Reading
All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him. The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders. When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.
Luke 15:1-7
Reflection
There is just something inviting about sitting around a campfire.
One of my most memorable mission trips was to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. It wasn’t the location or the work that made it unforgettable—it was the community we built. With no electricity, our phones stayed packed away, and we spent our evenings around the campfire. We talked, laughed, shared stories from the day, shared about our lives and by the end of the week, our group became a close-knit family.
We often trade meaningful connection for the convenience of connecting on a screen. But even when we find ourselves zoned out of life and zoomed in to our screens, God still wants community for us.
When we read the parable of the lost sheep, it’s easy to picture a “wayward soul,” someone who is rebellious and intentionally running away from God. That’s the complaint that prompts Jesus to tell the parable: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” But one of the sweet things about the sheep is that we’re never told how it became lost. Maybe it wandered away on purpose, or maybe it simply got distracted.
Jesus’ emphasis isn’t on how the sheep got lost. His emphasis is that it had wandered away from the community, was found, and was joyfully welcomed back.
Sometimes we don’t realize that our technological habits have caused us to wander away from our communities. Researchers Andrew Trousdale and Erik Larsen write, “There’s a reason these tools have saturated our lives. They save us time, make us more productive, free us from drudgery, engage us when we’re bored, connect us when we’re otherwise alone. But for all that technology can do, it is rarely an adequate substitute for physical presence, shared vulnerability, or the willingness to be inconvenienced for the sake of others.” Technology is a useful tool, but it cannot replace being present with people. God invites us to put down our screens long enough to truly see, know, and love one another. God always invites us back to community.
The lesson that has stuck with me from my time in the desert sitting around a campfire is that, sometimes the greatest gift we can give one another isn’t our productivity or efficiency, it’s our presence around the campfire, the dinner table, or wherever God brings us together.
Prayer
Think about the place you gather with people, maybe it’s a dinner table, a coffee pot, a mailbox, a gym, or something else. Hold that picture in your mind for a few moments. Then, pray this prayer:
God, you created me for community, yet, sometimes I get distracted from the good things you have for me. Help me to be mindful of my attention this week. Help me to look at my screens less and spend more time looking into the eyes of those around me. Bless my time with others this week as I live into the community with which you have surrounded me. Amen.
