By now, many of you will have seen the picture of the wandering Soay sheep that we managed to round up and hold in the Chapel Garden recently along with the help of concerned passers-by, two policemen and a policewoman. I had been thinking what to write as an in-troduction this month, but it was as if the Lord sent this sheep to the church to prompt me to share that beautiful picture from the parable of the wandering sheep in Luke 15 where the shepherd leaves the 99 grazing in the open country and goes off to find the one that had strayed. Having found it, we read that he ‘joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep’ Luke 15:5b-6.
The parable goes on to explain that there will be greater joy in heaven over the one sinner who repents than over those who have already repented. It is true that the owner of the sheep we found was extremely grateful when she arrived and was clearly happy to recover her lost sheep (which had walked up and down St Leonards Road and then Depot Road before finding her way to our Chapel in the midst of morning rush hour). Carefully, and with the aid of a policeman, she carried it to her Land Rover to take it back to its home paddock in Hampers Lane.
Sheep feature in many of our bible stories and references and the greatest of them all relates to Jesus Christ our Lord, who was the Good Shepherd for his sheep yet who be-came the Lamb of God, the one who was without sin or blemish yet became sin for us and was sacrificed on the cross at Calvary as we will be remembering on Good Friday this month.
It is always a sombre reflection as we consider that he died that we might be freed from our sins, it was only He, the sin-less one who could pay the debt we owe by the shedding of his blood on that day. From the darkness of that day, we emerge into the light on Easter Sunday when we celebrate joyfully that Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed, and He shows his power over death firstly by returning to show himself to his disciples and many others, and then as he ascended into Heaven to sit at His Father’s side always interceding for us his sheep who remain. Just as our wandering sheep came through the gate into the church car park Jesus says ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep (John 10:7) It is only through believing and following in Him that we may enter into his sheep pen, the Kingdom of God.
May we all be thankful this Easter time for the death and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ and may we know that rich blessing from new life in Him.
Stuart
Elder
April 2022
Comments on this entry are closed.