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St. Nicholas Episcopal Church of Kapolei Hawaii has held "Covenant Group" meetings for about 10 years. These groups meet weekly for fellowship, prayer and reflection on the readings and the sermon from the previous week. This blog is an attempt to offer the prayer and reflection as an on-going basis. The challenges of schedules and more prevent many members from participating in our groups, perhaps this will allow for additional participation. I will post readings and questions - please answer the questions and contribute as you're comfortable in the comment sections. Blessings

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Book - lost and found

BOOK – Luke 15:1-10
Jesus explains why he’s hanging with the sinners. 


  1. How do you think Jesus got the sinners he was welcoming to repent?
  2. Why should there be more joy in heaven over the one than the 99?
  3. What is you reaction to all the rejoicing when they found what they are looking for?
Luke 15:1-10

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

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2 comments:

  1. Fr. PaulSeptember 19, 2013 at 1:14 PM

    1. I love this first question. Repent? How did Jesus even get them to come and listen to him? I suspect it is because Jesus loved them, truly cared about them and it showed. They wanted to hear his message and when they heard that God loved them (even tho they sinned) they were transformed.

    2. More joy - funny that we get hung up on that - what's the exponential factor on joy? It should be a party/celebration when folks who haven't known God, or turned away from God are reunited. I'm good with God calling for this celebration and rejoicing.

    3. The rejoicing in the parable seems a little over the top. I always kinda figured Jesus was carrying on to make a point. However, maybe there is a lesson in this . . . maybe we don't rejoice enough over finding the lost - perhaps the rejoicing will help motivate us to find the next one. "Relief" is more often what I feel when I've found something, but when it's human beings that are lost rejoicing does seem to be important.

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  2. Fr. PaulSeptember 21, 2013 at 2:42 PM

    Kerry says:

    1. Jesus is like a positive to our negative. He attracts us. He has something we need and want that we don't have.

    2. Because the 99 are already there. The 99 should be joining in on the celebration.

    3. Do they eat the sheep or spend the coin in the celebration?

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