February 25

Matthew 18:10 – 14

Link to Bible Verses: Matthew 18

Community: To what communities do you belong?

If there were a parable meant for a reflection on community, it seems the lost sheep might be it. The main message of the lost sheep is that none of us is too insignificant or too errant to move beyond God’s love and the attention of Christ. As Fr. Greg Boyle says, “God is too busy loving us to be angry with us.” Of course! Each one of us is cherished simply because, simply because we exist. Breathe that in deeply.

What happens, though, if we reflect on this parable from the view of community? A flock is also part of this story, after all. Before reflecting on the flock, though, I’m going to beg forgiveness while I get academic for a bit:

The contemporary emphasis on individuality in the United States and much of Western Europe —on an isolated, independent, and self-sufficient person—is unique in human history; arguably, the concept of a fully individualized self did not begin to develop until the Age of Enlightenment, and it then developed very gradually. This means for the majority of human history, as well as in many current cultures around the world, something other than the individual—namely something communal such as family or tribe—has been the center of understanding of human experience.

In a communal context, an individual—a truly independent person—does not make sense. Meaning, in this parable the flock is not the same flock—is not complete—without the wandering sheep. Perhaps the shepherd went after the lost sheep out of as much love for the flock as for the individual sheep. The communal does not make sense without the individual, and the individual is meaningless without community.

Thank you to Linda Land-Closson for writing our 2026 Lenten Devotions.