Little Lost Lamb

 Luke 15:1-7


Is there someone who really gets under your skin with bad behavior, or a lousy attitude? Do they strike you as being beyond "saving?" Can you imagine yourself sitting next to them at church? Can you imagine them coming because you invited them? In today's reading, Jesus is being criticized for making friends and hanging out with "sinners." In today's reading, Jesus responds in typical fashion. He tells a story. In the first of three parables He tells in answer to the Pharisee's complaints, he talks about who leaves everything to go looking for one lost sheep. The thing is, we are "those people." At least we were, and some of us still are, even if you've been going to church your whole life. The simple truth is, there is no one beyond the reach of God's love, and we do not have the luxury of deciding they are. 

Lord, help us to see "those people" the same way You do. Help us to remember that we were once them, and someone cared enough to tell us about You and what You did for us. Make us the people who will chase down the one lost lamb.

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