Lost sheep

Once upon a time, in a small village, there was a shepherd named Marcus. He had a flock of 100 sheep, and he loved each one dearly. One day, while Marcus was out in the fields, one of his sheep, a little lamb named Luna, wandered away from the flock.

Marcus searched everywhere for Luna, but she was nowhere to be found. He called out her name, whistled, and even left food in the hopes she would return, but there was no sign of her.

As the sun began to set, Marcus was heartbroken. He had lost one of his precious sheep, and he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her behind. So, he decided to leave the 99 sheep in the safety of the flock and go out into the wilderness to search for Luna.

He searched all night, through the dark and treacherous terrain, calling out Luna’s name until his voice was hoarse. Finally, just as the sun was rising, he heard a faint bleat in the distance. He followed the sound and found Luna, shivering with fear, trapped in a thorny bush.

Marcus was overjoyed to have found his lost sheep! He gently freed Luna from the thorns and cradled her in his arms, tears of joy streaming down his face.

This story is a parable of God’s love for us. Just like Marcus, God is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep. Sometimes, we wander away from His flock, lost in the wilderness of sin and darkness. But God doesn’t give up on us. He leaves the 99, the rest of the world, and comes searching for us, calling out our names, until He finds us.

And when He does, He rejoices over us with great joy, just like Marcus rejoiced over finding Luna. He frees us from the thorns of sin and darkness and welcomes us back into His flock with open arms.

The message:

This story preaches Christ’s message of redemption and God’s unconditional love for us. Just as Marcus risked everything to find his lost sheep, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, gave His life on the cross to find and redeem us, His lost sheep. And now, He calls us to come back to Him, to leave our life of sin and darkness, and follow Him into the green pastures of His love and grace.

May this story inspire us to seek Jesus, our Good Shepherd, and may we always remember that we are precious in His sight. Amen!