When Elise, and I first opened up our veterinary practice in the suburbs of Chicago, we were living pretty much hand to mouth. We were a brand new practice being built from the ground up. As such, we had few clients to begin with. There were several more established clinics all around us and we needed to find a way to stand out from the crowd. The town of Carol Stream, where our practice was located, decided to have a summer fair during the time we first opened up. It was an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to the community. We decided to do a petting zoo. We rounded up several different species of animals for the children in the area to interact with on a hands on basis. We had dogs, cats, goats, rabbits and guinea pigs among the menagerie.
Now the thing about running a petting zoo is that it takes all your attention to manage not only the animals but also the two legged juvenile variety. A lot of action going on to keep track of. At this time we had our first daughter, Danielle, who was 2 years old at the time. We were managing things OK until Elise had to leave. She had decided to go to a veterinary conference out of state and was scheduled to take a flight the afternoon of the petting zoo. So it was me, the animals and my daughter. Until I turned my head for a moment to address someone’s question. Then it was just me and the animals. Danielle disappeared. She was nowhere to be found. For those of you who are parents, and have had their children go missing, even for a moment, you know the helpless feeling and horror. I was panicked as you could imagine. I started running around the park calling her name. I thought she was gone forever. Then I heard an announcement from the main stage. “We have found a little girl and she is looking for her daddy”. I sprinted to the stage, falling over in the process. I hugged Danielle in a way I had never done before and probably have not done since. She was lost and now was found.
We all know the parable from the Gospels where Jesus tells of the shepherd that left the 99 sheep to go look for the one lost sheep. We think, why would he risk the lives of 99 for the life of the 1? Well, I can tell you that when someone you love is missing and in danger, all rational thought goes out the window. You need to bring that lost sheep back to safety. Back into the fold. Our youngest daughter is going through some things over the last few years that has caused her to separate herself to some degree form the rest of our family. I have almost the same feeling for her as I did for 2 year old Danielle all those years ago. The sense of a void. Of loss.
In the first reading today from 1st Samuel we read the story of Saul. The eventual first king of Israel. During the passage we read how the prophet Samuel anointed Saul with oil signifying him as the anointed one. The one chosen by God. But before this occurs the passage describes how Saul’s Father, Kish, sends Saul on a journey to retrieve a few lost donkeys (I won’t use the term that Samuel uses here to refer to the donkeys). So Saul embarks on a long journey looking for the lost animals. That journey eventually leads him to Samuel. God uses the lost group of animals to lead Saul to his destiny. And after his anointing, Samuel tells Saul that the lost donkeys have been found and Saul should not worry about them. They are safe. They were lost and now were found.
And in the Gospel from Mark today we hear the familiar tale of the calling of Matthew. We know that Matthew, first called Levi, was on the margins of society. His fellow Jews hated him because he was taking their money and making life more difficult for them. He was shunned by his own people. And the Romans did not welcome him into their culture. He was a Jew. Not a Roman. So Matthew was on the fringes. He was lost. In The Chosen he is shown as only having his dog with him as a companion.
But Jesus calls him. Jesus had noticed Matthew and something in him that made Jesus want Matthew as one of His apostles. And not only does Jesus call him but He tells Matthew that He will be dining at his house that evening. And the invited guests? Tax collectors and other sinners. All lost sheep with not a shepherd to guide them. And the Pharisees see this hodgepodge of Jerusalem’s “worst” and condemn Jesus for associating with them. They focus on outward purity. Only what they can see on the outside of these outcasts of Jewish society. But not Jesus. Jesus sees broken people on the margins who are lost. Wandering around the park looking for Daddy. Jesus’ response to the Pharisees? That He came to cure the sick. That only the ill need a physician. And these sinners were ill and in need of a savior.
I imagine Jesus running around that park in Carol Stream looking for the lost. Maybe not physically lost at times but spiritually looking to be found. We are all lost sheep, lost children and lost as….ummm. donkeys. Waiting to be found and healed. We are lost then found. Then lost again. Thankfully we have a God who became one of us and knows what that means and what that feels like. And is always looking for us to bring us home.
