Beaux people.

Sermon preached at St Peter and St Paul’s Church Swanscombe on 16th September 2007 based on and St Luke xv.1-10

It’s six thirty in the morning,
and the sheep need to be out grazing.

Sam packs his provisions for the day -
food, drink and Bible -
and, for the first time in his life,
prepares to move the sheep off
to their usual pasture .

He doesn’t have
very many sheep to look after, just 27
– all belonging to Mr Roache the farm owner.


As he lets the sheep loose into the pasture,
Sam counts them,
remembering that Mr Roache was only joking
when he told him to count the legs
and then divide by 4.


It’s when he reaches a count of 26
that he realises that the smallest sheep,
barely a lamb, has disappeared.

Sam remembers the parable of the shepherd
who leaves 99 sheep to find the missing one.

“Ah, “he says,
“that must be the right course
of action to take.”

So, he leaves his 26 sheep in their usual pasture
and wanders back to find the one missing.


It takes Sam an hour before he finds it
caught in a hedge where it has tried
to grab a blackberry just out of its reach,
so he disentangles it
and makes for the pasture
And the other sheep.

What do you think he will find
when he returns?

[PAUSE]

Well, not surprisingly
Sam returns to find the pasture empty.

Apart from the small one
that he’s brought back with him,
the hill-side is a sheep free zone.

Well, you can understand
that Sam is upset, can’t you?

After all, he’s tried to be a good shepherd
and follow what the Lord Jesus
tells him in the Parable.


“"What man of you,
having a hundred sheep,
if he loses one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness,
and go after the one which is lost
until he finds it?”


Sam loses his temper, “O God,
I’ve tried to follow your word
and treat these sheep just as you’ve wanted.

You tell me to leave my sheep
just to come after this one who went missing.

Now they’ve all gone missing
apart from this one little sheep
who has returned with me.”

[PAUSE]

There is a rustle behind him that makes Sam jump.

He turns and he sees Mr Roache,
the owner of the sheep standing behind him.


“What are you having a go at God for?

Is it His fault that you’re in this mess?”


“Well, yes,” says Sam indignantly,
“I merely followed what He says in the Bible.”


“And look where it’s got you!”
says Mr Roache,
“all in a pickle.

Since when has the Bible
been a comprehensive manual
for the herding of sheep?

You might as well use Moby Dick
for tips on whaling
and “A very hungry caterpillar”
for breeding butterflies."

Is Mr Roache right?

[PAUSE]

"Read the passage again,”
says Mr Roache.

“"What man of you, having a hundred sheep,
if he loses one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness,
and go after the one
which is lost until he finds it?”


“Now,” says Mr Roache,
“where does it say he left the 99 sheep?”

“Well, according to the text,
it says in the wilderness,” says Sam,
his faith shaken.


“Right,” says Mr Roache,
“but what you’ve got to understand
is that the wilderness was the best place
for pasturing sheep in those days!

The sheep would have known
that place like the back of their hooves.

The Good Shepherd is not going
to leave the sheep on the edge of a cliff,
or a minefield
or in a place with a sign saying
“Wolf Enclosure” is he?”

“But what about all the sheep?

I can’t see them,” asks Sam, rather agitated.


“Call ‘em up,” says Mr Roache, “just like I taught you.”


Sam gives the call.

One by one,
the sheep appear out of the various nooks and crannies,
looking rather bemused at being called back
after only a few hours grazing.


But it’s Sam who looks sheepish.

“You see, Sam, the sheep know this pasture very well.

They can disappear into all their usual haunts
all safe and sound.

But I am pleased with you
‘cos you saw that little Doris was missing
and you did exactly what
any good shepherd would do
– left the sheep somewhere
where they would be safe,
and went to find the missing one.

I’m glad to see that you value all the sheep the same,
that just because one gets lost on the way
doesn’t mean that you forget it.

You could have said,
‘blow Doris, I’ve got the majority of the sheep,
that’ll do me,’
but instead you know that
all of these sheep matter equally.”

And it is at this point that Sam understands the parable.

[PAUSE]

The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd
and seeks to bring back any lost from the fold.

It’s not that He does not value the 99 sheep
– they are the ones whom He loves and keeps safe –
but He will seek out those who are lost
and rejoice when they are found.

He does so because He loves them
and will not allow any single one
to be overlooked.

Is the Lord Jesus looking for you?

What will you do so that He can find you?