He calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
- from Luke 15:6-7

Jesus tells three parables in Luke 15. The first one tells the story of a man who has 100 sheep and loses one. He leaves the 99 in the open country (where it’s safe) and searches for the lost sheep. Today’s passage shows what happens after he finds his lost sheep and gives Jesus’ application of the parable.

How would you expect the shepherd to react when he finds his lost sheep?

An angry response is possible: “You’re killing me, wandering off like this!” A grumpy response is another option: “Ugh. You keep doing this. Stop it.” But the shepherd responds with celebration.

Friends and neighbors gather for the awkward “Found the Sheep that was Lost” Party. We imagine the party would have featured streamers, music and absolutely no mutton. The party reflects the shepherd’s priorities. His joy over finding the lost sheep pours out and spreads to his friends and neighbors.

Jesus tells us that God’s like that.

God values “lost sheep” so much that rejoicing spreads through heaven whenever one person changes their life course and heads home to God.

Now, the edge to this parable is there (and we’ll look at it more later in the week). The shepherd doesn’t throw a party to celebrate his 99 sheep who never got lost. In that moment, the focus is on the one who was lost. And everyone is invited to join that celebration.

This presents us with a challenge.

Will we rejoice when “lost sheep” come home to God? Will we be able to get past our selfishness and say: “this party isn’t ABOUT me but it is FOR me”? What keeps us from joining the celebration?