This Sunday we’ll be reading two familiar parables in our study of Luke – the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. They are found in Luke 15:1-10.

The first two verses set the stage for the stories Jesus tells. What is at issue, and how do the stories relate to that issue? What is it revealing to us about the heart of God towards humanity?

Have you ever lost something of great value to you? How did you feel when it was missing? What did you do when you discovered it was gone? Do your best to conjure up those emotions and thoughts. Now…can you imagine God feeling that way about you, when he went looking for you?

These stories are usually read with the main focus of finding lost ones – but we also want to remember the context which started this discourse – Jesus is correcting Pharisees who had no interest in lost ones. To properly read these parables, we need to read them from the Pharisee’s perspective – and pose the question to ourselves: “Who do I consider unimportant or undesirable, and am I willing to welcome them and reinforce their value, as Jesus does with all of us?”

Value is at the heart of this passage – and the message these stories are getting across is stunning. I wonder if any of us truly grasp the way God values us.

I think this will prove to be an encouraging, yet challenging study. Hope you can join us!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.