Advent - Luke Chapter 15

This is part of a series exploring Luke’s Gospel for the Advent season. One chapter a day for the first 24 days of December. (We’ll see how we go!) I hope you enjoy :)

- Jeff

“It’s only one.” One extra slice of Christmas cake. One work email when we said we’d spend time with our family.

To God, the ones matter. He loved the world, giving His Son (John 3:16), but He also loves the individual. His One-ness is reflected in our personhoods.

In each of the parables Jesus tells in Luke 15, there is a one. One coin, one sheep, one son that went astray.

The effort exerted in going after the one seems a bit extreme. A 99% retention rate on sheep seems ok to me - not ideal, but ok. Surely, the one isn’t worth risking leaving the other ninety-nine for?

God’s economy is not like ours. His value system places a higher price on each one of us than anyone else would be willing - or able - to pay. The Father comes running to meet the son.

Expect the unexpected. If we draw near to God, He draws near to us. Let’s give that a try today, this Christmas. It’s not too late.