Tuesday, December 9, 2025

 

Kevin Carden



What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.  Matthew 18:12-14

December, and particularly the Christmas season, can be a very lonely time for some people. Many people, really. Maybe it’s because the year is coming to an end and bringing with it an inevitable sense of closure. Possibly it’s the failure to complete all those projects started during the year with the best of intentions, only to be replaced with more urgent matters or abandoned outright. Perhaps it’s the recognition that another year has been ticked off one’s life calendar and the end is just that much closer. Whatever the reason, it is a time of year when people can easily begin to feel lost. Alienated from society, separated from fellowship, even irretrievably removed from family if there is any.
 
This is why I found the passage from Matthew so moving, and so incredibly appropriate for the time of year. Among all those celebrating the birth of our Lord, the holiday festivities, the feasting and good cheer, there are the ones who feel lost. Who are lost.
 
Modern culture doesn’t help. If one already feels lost, the inundation of media with its incessant message of buy, buy, buy, consume, consume and be happy is the absolute opposite of what is needed. Social media makes it so easy and tempting to isolate oneself, to stare at a screen instead of interact with real people. But The Lord is our shepherd. And just as the shepherd in Matthew’s parable, the Lord will find anyone who is lost.
 
Even if you’re actively hiding away from the world, convinced that being lost is the best way to be, God can find you. At the time of year when so many are happy and bright, God will find the lost. Those doing the celebrating will be fine on their own for awhile. And when God finds the lost, He will celebrate. God loves us. God looks for us, calling us by name.
 
This year (and always), let us be open to God’s love, keeping an eye and ear attuned to the ways God may be calling us. We can help someone else, attend a service. Call an old friend or estranged relative. If you are feeling lost, know that God is looking for you. And when God looks for you, you will be found.
 
The song I have included is not a Christmas song, but I think it is a perfect accompaniment to Matthew’s message. I also happen to love it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Brad Gillespie

You Will Be Found  Natalie Grant, feat. Cory Asbury 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Image
  Dianne Gallagher  CNN Jer 23:5-8   Ps 72:11-19   Mt 1:18-25   With every passing year, I become increasingly convinced Christmas is political, and also that we desperately need it to be. I suspect this is something understood by Placide Cappeau, the author of the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens," which was put to music by American minister John Dwight and published as O Holy Night. The words we sing in this beautiful Christmas carol are now comfortably familiar, but the political and abolitionist message was controversial in the 1850. This was especially true of the third verse, which reads: Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease. Not exactly an easy lyric to belt out in church when the pews are filled with white folks who purchased and owned enslaved Black folks (and other white folks too poor to own enslaved people, but who none-the-less supported it). While the song was specifically written t...
Read more

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Image
  Isaiah's Hope by Daphne Rae     Is 11:1-10   Ps 72:1-8   Lk 10:21-24 I have read J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings many times in my life. I find them beautiful in their vivid descriptions of an ancient, mythical world (Middle Earth) where evil lurks, good triumphs, and salvation is ultimately brought about by a small person who arises out of a distant, mainly unknown area. Tolkien, a devout Roman Catholic who was influential in C. S. Lewis’ journey to faith in Christ, must have known the impact his books would have on society as they draw many parallels to the Christian story. They appeal to people all over the globe because at their core is what everyone truly desires: someone to deliver them from sorrow and bring them comfort and joy. Sadly, there are also those who are uncomfortable with Tolkien. A dear, non-Christian friend and academic colleague once commented to me that she had never read Tolkien’s books because they sou...
Read more

Advent I - Sunday, November 30, 2025

Image
  Daily Office Is 2:1-5 Ps 122 Rom 13:11-14 Mt 24:36-44 Romans 13:11-14 Advent is a season of anticipation and expectation, with the focus being the celebration of the arrival of the infant Jesus. When babies are expected in our modern world, new parents often turn to the book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” to help them feel prepared. This book is commonly referred to as “the pregnancy Bible,”  with chapter titles that include “Nine Months and Counting,” “Your Pregnancy Lifestyle,” and “How To Manage Complications.”   We have our own Bible, filled with wisdom for all seasons of life, including Advent. There is so much more to the Advent season than “24 Days and Counting.” The readings for today have a lot to offer in terms of what we can expect, how to prepare, what kind of lifestyle to strive for, and how to handle those pesky “complications” we call sin. They also point us beyond the arrival of the infant Jesus, into an unknown future when he will return. The G...
Read more