From The Bishop

We are all familiar with the phrase "it is a writeoff." Generally this means that what has been lost or damaged cannot be regained or repaired. We can apply it to many things and situations; however, from a Christian perspective, it should never be applied to people. Jesus offers the following parable in the Gospel of Luke: "Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, 'This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.' "So he told them this parable: 'Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.'" (Luke 15:1-7) In certain ways, one would not fault the shepherd for considering one lost sheep to be a writeoff. After all, if he left the 99 to look for the one that was lost, they would be at risk. We are told the flock is in the wilderness. This means the sheep could be attacked by wild animals, so the shepherd would be needed for protection. If the shepherd went off searching and left the flock vulnerable, he might return to find he lost four or five more to wolves. Plus he may not have even found the lost one. The odds would not be in his favour. Logic and common sense would seem to dictate he should cut his losses and just focus on the 99. In the parable the shepherd's attention was on the sheep that wandered away. Frightened, lonely and vulnerable, this lamb would definitely die in the wilderness. By choosing to go after this sheep, the shepherd was not rejecting the 99. He simply realized the greater need was with the one. The parable teaches us that God, as the shepherd, desires a personal relationship with us. We see that divine love, mercy and compassion transcend mere logic and statistical analysis. We have a God who wants to be close to us and rejoices when this happens. In the parable, the shepherd carried the lost sheep on his shoulders and had a celebration with his friends and neighbours when he returned home. The fact that God is willing to "celebrate us" and "carry us" speaks so powerfully about how much God loves us. Jesus teaches that God is always ready to search for the one who is lost. God never gives up on us, even when we may make it difficult. We make it easier when we admit that we are lost and seek to be found. According to the parable, this means acknowledging our sins and failings. Jesus says, "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents." In the classic poem "The Hound of Heaven," Francis Thompson writes, "I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him down the labyrinthine way of my own mind; and in the mist of tears I hid from Him." Stop running and let the Good Shepherd find you because you will never be a considered a writeoff in God's eyes. Source: The St. Catharines Standard