Lent / Lost
By Stuart Hepler
I recently came across the Parable of the Lost Sheep found in Matthew 18. The pastoral imagery here is a consistent theme throughout the Scriptures. Initially spoken and shared by people who were interacting with the herding and shepherding of animals regularly, these images and textures would have been familiar. For many of us, though, they are probably less so. However, when I think of the few occasions that a beloved pet has gotten loose and lost outside it brings up strong feelings. Sadness, urgency, compassion, and desperation welled up in those moments along with the willingness to set aside other responsibilities and my own comfort in order to charge into the rain, dark or cold seeking after that which is lost. When it’s not your pet or animal it it can sound a bit overboard. There are other pets…there are other sheep. Losing one sheep is not that big of a deal. However, if you’ve ever lost something that deeply matters to you, you get exactly what Jesus is talking about here.
Jesus beautifully uses the parable to reinforce that the lost (i.e. small, poor, insignificant, and powerless) are of the utmost importance within the kingdom of God. Oh, how that stands in such contrast to what our world values. There is a fixation with bigness, power, wealth, celebrity, importance and success. It is everywhere and in everything. It is the air we breath. Who garners our attention? Who makes up the headlines? Who captures our gaze? Pop culture obsesses over these individuals making us think celebrity is the ultimate goal for the majority of the population.
Nevertheless, the reality is that the vast majority of the world is made up of people who can be dismissed, overlooked, or seen as insignificant. The masses who aren’t “beautiful”, don’t have all the answers, and most often aren’t doing things that are “headline worthy.” Jesus pushes back repeatedly against the world’s hierarchy. The economy of the world just doesn’t work for Jesus and his Kingdom.
This parable is flipping things upside down. Jesus audaciously claims that the smallest, weakest, and least are not only welcome but at the center of God’s kingdom and heart. They are the A-Listers! Sadly, much of the western Church has gotten this backwards by being obsessed with celebrity and power. In contrast, many of the early “mothers and fathers” of our faith became well known for their intentional association with and care for the poor, meek and destitute. Not the type of thing that trends on social media.
Lent is a time to cultivate the practice of readjusting our gaze to see as the Shepherd sees. To open our eyes to those around us who may be “lost sheep” in the Kingdom of God.
A Poem
The Bright Field by R.S. Thomas
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the
pearl of great price, the one field that had
treasure in it. I realise now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, not hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
A Practice
Take a walk. It could be a walk in your neighborhood or a nearby park. As you walk, practice looking for what is small and easy to miss rather than what is obvious or clamoring for attention. Practice noticing what is interesting but out of the way and not easily seen. This practice may invite you to stop for a moment to gaze and wonder about what is small and unseen even at a walking pace. What small, hidden, perhaps “lost things,” to the world, get your attention?
A Prayer
Gracious One, remind us that the small, lost, broken, poor, and insignificant of this world are blessed in your kingdom. They often suffer at the hands of the powerful and popular. Give us courage and meekness to see and stand with the oppressed. May our hearts be full of love, compassion, and a deep overflowing desire for the kingdom to come in its fullness here on earth as it is in heaven.
