This Advent season I’ve been ruminating (pun intended) on a story I’d like to share.
Each month we welcome about 20 school-aged children to 7th Seed for a day of learning, exploration, and meaningful work. After a morning of exploring our beautiful forests and then helping on the farm, we all gather at our meeting circle under the big Norwegian Spruce for a Bible time. This semester we’ve been exploring the attributes of God together. Every month, I pick a story to read, then I send the students out with their journal and a pencil for a “solo” time with a recurring question to ponder: “What does this story show us about who God is or what God cares about?”
In November, I chose the story Jesus told about the lost sheep. I explained before I read it that this story came to mind because just a few days before our sheep had hopped their fence. After looking all over the farm, Conlan told me he found them up in the woods. I read the the story from Matthew 18:
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
I then handed out the students’ journals and before I sent them to find their own quiet space, I asked them to spend some of their quiet time thinking about what this story told them about who God is and what God cares about. The students dispersed and enjoyed some quiet time (about 15 minutes).
When we re-gathered, they had the opportunity to share about how they spent their solo time. One student shared a prayer she had written in her journal, another displayed a picture he had sketched. After a few minutes of sharing, I pulled out a poster board with “God” written in in the center with the collection of attributes we’ve seen through the scriptures we’ve read together this fall. I asked the group what this story Jesus told about the lost sheep shows us about God: “Why do you think Jesus told this story? What did he want his followers to know about God?” Some students raised their hands with answers about God loving everyone—I added these thoughts to our poster board. Then one girl raised her hand and said something that has stuck with me this season: “It shows us that God doesn’t just wait for us to come to him—He goes after us. His love is an active love.” What a beautiful snapshot of God’s work throughout Scripture and in our lives today. We continually choose our own way—and God comes after us. God desires peace in the world and in our own hearts—so much so, that God became man.
What a beautiful gift to celebrate this Christmastide! What a great,steadfast, and pursuing love!
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