Ewe Is A Sheep
Let’s do a thought experiment. You may call it a modern parable if you like, however I do not fancy myself a very good storyteller, so it’s a thought experiment.
Let us suppose you are sitting in church about two minutes before the chimes ring. The chimes play, we start singing the first hymn and you notice the pastor hasn’t stepped up to the alter. We finish the hymn, the service elder makes the announcements…still no pastor…. The elder says the pastor felt he had to talk to a person who for what ever reason needed to talk to a pastor right now. Fifteen minutes go by with the congregation waiting. What is your reaction? What if you were the person who needed to talk with the pastor? Jesus told a story much like this in Luke 15: The Parable of the Lost Sheep. Ninety-nine sheep were left in the open so that the lost may be found. Rejoicing in heaven! The pastor made a decision to go after a lost sheep, that’s his job…or one of them.
Let’s take it a step further. What if the pastor makes a decision to go after a different lost sheep in a slightly different setting? What if the pastor has a Gospel lesson that he deems particularly striking and useful for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus’ work for you. What if he takes and an additional fifteen minutes in the sermon to deliver Christ’s grace and peace? What is your reaction? What if you were the person who needed to hear Christ’s grace, peace, and love? Rejoicing in heaven! Grumbling in church?
“If I’m fifteen minutes late I wont get a table for lunch (grumble grumble).” Man shall not live by bread alone… “The pastor gave me too much of the Word of God today,” said no Christian ever! “I did not need to hear about Christ’s grace today, but somebody else may have.” Really? Then blame me I need to hear Christ’s grace, peace, and love.
I is a sheep,
Steve Skiver
[rerun from The Family Table November 2019]