stirring, searching, humbling
Christmas cards and nativity scenes depict the wise men visiting the Christ-child. But I think the story is bigger than the way it’s presented. The wise men’s journey is also a paradigm for our spiritual journey.
far from home
On the day I graduated from college, my sister was on a trip in the same state with her high school class. She wanted to celebrate with me and—fortunately—a chaperone was willing to drive her 6.5 hours north to my school. But as they drove away from the hotel, they headed south. Obviously, neither of them had a strong inner compass. For it was several hours later—after they entered a scenic area deep in the southern region of the state—that they knew something was amiss.
one lost lamb
The Bible uses many metaphors to describe people who are not believers in Jesus: Harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38), fish caught in the net (Matthew 13:47), guests invited to a banquet (Matthew 22:10), and sheep—most often as lost sheep without a shepherd (Psalm 119:176; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 18:12; Luke 9:36; 1 Peter 2:25).
Phillip Keller, a shepherd, is the author of…
