The Ninety-Nine sheep, the One Sheep, and the Shepherd.

I come once again with an old school style sermon. Forgive the really strange language, when I write, I often emulate what I have read, and I've been reading a lot of Christ's teachings, so I will sound a little more old-school that most people are probably comfortable with. Please, I beg you, let it slide, try not to be distracted by that, and look for what you can use from this.

Let's start with the scripture for today:

Matthew 18:12-14 New International Version (NIV)
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Luke 15:3-7 New International Version (NIV)
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he 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.

These two versions of the same parable have two very important meanings for us to grasp, as Christians, today. They can be seen in the last verse of each.

In Matthew, Christ tells us that God is not willing to allow anyone to perish. No one should die needlessly. No one should suffer needlessly. For those of us in America that have, for the majority of our lives, been able to trust and rely on the government and other organizations, we are the 99 sheep, or to use a sociological term, we are the social majority. At the very least, we just need to not run off, not stray from where we're meant to be. But the parable doesn't need to be merely about us as the sheep. Remember that we are to follow Christ, not merely know Him. So when one of our flock, a fellow child of God, has been put into a place where they may perish, we, as Christians, can also follow Christ's example and go help. These two paths, for us, are either silent support or activism, and as much as many will disagree with me, I truly believe that as Christians, we should encourage our brothers and sisters to choose which of these two paths they will take. In more modern, easy to grasp speech, we could simply say "step up or step aside." If you feel called to act loudly, great, do so in the love of God and with all success. If you feel called to focus on your own smaller part of your flock, your family, your own mental and physical health, your own business, etc, then do so in the love of God and with all success. The only thing I can tell you is that you should not get in the way, not because you fear violence or consequences, but because your brothers and sisters in Christ have a calling to act in love for others, and you must let them do so, or you fail to love them as you were commanded.

In Luke, Christ tells us that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to. This is an incredibly important message, because when someone, when one of our fellow children of God or even one of our brothers and sisters in Christ, come to the point that they have sinned, and need correction, our goal should not be to judge, but to work for that joyous repentance. Do not attack your brothers and sister (Christians), or your fellow children of God (all humans), but instead in loving-kindness bring them closer to a knowledge of God's love for all. As I have said many times in the past, educate, do not attack. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and it is not our job to judge that sin. Our task is to show God's love, to Him, to others, and to ourselves. Likewise, if you are the sheep in Luke that has gone astray, if you have allowed sin or hatred to taint your life, seek out God's love. You have made mistakes, yes, but you can be redeemed, and you have not fallen from God's sight. He loves you, and He wants you to be with Him today and forever after.

I must pause here to shed the light of truth on myself. I am far from perfect in either of these actions. I have been a stumbling block for my brethren many times. I have allowed myself to slow the path of the shepherd as He brings His sheep back to safety. I have also taken upon myself the throne of God and attempted to pass judgment, a blasphemy that should not be allowed to continue. I have failed repeatedly in my own call to educate, not attack. I do not write this from a mountaintop of righteousness, but from the gracious embrace of Christ as He carries me back from whence I have strayed. For all those I have wronged, I beg your forgiveness, and as Christ would command, I promise to strive to be better. I cannot promise perfection, but I can promise that the Spirit of the Lord is heavy upon me, and I will rejoice as I learn to purge the underlying hatred or ignorance I may still have. I say this so you do not look to me as an example of perfection, but as an example of brokenness that Christ may still use despite my failings, and so that you do not see any such brokenness in yourself as something that disqualifies you from His love or from serving Him and His children in that love.

To conclude with a summary: In Matthew we learn to serve our fellow children of God and our fellow believers though either following Christ directly and actively helping, or by following Christ's command to stay the course where we are, and which path each one of us takes should be seen as an aspect of our personal relationship with Christ. Commend those who's path is to be active and who live it out, but do not condemn those who's path is to take care of other things so long as they do not become a stumbling block. Even then, and in all things, we learn in Luke that it is much better to seek the repentance and joy of a fellow child of God, not to rush to judgment or condemn them for actions we may not fully understand. Seek to address problems through loving-kindness, striving for growth and the joy that comes with being carried back into God's glorious light and love, do not take upon yourselves the throne of God and judge others.

Again, I am not an ordained minister, just a fellow Christian and someone who wants to use God's Word to help heal our nation and our world. I hope that this brings you courage, joy, wisdom, and peace in equal measure. God bless you if you'll let Him, and otherwise have a great day.