Moment of Meditation: Leaving the Ninety-Nine (Matthew 18:12-14)

''What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:12-14)''

There always seems to be at least one sheep in every flock that likes to stray off every now and then. And it's the Shepherd's job to find this straying sheep. And finding this one, He rejoices over it.

Many put this in the Pastor's lap. All those who have strayed are to be brought back into the fold of the Church by the Pastor only. The problem with that is it takes away the responsibility that Jesus puts onto each Christian for brotherly admonition. We'll have more on that next time.

The straying sheep know they're straying from the fold. So when Pastor calls or knocks on the door, they know what he wants. They know why he's there. They know what he's going to say. And they'll agree with it wholeheartedly. But nothing usually happens. The Pastor's supposed to do that.

It's their brothers and sisters in Christ who live and work with them that should also support their pastors in this venture. If the straying sees that only the Pastor wants them there, they won't want to come back. But if they see that the ninety-nine miss them among their midst, they're more likely to come back.

Each of us knows people in our circle of close friends who have wandered away from God's assembly. Reach out to them. Let them know that you would like to see them back in church. There's no telling how much a simple word might do when coming from a sincere friendly heart. Amen.