Abide | The Parables of the Shepherd's Joy & the Joy of the Woman

We continue our Abide series with two parables as we see the activity of Christ contrasting with the activity of religious people. Whereas religion is the mechanism of excluding those who won't behave in order to belong, Jesus welcomes people to belonging regardless of behavior. This is the Gospel of mercy. We discuss the Parable of the Lost Sheep or, as we are calling it, the Parable of the Shepherd's Joy since the story is really about Jesus and not about us. Lost sheep don't expect or deserve a savior like Jesus, who extends an invitation to justice by way of mercy and grace. Likewise, the Parable of the Coin (or the Parable of the Joy of the Woman) focuses not on how the lost got lost but instead on the search until it's found and the celebration that follows.