Galatians 3:23-29
Children of God
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
1 John 3:1-10
Children of God
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin,because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
Luke 15:1-32
Parable of the Lost Sheep
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 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.
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
1 John 4:8
God is LOVE
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the one finding his lost sheep wants to rejoice and celebrate when he finds his lost sheep...In fact, the one finding the sheep calls a friend and his neighbors to join in the celebration and rejoicing of the found sheep...And very similarly, in the Parable of the Lost Coin the woman who lost the coin and then finds the coin wants to celebrate...She, too, calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her, when she found her lost coin...And in the Parable of the Lost Son, the father wants to celebrate with his friends, servants, and other son when he discovers that his youngest son is no longer lost...The people who have found things that they have lost, what to celebrate with those around them...
When I first read about Jesus telling of these parables, I did not fully understand the meaning and significance of the celebration and rejoicing...In all three of these "Lost Parables", the finder wants to celebrate...And not only celebrate by themselves, they want others to rejoice with them...One finder finds a lost sheep, one finds a lost coin, and the father finds his lost son...The Parable of the Lost Son had more story to it, and the father being a loving father I could better understand why he would want to celebrate...His son had left him, to find out about life...
But, now I realize I had missed somethings as I read the Lost Parables...What I missed, is that it is not about losing a sheep, or losing a coin, but it is about a Father losing a child...The Lost Parables are about love...And love takes more than one to have love...Love takes at least more more person...Love takes more than one...In love, there is the lover and the beloved...And love is always about sharing yourself and how you feel...
I have seen many TV shows and some movies where a child is lost and in these shows I can feel the desperation and angst of the parents who have lost children...And as St. John tells us, we are children of God...And St. Paul tells the Galatians and us, that in Jesus we are "all children of God through our faith."...And for all of those who were baptized into Jesus have clothed themselves with Christ...There is neither a Jew nor a Gentile, neither a slave nor free man or woman, nor is there a male and female, for you are all one in Jesus...If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise...All of us are children of God...And being His children, He LOVES us...
God is a loving Father...When someone dear to Him gets lost He feels this...He gets hurt when we are lost...When we are lost He feels our significance, because we are significant to Him...He feels this despair, and comes looking for us (when we are lost), through friends, acquaintances, life events, and different ways that He does this type of thing -so that we may come to our senses as a lost son or child...He wants to touch our hearts...No one is insignificant to Him...We are His children, and when we are lost, it is just as you might be if you lost one of your children, or someone very close to you...This is why He wants to rejoice and celebrate...This is why He wants to call everyone to rejoice with Him...Friends, neighbors, angels, and those in heaven...He had lost one of His children...They have been found...And now He wants to rejoice and celebrate, with those who are around Him...He wants to share what He feels with others...This great feeling of finding a lost child...This rejoicing and celebration is a great showing of LOVE...Love shares...LOVE wants to share...Because He is LOVE...