Matthew 18:12
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?”
I suspect that few of us have had experience of being shepherds. However, many of us will have memories of lost pets. I recall the time when our cat Tabitha went missing for days on end. We walked the streets and called out her name, desperately hoping to hear her miaow, but there was no response. Then one day as I was looking down our garden, I saw this poor thin creature dragging herself limply towards the house. She had a broken femur and had presumably been involved in a road accident. To say that we were delighted would hardly begin to describe how it felt to have her back, and over the coming weeks she made a complete recovery. She was just one little cat, but the news of her return home was a moment of incredible joy for our family.
I can therefore begin to understand the joy of the shepherd who found his sheep. It might surprise us that he noticed he was one sheep short amid the large flock, but he knew those sheep well. He knew their personalities. He knew the ones that were always out in front and he knew the stragglers. He knew the sick ones and those who were always vigorous and strong. He knew so much because he loved them. He risked his life every day as he cared for them in the harsh terrain, and as he protected them from sheep rustlers and wild animals. Every single sheep mattered.
In our local churches, we need to continually remind ourselves of the importance of every single person. We will be close to some people and understand them well. Others will be very different from us, and we might find some people quite awkward. But every single person matters intensely, and if they wander away, we need to long for their return and do all that we can to make it happen. And then, whoever they are, if they return, there should be a great celebration.
Question
In what way does this parable challenge the life of your church?
Prayer
Loving God, help me to treasure every single person in the way that you treasure me. Amen
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3:32
March 31st - Psalm 51:1-2
Psalm 51:1-2
Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.
The background to this psalm is well known. King David had committed adultery and had been found out. The penalty for this crime in the Jewish law was death. However, David repented of his sin and God showed him generosity in forgiving his wrongdoing. This psalm is both a celebration of God’s forgiveness and of the new life which opened up for David as a result.
The evil one will always seek to persuade us that sin is not actually all that serious. Everyone does it and we really shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it. And, in any event, the sins which other people commit are far worse than anything we would ever think of doing ourselves. Just look at some of the stories in today’s newspapers. We know that we would never do any of the awful things that we read about. In these, and a thousand other ways, we seek to excuse our sins. But the truth is that sin always destroys. And there is no such thing as a little sin, or an excusable sin, just sin. All sin damages us and blocks our relationship with God.
You might read about David’s sins in 2 Samuel 11 and feel good about yourself because you have never sunk to the depths of committing adultery and then organising the murder of your lover’s husband. However, the truth is that we have all sinned and as the apostle Paul wrote: “we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). We should recognise that today’s psalm is directly relevant to our own lives, as each one of us needs God’s gift of forgiveness. Let us come to God and ask him to create in us a pure heart and then spread the word about God’s forgiveness, because everyone needs it.
Question
What has been your own experience of God’s forgiveness?
Prayer
Lord God, I confess that I have sinned against you. Help me to receive your gift of forgiveness with joy and, in the power of your Spirit, to live a new life. Amen
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3:19
March 30th - Psalm 48:1-3
Psalm 48:1-3
How great is the LORD, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain! It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King! God himself is in Jerusalem's towers, revealing himself as its defender.
I will never forget my first sight of Old Jerusalem; its golden limestone walls were set against a deep blue sky. It was absolutely beautiful and immediately triggered the memory of psalms like this one, which praise the magnificence and beauty of the city.
Jerusalem has a central place in the Bible. It was here that Abraham offered to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Centuries later David established Jerusalem as his capital city and his son Solomon then built the glorious temple. Although Jesus lived in Galilee in the north of the country, he frequently visited Jerusalem and it was here that he was crucified and rose from death. It was in this city that the Spirit was poured out upon Jesus’ followers on the day of Pentecost, and the Church was born. And then, right at the end of the Bible, John has a vision of the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven and he pictures a place where there is no longer any more death, mourning, crying or pain (Revelation 21).
The city continues to act as a reminder of the way in which God has reached out to his people over thousands of years, and it is a wonderful privilege to be able to visit it. But now we have been set free to worship God anywhere. When two or three people meet in the name of Jesus he is there standing with them, whether it’s in Jerusalem, Jaipur or Jarrow – or anywhere else!
Question
Do you have a favourite place to worship God? Wherever you are, take some time to worship him freely.
Prayer
Loving Father, thank you that we are free to worship you anywhere. Help me as I worship you today. Amen
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3:15
March 29th - Proverbs 25:12
Proverbs 25:12
To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewellery.
Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer, said: “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.” All I can say is, “Good for Johannes Kepler!” I suspect I’m not alone with that response, as we all really enjoy people saying nice things about us. Sharp criticism might be very good for us, but that doesn’t mean that it is easy to hear, even if it is as valuable as a gold earring.
There are two challenges here. Firstly, how can we become better at sharing valid criticism with others? Every time I have received helpful criticism it is because it has been embedded within encouragement. It has been clear that the person offering the criticism was trying to help and only wanted to make me stronger and better able to use my gifts. It has often been said that if you need to offer criticism, 80 per cent of what you say should be encouragement. This isn’t a clever political ploy, but a way of ensuring that the criticism is set securely within a relationship of affirmation. If the criticism occupies 80 per cent or more of what you say, it could easily bring discouragement and leave the hearer wounded and demoralised.
The second question is how can we become better at receiving criticism? People’s ability to receive criticism undoubtedly varies. Past hurts and traumas make some people very wary of anything that is not entirely positive. Others appear to be so secure that they are able to receive even negative criticism with equanimity. The people who are most vulnerable are those who have never reflected deeply on their life and how they come across. This emphasises the importance of us all finding someone with whom we can be completely honest. If we are regularly reflecting with a person who cares for us and knows us well and with whom we can reveal our vulnerabilities and concerns, we are in a strong position to receive criticism. Indeed, we are likely to find that it is as valuable as a piece of gold jewellery.
Question
In what ways could you give and receive criticism more effectively?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, help me to be more loving in offering criticism to others, and more gracious in receiving it. Amen
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3:39
March 28th - Proverbs 24:26
Proverbs 24:26
An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship.
Like most of us, I am sure, I was brought up with the saying that honesty is the best policy. But what I wasn’t taught was that it’s often the most difficult policy. It’s often easier to keep the truth to yourself and not to share it because it might not be well received. Indeed, the hearer might be deeply offended by the truth. And so we can easily end up playing a kindly and courteous game of deceit. We say what other people want to hear and never dare to go anywhere near the sharp edges of truth.
Whenever someone asks us how we are, we have to decide what level of truth to share. The customary answer “Fine” often reveals nothing at all and is simply used as a polite way of avoiding conversation. However, at the same time, it would be inappropriate to share everything about your life and feelings. What is vital is that there is a time and a place where we can be entirely honest. Life is full of thrills and spills, joys and sorrows, amazing successes and painful failures and everyone needs space to talk through these things in a completely open way. Without such reflection it is likely that these varied experiences will get out of proportion and the painful times will be buried and give rise to later difficulties.
There is every reason why the Church should be a community characterised by honesty. However, it is easily possible for a church to be as superficial and deceitful as any other group of people. Out of a desire to keep people happy it is very easy for churches to skate over the truth and avoid its challenge. I believe that the apostle Paul was addressing this issue when he urged the Ephesian church to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). When the honest truth is spoken rudely and aggressively it can be horribly destructive. Only if our words are full of love will the truth bring healing and blessing. To use the words of Proverbs, our honesty will be like nothing less than a kiss of friendship.
Question
Do you have someone with whom you can be completely honest?
Prayer
Lord God, help me to become better at being lovingly honest with those around me. Amen
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