The Gospel of Luke 15:1-10 All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Let us Pray: O God of the lost and found, You do not wait for us to return; You seek us in the shadows, Lift us from the thorns, and carry us home rejoicing. Thank you for your mercy that outruns our wandering, For your grace that never gives up. Teach us to trust your voice, To rest in your arms, And to rejoice with you over every soul restored. Amen.
When we read this Gospel of Luke, we can now understand the excitement in heaven when the Shepherd recovers a lost sheep. The fact of re-finding something we have lost always fills us anew with joy. And this joy is greater than what we felt before losing it, when the thing was safely kept. Unfortunately, in today’s world that Joy seems to shift and it gives into a lot of blame going around. Notice the parables Jesus offers. They are not about being wrong or being one who gets blamed for the lost coin or lost sheep. They are about being lost. A sheep is lost. A coin is lost. There is nothing about culpability, blame, or finding fault. That does not seem to be Jesus’ concern. His concern is for the one that is lost, missing, absent. Jesus does not explain how the lost one became lost. He does not blame or judge. That is not the issue. The issue for Jesus is recovering and reclaiming the lost. The parable is so prevalent today when our society is wandering as lost sheep. As a society we have lost sight of the teachings of Jesus, it seems it has become so easy to blame someone else for the lost coin and order someone else to go looking for it. The lost coin can also represent how we view those who are marginalized, they are like lost sheep but really are they our concern, somebody else can go looking for them. Someone else can make sure if they are found they can be taken care of. Our society has become one of looking at how to shift blame and not take any responsibility for anything. In this Gospel it is about searching not blaming, finding not punishing, rejoicing not condemning. A big concern is, have we shown up or are we lost and missing?
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, friend of sinners, You welcomed those cast aside, And told stories that dignified the forgotten. Help us see the worth in those the world overlooks— The lonely, the poor, the weary, the misunderstood. Make our hearts like yours: Quick to search, slow to judge, Eager to celebrate every step toward healing. Let our communities reflect your joy When the lost are found and the broken made whole. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 