Reflection on Luke 15

Reflection on Luke 15

Luke 15: 1-7---- The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Jesus is the BETTER shepherd
He faithfully seeks out every lost sheep and carries us back into the fold where we are protected from being out of communion with God.

We must stop idolizing individualism and following the urge to fulfill SELF-ISH desires. May we find satisfaction in Jesus who lived in community with his disciples and encourages us to live in communities where we help each other to grow. Let us learn to forgive each other through even the messiest and most painful fights. Jesus is the better shepherd who wants every sheep to be in the fold not out on their own.

We must stop idolizing groups and cliques. May we stop finding our primary identity in our races, genders, income level, level of education or denominations. May we find ultimate identity in the fact that we are redeemed by God. May the way we look at ourselves be firstly through the eyes of Jesus NOT the world.

We were lost sheep who Jesus carried back into the fold so that our primary identity is WHOSE we are: We are his! He has bought us with a price. Jesus has sacrificed his own life so that we don't worship our own.

Luke 15: 8-10------ The Parable of the Lost Coin

Jesus is the BETTER steward
He lovingly looks for every lost coin and returns them to the treasury of God who is the father who created us and gives us worth.

May we stop selling ourselves short and letting our worth only be found in buying and selling to satisfy what the world tells us is worthy: Beauty, education, wealth, fame, popularity.

May we remember that we are minted by a God who breathed life into us and made us in his own image to live as his children forever. We do not have the stamp of Caesar or the dollar sign. We are God's currency.

We are not created to buy and sell and be defined by how much we buy, how much we sell or how much we make. God has saved us from the slavery to Pharaoh who defines us by how many bricks we make.