In yesterday's blog, I talked a little bit about being "found", and how, sometimes, we who have been born and raised as Christians often have a difficult time relating to those who have not had the same upbringing and background. Yes, there is much more to dive into in that, but today, I want to revisit Luke 15 and those stories of Jesus for a moment.
In the first story that Jesus tells in Luke 15, we have a sheep that has gotten lost, and the shepherd goes out to find the poor lost lamb. He picks it up on his shoulders and carries it to safety. A sheep isn't an inanimate object, but it also is not one of the more rational animals in the world either. We aren't told the details of how the sheep got lost, but it has no capacity to get back on its own, and once it is found, being "found" may not truly have that deep of an impact on it.
The second story features a lost coin. Now we are dealing with an inanimate object that has neither thoughts nor feelings. It's found, and truly, for the coin, it probably doesn't make a difference whether it is lost or found.
The third story then features a son (actually two) that is lost. However, this son comes to his senses and desires to return to his father. He makes the move to return, though his father truly welcomes him back and restores him to the family and community. The son is a living, breathing human being, capable of rational thought, and realizing what he has done and what he desires.
Now, we realize that the rescue that God has done for us in Jesus is fully on Jesus' shoulders. We cannot redeem ourselves, and quite often, like the coin or the sheep, don't even really have a conscious mindset to think about it. That's why we tend to relate so well to the son who returns. But perhaps you notice that the story is incomplete in a number of ways. First, we aren't told how the older brother reacts (which is the point Jesus seems to be making to the Pharisees, to see how they react to others being received back into the kingdom, a whole different point). But we also are not told how the younger son acts and changes upon being restored to the family. Is he happy to be back? Does he want to have the comforts of home? Does he miss the adventures of being out on his own again? We simply are not told those things.
We have been found, which is actually the point of the three stories. But now what? Are we like the sheep, that probably doesn't have a real sense of what we have been rescued from, and therefore, do not truly understand what has happened? Well, perhaps a bit. Are we like the coin, with no conscious thought about it whatsoever? Probably not. Are we like the son, who realizes what it means to be a part of the family, and who (hopefully) grows in appreciation for what had been lost in his life? Well, we would sure hope so.
As Lutherans, we tend to focus more on the restoration than on what happens after that. And yet, we simply cannot overlook the fact that being found should have an impact on us. The son should be comforted and more appreciative of his family now that he has been found. Hopefully he has grown in understanding what a gift he has been given, and he grows more responsible in his role in the family. It's not a guarantee, by any means. But it would seem wrong if nothing changed for him.
How has being found impacted you in your life and your faith life? It's a question well worth considering, and perhaps even taking action on as you consider it.
In the first story that Jesus tells in Luke 15, we have a sheep that has gotten lost, and the shepherd goes out to find the poor lost lamb. He picks it up on his shoulders and carries it to safety. A sheep isn't an inanimate object, but it also is not one of the more rational animals in the world either. We aren't told the details of how the sheep got lost, but it has no capacity to get back on its own, and once it is found, being "found" may not truly have that deep of an impact on it.
The second story features a lost coin. Now we are dealing with an inanimate object that has neither thoughts nor feelings. It's found, and truly, for the coin, it probably doesn't make a difference whether it is lost or found.
The third story then features a son (actually two) that is lost. However, this son comes to his senses and desires to return to his father. He makes the move to return, though his father truly welcomes him back and restores him to the family and community. The son is a living, breathing human being, capable of rational thought, and realizing what he has done and what he desires.
Now, we realize that the rescue that God has done for us in Jesus is fully on Jesus' shoulders. We cannot redeem ourselves, and quite often, like the coin or the sheep, don't even really have a conscious mindset to think about it. That's why we tend to relate so well to the son who returns. But perhaps you notice that the story is incomplete in a number of ways. First, we aren't told how the older brother reacts (which is the point Jesus seems to be making to the Pharisees, to see how they react to others being received back into the kingdom, a whole different point). But we also are not told how the younger son acts and changes upon being restored to the family. Is he happy to be back? Does he want to have the comforts of home? Does he miss the adventures of being out on his own again? We simply are not told those things.
We have been found, which is actually the point of the three stories. But now what? Are we like the sheep, that probably doesn't have a real sense of what we have been rescued from, and therefore, do not truly understand what has happened? Well, perhaps a bit. Are we like the coin, with no conscious thought about it whatsoever? Probably not. Are we like the son, who realizes what it means to be a part of the family, and who (hopefully) grows in appreciation for what had been lost in his life? Well, we would sure hope so.
As Lutherans, we tend to focus more on the restoration than on what happens after that. And yet, we simply cannot overlook the fact that being found should have an impact on us. The son should be comforted and more appreciative of his family now that he has been found. Hopefully he has grown in understanding what a gift he has been given, and he grows more responsible in his role in the family. It's not a guarantee, by any means. But it would seem wrong if nothing changed for him.
How has being found impacted you in your life and your faith life? It's a question well worth considering, and perhaps even taking action on as you consider it.
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