Luke 15:1-10

In the reading tonight, the very first thing that we see is Jesus in His usual set up. There he was mixing with tax collectors: in other words, people who were in league with the corrupt Roman government, who did so just for the sole purpose of making money, regardless if it meant letting their own people down or seeing the people in their own ethnic minority abused. So He was with tax collectors and "sinners". Sinners were generally people who were born Jewish but chose not to follow the Mosaic laws and were therefore seen as outcasts.

Now Jesus could have ignored these people but He could not keep silent. He burned with desire to communicate the love of God to all people and He did this by eating and talking with them and spending quality time with them - a sure sign of friendship to a Jewish person; He also burned with frustration over the image that the established Jewish religion was giving out and just as He could not keep silent over those who were outsiders, neither could He keep quiet when He saw the total injustices that were being done to His beloved Parent in the name of religion.

The religious authorities thought He was totally sinful and ungodly to mix with sinners and tax collectors but not only did Jesus often do this, but the sinners and tax collectors were drawn to him. In fact the more ungodly, unrighteous and undesirable a person was, the more that person felt drawn to Jesus; yet the more righteous, together and desirable a person was, the more that person felt threatened by Jesus. The opposite of what people would generally think.

In real terms that probably means that if Jesus were on this earth today, He would not be in any church but He would expect us to be out there with Him being a friend to those who had none for whatever reason, be they homeless, drug addicts, mentally ill, eccentrics or just "different".

Think about it - when you are shopping in Brighton, who is it that you avoid? Maybe the teenagers because you feel threatened by them? Maybe the elderly because they seem miserable? Maybe it's those selling the Big Issue because they want your money and it means facing up to the fact that society is not perfect? Maybe the disabled because you don't know how to cope with their physical or mental challenges?

Then ask yourself, would Jesus have avoided them, and how would He have approached them and made them feel special? What would He have done to make their lifestyles easier in society? The thing is that Jesus made everyone feel special, loved, wanted and needed. What a gift - never to make anyone feel uncomfortable and always identifying with others.

But not only did Jesus treat people in a special way, He also spoke out, loudly, as a voice for those who could not speak - on behalf of those who could not defend themselves. In our reading tonight, when challenged by the Pharisees He didn't respond by just keeping quiet and ignoring what they had said, He spoke out in parables to make His point very clearly that the outcasts of society were just as important to God as were the "acceptable" people.

Maybe some of us here tonight feel that we are unlovable and unacceptable in the eyes of God for whatever reason. Or maybe some of us aren't too sure if God loves us fully with our sexuality as it is. Or maybe some of us feel rejected by God because of what other Christians have done to us or said to us. And if we feel like that, how much more must there be people outside this church who feel isolated, ignored, worthless and unlovable. God loves us not because of who we are but because of who God is. God cannot stop loving us however hard we try to put God off. It's impossible - like trying to prove that the angles of a triangle don't add up to 180 degrees. Or trying to prove that the seas and oceans do not have tides.

But we have to remember that we are the voice of Christ on this earth. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are His arms, His heart, His compassion and His ministry and if we keep silent, who will speak out on behalf of the persecuted? One of the things that Troy said was that story of marriage - 4000 in San Francisco been overruled - MCC is fighting very hard for the right to marry in USA - all the time one of our brothers or sisters is persecuted, so are the rest of us. (AMEN? AMEN!)

Recently a leading gay freedom fighter was murdered in Jamaica just because he was gay. Lesbian women have been raped. Not only should we be concerned with international issues which groups like Amnesty International fight for, but what about the local issues which affect our neighbours, friends and colleagues?

What about the right of LGBT people to marry in England? What about government funding for the homeless and for hospices? What about the person next door who needs more home help from the borough because they are elderly but no-one is listening to them? What about the person who is HIV positive that everyone avoids because they think they will "catch" AIDS?

If as the voice of Jesus in society, we cannot keep silent, then what can we do that will make a difference? I believe God is challenging this church tonight and each of us as individuals. The question I have just asked cannot go unanswered so I will pose it again: What can we do that will make a difference?

Amen