Here Sheepy, Sheepy! by Phil

Luke Chapter 15 is probably one of the most familiar chapters in the Bible. It's the Jesus parable trilogy! We start out with the ever popular parable of the lost sheep. Then, like many movie trilogies, we move on to the parable of the lost coin - still good but not quite as memorable as the rest. Finally, Jesus wraps it up with a blockbuster - the parable of the prodigal son. These stories were originally directed at the Pharisees and teachers of the law, but they still speak to our attitudes and both individually and as churches today. Let's take a moment to gain a few insights.

In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the 99 to go find the one sheep that is missing. For those of us who don't spend much time with little woolies, this may seem strange. Hey, you still have most of the sheep. That's pretty good, isn't it? Not in the eyes of a good shepherd. The sheep that needs him most is the one who is lost. Fortunately, our Good Shepherd (Jesus), feels the same about us. Unfortunately, that is not always the case with the church. I heard a pastor say that the church today has the opposite approach to those who wander from the fold. We may not come right out and say it, but our attitude is often "when you figure out you are wrong and get yourself all straightened out and cleaned up, we'll be right here where we were when you left." We find in this parable and the next that God has the opposite response. God (and all of heaven) rejoices over one lost sinner who repents and comes home!

A little later in Luke 15 we come to the parable of the prodigal son. This son who wandered away hit rock bottom and had nowhere to go but home. He had been hanging out with pigs so he probably didn't smell so good, but he had no way to clean himself up. Still, when he approached, his father dropped everything and ran with open arms to welcome him back. That's what God does every time a lost child comes home! The problem was the older brother. He was none too happy about his younger brother returning and reflected none of his father's love and forgiveness.

God is obviously the father in this story, but who are we? If you are the prodigal son (or daughter) who has wandered away chasing what the world has to offer, there is great news! God is waiting with love, forgiveness and open arms to welcome you back into the fold. Come on home! For the rest of us, the only character left is the older brother (unless you are the fatted calf, but I'm not going there). Will we share the unforgiving, judgmental attitude of the older brother in the story? Or will we choose to love like our Father does, welcoming the lost and hurting with open arms, love, forgiveness and grace?

As for me, I'm going to give those heavenly angels a run for their money when it comes to rejoicing over a repentant returnee. Everybody scooch over, there's room in the pew for one more!
​

Hallelujah!
Phil and Pam

​

​Click Here to Check our Concert Schedule!​

​Check us out on Facebook! - http://www.facebook.com/PhilandPamMorgan​