I was minding my own business. Honest.
I wasn’t going to bother anyone about anything. My wife and first born daughter were not feeling well at all, I was on hand to serve them in as much as I could, as well as look after the two younger daughters.
I was minding my own business and watching some gospel videos and stuff. While I was doing that I came across this video.
OK, so the portrayal of this piece is designed t grab you by the emotions. You cannot hear the narrative of this song, if you have any compassion in your heart and remain neutral. If the Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead does anything for you, then you hear about the ninety-nine that were sorted and yet the Shepherd goes out of his way to find the one. And when I write ‘goes out of his way’, I am talking about traversing some seriously dodgy territory to find that one. On finding the one it is time to rejoice – it is party time. It is time to get out the balloons and food (though it would probably be a bit insensitive to ask for a lamb-burger).
Powerful story. What love, what compassion, what care, what courage – this is what the Saviour goes through for the one. That’s how far the Shepherd will go for the sheep and when he finds that sheep look at the condition of the sheep – sick and ready to die – but the Shepherd will not let the one go like that. He does what it take to return the one to the fold in good health.
Now, whilst that should move you emotionally, there is something else it’s meant to move you to do.
Where is the one now? Where is she? Where is he?
I do believe, the one can be tucked away neat and safely in the routine of church life when inside she is dying and in need of rescuing by the Shepherd. I do believe the one can be going through the motions of church attendance and the rites and rituals of the ‘Christian’ life, but really they are sick and ready to die.
I also believe, however, that this is a story of mission. This is a story of the Body of Christ who choose to go to the desert to find the sheep. That desert can be the inner city estates, the deprived areas that have been cut off from any social regeneration and is stuck with the problems of high crime, lower educational attainment, high unemployment, low life aspirations.
The desert can be the corporate boardrooms where men and women plush on the plunder of their works experience that emptiness inside which comes from discovering that the fulfilment of life is not found in stocks and shares.
The desert can be the workplace, the local pub, the chip shop, the local park, the supermarket, the school, in Asia, Oceania, Americas, Europe or Africa – anywhere that sick, lost, lonely, helpless, hopeless people are merely existing and not living, because they lost, and sick and ready to die.
For those of us who have been privileged to be rescued by the Shepherd, we do not have the comfort of kicking back and letting someone else do all the work. We’re rescued and get to go as the Body of Christ to seek and serve those who are lost in the hope that we will join in with the rejoicing that goes on in heaven for the lost sheep that is found.
If anything should motivate us to mission – to seeing all life as not sitting in holy huddles and godly ghettos, but engaging this lost world, then the example of the Shepherd should be it.
Should be.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 