8/15/2023 0 Comments Shepherd lost sheep![]() ![]() You carry us when we are weak, when we are tired, when we feel as if we simply cannot go on. And when you find us, you lift us up and place us securely on your solid shoulders. Yet, no matter our life experience, no matter how lost and unworthy we might be, you seek us out. What a gift to have had a father who helped me to understand your love for me. Though he has been with you for twenty-five years now, and though my Rose Parade memories are now a half-century old, I can still feel what it was like to be carried by him. PRAYER: I begin my prayer today, Lord, by thanking you for my father. Can you imagine how that might feel? How does the thought of riding on the shoulders of Jesus strike you? In what ways do you need Jesus to carry you today? ![]() QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Do you have any memories of being carried when you were young? If so, how did it feel? If not, perhaps you have had the experience of carrying someone else. Thus, we can live without fear, confident in the strong grace of our Lord. When we are too weak to walk on, Jesus carries us. We all have been swept up onto his strong shoulders. We are all lost sheep who have been found by our good shepherd. I know that Jesus will not let go of me, but will carry me home.Īnd so it is with you too. I imagine his strength, his solid but gentle grip. Thus, when I read the story of the good shepherd and the lost sheep, I allow myself to feel what it's like to be on the shoulders of Jesus. More importantly, I could rest, feeling utterly secure and loved while resting on my dad's strong shoulders. (He did not like it when I grabbed his ears, however.) From my lofty perch, I could see for miles. I'd hold on tightly to his head as he grasped my ankles. He'd reach down and sweep me up onto his shoulders. On the way back, I could hardly keep going. It was a long haul for a youngster with short legs. ![]() We'd park a couple of miles away and walk to the parade route. Growing up in Southern California as a young boy, my family and I had a yearly tradition of visiting the Rose Parade on New Year's Day. You see, this image stirs up poignant memories from my childhood. When I reflect upon Jesus' story of the shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, I am struck by his description of what the shepherd does when he finds his sheep: "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices" (15:5). "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices."
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