Radical Belonging
Jesus Pursues All, Regardless Of How They Get Lost
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” Luke 15:1–2
The Wandering Sheep
A sheep can wander while doing nothing more unusual than eating. Head down, one mouthful after another, it loses sight of where it belongs.
We can live that way too, getting through each day without knowing there is more than simply getting through it. Jesus sees someone worth going after.
The Misplaced Coin
The coin brings to mind people who have been mishandled, misused, or abused.
They didn’t choose what happened, yet someone else’s treatment can become the story they believe about their worth.
Being mishandled doesn’t make them disposable. The One who treasures them has not forgotten their value.
The Lost Sons
The younger son chose to leave; the older son stayed home, lost inside the temple of himself.
We can wander far away or lose the joy of belonging without ever leaving the house.
I can recognize parts of my own story in all three.
Jesus pursues all, regardless of how they get lost.
A Place At His Table
The complaint against Jesus was that He welcomed sinners and ate with them. I’d love for people to say the same about us.
We aren’t asked to judge how someone became lost before deciding whether they deserve a place. We get to receive them with the mercy we have received.
Radical belonging gives us a place to believe, a place to abide, and people with whom to discover how deeply we are loved.
Reflection
Have I been judging how someone became lost?
Where do I need to receive His welcome?
Who could experience that welcome through me?
Prayer
Abba Father, thank You that Your Love not only redeems, but finds. Help us welcome those You treasure. Amen.