Day 22-Lost sheep

My Prayer: Psalm 139:1-2, 5 (New International Version)
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

The Reading: Luke 14-16
Luke 15:3-7 (New International Version)
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

My Thoughts: Some people had trouble with Jesus because he spent so much time with sinners instead of "good" people who followed the rules. I've always liked this parable. I think it's because it's easy for met to understand. I lose things. A lot. I am very familiar with the desperate desire to find something (like my debit card). I'll do what it takes to find what's lost. I like this parable because of the shepherd picture. When he finds the sheep, he doesn't yell at the sheep or beat the sheep. He picks the sheep up, carries it back, and tells everyone to celebrate because the sheep is found. And our Shepherd tells us that there's a party in heaven every time a sinner comes back. There's no grumbling over how stupid we sheep are to have gotten lost, separated. There's a party when we come back. Jesus comes to us where we've gotten mired and lost because of our bad decisions, and he picks us up to carry us back. And there's a party to celebrate.