Reflection
Philippians 3:3-8
Psalm 105
Luke 15:1-10
What a fantastic gospel today! Tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to Jesus. Always find it interesting that the term “tax collectors and sinners” are always separated. It was enough that one was a tax collector to be considered someone out of God’s favor, they did not even need to be sinning any other way. The Pharisees have a problem with Jesus hanging out with these people because the entire purpose was to stay close to God in relationship. If one were to sin, that person would need to make a sacrifice before they could worship in public…these folks obviously had not.
Jesus shares the parable of the lost sheep, and the shepherd who goes off to find it. Sheep were of tremendous value. Raising them meant you could sheer them, sell the wool, let their fur grow back in and do it again. They could be sold for food. So when one went missing, it was a big deal. The shepherd leaves the other 99 together because he know they will be ok as long as the stay together.
God finds each of us so very precious that He will risk everything, even His own Son, for us. He knows that when we stay together we will protect each other. And where do we do that? In the Church. In the Church we have accomplished incredible things over the years….when we do it together. Sin is the great divider. It fogs our perception of good and bad – and that skews how we treat each other.
In these days, just as always, we need to stay in unity with God by staying unified in the Church. That does not mean we all have to think the same, on the contrary, disagreements are healthy because they raise thought patterns and that helps accomplish solutions. It all starts, though, with each of us taking a very intimate look at ourselves and discover those things that keep us apart from God – our sin – and repent of it. God is ready for us! Go get Him!.
It’s a beautiful day! Go smile at God today!