‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. ‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ Matthew 18:10-20
We have all been lost sheep at times, stumbling in unfamiliar places, losing our way and all the courage we had. More often than not we have wandered off on our own, thinking we know better than anyone else. And sometimes, trauma and loss cause us to lose our way. Living in this world is never easy, and sometimes it seems near impossible. Yet Jesus tells us that he is among us, even when we have wandered off, and that he is looking for us at all times. Noone is every truly lost to God, not one of us is unworthy or unwanted, despite what we have been told. We are all those who are loved by God and sought every moment.
Tender Shepherd, Creator of all life's blessings
you have promised to find us when we get lost
and carry us home in your loving and gentle arms.
We think we don't need a Savior or any direction
yet we veer off course and lose our way in the dark
weeping and wailing for help to come and find us.
Tender One, you are seeking us out and bringing us home
help us listen when you call us to seek your face
and give us the sight to see you in our darkest hours. Amen.
