rejoice anew

Friday September 20^th, Luke 15:  3 Then 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? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I 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. In telling a story with familiar elements to it, Jesus was able to get beyond the boundaries and barriers that we all put up to protect ourselves from the fear, both real and imagined in this world.  The listeners knew sheep, and they knew how to handle them.  Through the story of sheep the hearers receive the message of God’s kingdom as one of grace and forgiveness.  We know how to act with animals, we know how to act with our possessions, we know how to act with our children, but all too often when it comes to how we act with the message of God’s love, we miss the boat.  Stories get through our defenses and let us hear the grace God intended.  Our walk as the body of Christ is one of celebration at each new infusion of Grace into this world.  These are not new concepts.  They are concepts we use every day, just not for one another.  Every day of worship is a day of celebration of God’s Grace.  Every day of life is about its discovery anew.