Jump Start # 3016

Luke 15:5 “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

  Luke 15 presents to us a series of lost things. A lost sheep. A lost coin. A lost son. Each is followed by greater value and intensity. And, in all three parables, the lost was found. The wandering sheep was found. The coin on the floor was found. The lost boy came home. The powerful lesson of second chance, grace and God’s amazing love. That which was lost is found, echoes throughout this amazing chapter. And, in all three parables, God is the active force. He is the shepherd that went looking for the lost sheep. He was the woman who swept the house looking for the misplaced coin. And, He is the prodigal’s dad, who comes running to embrace his son who had been lost.

Great stories. Powerful lessons. But a fair question to ask is, “What is God doing today to help bring the lost back?” Just how is God searching today? Here are a few ways:

First, God exposes us to His word. Even for those who have put their Bibles in a box, up on a shelf and they haven’t opened it in years, there are gentle reminders all about us. You see passages posted on Facebook. You find greeting cards with verses written on them. There are expressions that people use that come straight from the Bible. In art, in literature, even in the movies, the Bible makes a presence. Gentle reminders.

Second, God puts people in our lives to help us. There is that grandma who is always asking if you went to church on Sunday. There is that friend that tells you not to say those certain words. There is that co-worker who you see reading his Bible at lunch. There is that neighbor, kind, generous, helping that always comes into your life. Godly people who serve. Godly people who will pray for you and with you. Godly people who are decent, joyful, blessed and a constant reminder of what you should be. There is that neighbor who every Sunday is pulling out of his driveway, heading to church. Consistent. Steady. Certain. There is that person that is hopeful, when everyone else is gloom and doom. There is that person that remains calm, when everyone else is shouting. There is that one person that seems so sure. Coincidence or has the Lord made your life to intersect with these people as His means of finding you and bringing you home.

Third, God continues to bless you. Even though you may not have thought about Him, He’s thinking about you. Rain and sun and health and open doors are things the Lord does for you all the time. The very fact that you have today, is a blessing from God. He is not trying to buy your affection. He is not trying to entice you with goodies. He loves you. And, this is the way that love is demonstrated. Where is God? He’s all around you doing things for you.

Fourth, God has put examples before you to imitate. There is that older couple who have been married forever. It’s more than just a long time, they like being together and the like each other. What an example for you. There is that young family with a zillion kids. Yet, those kids are respectful, kind and helpful. Even at a little age, they know about the Lord. That’s impressive. There is that co-worker, who goes out of her way to do what is right. Honest to the core and hard working, what an example for everyone else. All around you are reminders of what you ought to be.

Finally, God has allowed to be shaken with trials. Those were scary moments in your life. Trips to the hospital. Loss of jobs. Car accidents. Staying up all night with sick kids. There’s been bumps along the way in your journey. God has allowed them. Those bumps should have drawn you closer to Him. Those trials and troubles should have taken you to His word. God was watching. God was hoping. God was looking for you to turn and come home to Him.

Why isn’t God out looking to bring you home? He is. All around He is busy putting things in your life to open your eyes and your heart to Him. He wants you to be alive in Him. He wants you to be saved. Some fight this. Some ignore this. Some deny this. But a few will recognize this and see God’s love and God’s patience with them.

Peter tells us that the Lord is not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. Even now, God is doing things to help some come home. The Lord always leaves the porch light on.

Maybe you can share this with someone…maybe this very message is what someone needs to know.

Roger

Jump Start # 2625

Luke 15:5 “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

Our verse today comes from the chapter of things lost. Lost sheep. Lost coin. Lost boys. Three parables, showing the love and grace of God. These parables were the Lord’s answer as to why He received sinners and ate with them.

The section about the lost sheep is where our verse today is found. A man had 100 sheep. For a city guy like me, that seems like a lot of sheep. But I expect for the shepherds of Judea, this was not much. One got lost. We are not told the circumstances why, but he was lost. Cut your loses and move on is how many moderns would think. We tend to throw away things that are still good simply because we no longer want them. But not this shepherd. He felt differently. And, from that we see some great lessons.

First, every single one is important. The shepherd is illustrative of God. And, God doesn’t want to lose any. He’ll chase you and send the hounds of Heaven after you to get you back. He’ll put people in your life to remind you. He’ll do all that He can to get you to come back. God doesn’t give up. In the Lord’s illustration, the shepherd left the 99 and went looking for the one that was lost. I’ve often wondered who kept the 99 from getting lost. Somehow they remained safe.

This shepherd realized that one was missing. He knew that. This sheep didn’t fall through the cracks. He was aware and he went after it. We must be watchful, especially now, that some are not wandering away. We’ve worshipped at home for a long time and some may just like to keep doing that. Some may not have stayed with the livestreaming and video classes. They may have turned the Lord off for the past few months. Wise shepherds are looking. They are seeing where the sheep are. Who is staying with things and who has dropped out—shepherds need to know.

Second, the Lord shows the love and grace of God through the actions of this shepherd. What he did was put the sheep on his shoulders, I expect, around his neck. And, rather than being grumpy and complaining about how far he had to go to find this lost one, he returns rejoicing. The journey was worth it. So many I fear, would want to teach that lamb a lesson. They’d beat it all the way home. They instill guilt, fear and shame in that lamb. But what the Lord’s shepherd did, was to demonstrate love. That little lamb knew that the shepherd loved him. When the shepherd calls, this lamb will likely come and follow. He has a trust for the shepherd. The shepherd was good to him even though he wandered away.

Today’s shepherds would do well to notice this. Putting a dirty lamb around your neck is going to make you smell. It’s heavy. It’s likely scratchy and has bugs. This is not a soft house kitten. This lamb has been in the fields. But what the shepherd did was put aside his personal feelings for the lamb. This shepherd wasn’t too good to get dirty. He wasn’t afraid to smell like the sheep.

Third, the shepherd understood the value of celebration. He returned calling neighbors and friends about the one sheep that was found. That may seem odd to us, but consider a family that can’t find their pet dog. They search the neighborhood, put up fliers, call neighbors to ask if they have seen it. As they are searching for that lost dog, they find it. So excited. So happy. They tell others and most times they have to tell the story where the dog was and how hard it was to find. Lambs were important to the Jewish system. First, they were a source of income for shepherds. Second, they were the means to sacrifice to God. Losing a lamb was a big deal.

When one among us returns, we need to make it a big deal. It’s not a time for lectures or “I told you so,” but rather, hugs, and smiles and rejoicing. The lost as been found. Sometimes a person fears returning, not because it’s the right thing to do, but they fear the reaction they might receive. A church full of elder brothers who are ready to point fingers and eager to pronounce judgment is hard to face. God’s people ought to be the most forgiving and gracious people on earth. And, the main reason is because we have been given grace and forgiveness from God. We know what it’s like to be lost. We know what it’s like to come home. Keep the porch light on and be ready to open the door for those who are wanting to come back to God.

Finally, you’ll notice there is very little emphasis upon the lost sheep. The thrust of the parable is the shepherd who went looking, the shepherd who found, the shepherd who brought back, and the shepherd who rejoiced. Nothing is said about the lamb during the celebration. Nothing is said about the lamb’s reason for leaving. The Lord’s parables are true pictures, so the lamb doesn’t speak to the shepherd. That doesn’t happen in real life and it doesn’t happen in this parable. There are a number of reasons why you and I make a mess of things. There are many reasons why we leave the Lord. But having God find us and bring us back is what is important. We don’t find this lamb running when the shepherd approached. We don’t find the lamb trying to fight and bite the shepherd as it lay across his shoulders. The lamb was coming home and that’s what God wants us to see.

The power of these three parables is that we find ourselves sprinkled all over them. We have been the lost sheep before. We know what it is like to care about one who is missing. We know the urgency of looking for one who is lost and never giving up on him. This parable is our story. We ought to know it well because we have lived it.

God loves you. God wants you with Him. God never gives up on you. Even when you are not where you ought to be, God is looking for you. Powerful stuff. The very things that ought to fill our hearts and encourage us day by day.

Roger

Jump Start # 1794

Luke 15:5 “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

We have been doing a mini series about leaders. Leaders in the home are parents and leaders in the church are shepherds. Our times like the word “leaders.” There are many leadership books found in bookstores. There is a whole segment of publications, seminars and blogs about “church leaders.” These things show everything from how to grow a church, manage problems, and keep everyone connected. There are strong business models found in the church leadership programs. What works well in big business often does not work well in the church.

Our verse today reminds us of a special aspect of shepherding that is often overlooked by the experts of leadership. This passage is part of a three series of parables about lost being found. A lost sheep was found. A lost coin was found. A lost son was found. The lost was valuable. There was intense search taking place. When the lost was recovered, there was much joy and happiness.

In this first parable, about the lost sheep, Jesus states, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost…” Jesus states this thought as if it were a common practice and understanding. “What man among you…does not” The thought seems to be, ‘this is something that we all do.’ But that very principle has always struck me as being out of character for shepherds. Being a city guy, and not knowing much about sheep, but just thinking practically, it seems that if the shepherd left the 99 in the open pasture to chase after the one lost sheep, when he returned there might be 99 who are now missing. Since they were in “open pasture,” as the text states, the shepherd might have to count his losses. One gone, but 99 still safe. That’s how I would think things through. One of the underling principles is that each sheep is important to the shepherd, who is God. God doesn’t count His losses. He is not ready to give up on any. He wants all to be saved.

When the lost sheep was found, as our verse tells us, the shepherd lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. The idea is that the sheep is wrapped around the shepherd’s neck. That would do two things. First, it would allow the shepherd to travel faster to return to the flock. Like, holding a child in your arms, one can move faster that way. Secondly, the warmth of the shepherd’s neck, was a sign of comfort, assurance and love. The shepherd didn’t beat the sheep. He didn’t drive it back to the flock. He carried it. This sheep must have been young. I doubt a shepherd could lift a full grown sheep and walk with it wrapped around his neck. With a lamb wrapped around your neck, you are going to smell like that lamb. That’s part of shepherding. Carrying the sheep that way also built trust and hopefully a bond so that the sheep wouldn’t wander off again.

Leading God’s people carries this very idea. It’s not standing on the hillside barking orders as the troops head off to battle. It’s picking the sheep up. It’s carrying them back to where they belong. It’s putting them around your shoulders. Tenderness. Gentleness. Compassion. Love. Caring. Those are all expressions that come from carrying sheep around your shoulders. A trust level was developed. The sheep knew that the shepherd cared. I don’t see in this story the fact that the shepherd “had to teach the sheep a lesson.” I don’t see the shepherd using guilt, shame or fear to get the sheep back. I don’t see threats being used. The sheep was found. It was carefully picked up and carried back to the flock wrapped around the shepherd’s neck. The shepherd was rejoicing. He was happy. He was not disgusted that it took extra time to go looking for this lost sheep. He didn’t complain about how all of this inconvenienced him. He didn’t explode saying that there wasn’t time for this nonsense. It wasn’t about the shepherd. It was about finding the lost sheep and returning him to where he belonged.

God’s shepherds today would do well to give this some thought. It’s easier to drive than it is to lead. It is easier to shout, stir up dust, and use ropes to get the cattle going. However, we are not on a cattle drive. We are to be shepherding sheep. Individual care. Tenderness. Compassion. These are what God’s leaders need. Sheep have gotten too close to the world, and they need to be returned. Sheep have gotten confused and now they are not sure. Sheep have not been paying attention to their souls and now they are weak.

Carrying sheep around your neck—not everyone would do that. Giving lectures is easier. Pointing fingers is easier. Laying on the guilt is easier. Building bonds of trust through love and concern is hard. This is the difference that will make a difference. We don’t literally put members around our shoulders. That would be a back breaker for most of us. What we do is hug. We hold the hand. We talk softly. We listen. We walk them through some steps. We follow up. We inquire. We pray with them and for them. We keep a close eye on them. We invite them to dinner. We pour hours and hours into their lives. We let them see goodness. We let them experience love. We rejoice with them. We worship with them. We are there for them. That’s shepherding, God’s style. There are no fast tracks to this. It’s messy. After carrying sheep, the shepherd smells like sheep. He doesn’t mind.

The boardroom approach to leading God’s people fails. It lacks that touch and tenderness. Telling others what to do seems cold and distant. The shepherd must leave his place and go. He must find. He must place the lost sheep around his neck. He must rejoice as he returns. I expect the shepherd walking back to the flock, with the sheep around his neck, talked to that sheep. His voice, recognized by the sheep, gave assurance. He talked kindly. He talked often. Many of us have talked to our pets. Those that talk in kindness have seen the animals respond with a wag of the tail or a purr. The pets want to be around the person that is kind and gives attention to them. I expect this lost sheep, from our parable, hung pretty close to the shepherd’s heels. He probably paid closer attention to the voice of the shepherd. His wandering days may have ended by the way the shepherd handled him and was kind to him.

What a great opportunity it is to lead God’s people. Do this with faith, courage and love. Lead, as the Lord has led us. Leading God’s people isn’t about power or who “controls” the church. Those who think that way, ought never to be in that position. They will run the people off, rather than carry them back.

The shepherd understands that it was the Lord who has carried us back to where we belong. Who can ever forget that.

Roger