring us to where we are today. All of us are beloved children of God and all of are equal worth and importance for the creation of God’s kingdom here on earth. Each missing person is a missing piece of God’s puzzle and we as God’s emissaries here on earth have a responsibility to create a place for those who God has found and presented to us.
Today we celebrate that God has brought to us Dan, Teresa, Bill, Rhonda, Sandy, Connie, Norm and Robin. This was not our doing, it was God’s great act of love which put into their hearts to search for a place of belonging and spiritual growth. It is now our duty as brothers and sisters in the faith to love and care for them and to do all in our power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love – as they do the same to us. For this is why God pursues us – so that through God’s grace we might learn to love God and each other in ways that prove that no matter what we do or where we go, we can never be truly lost. Thanks be to the “Hound of Heaven” for the relentless pursuit of all of us! Amen.