The story of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-10, reassures us that, whatever wrong turns we take, we still belong to God.  But it also tells us that if we belong to God, we also belong to each other.  The one and the ninety-nine need to be reunited.  Jesus addresses this story, not to the one lost sheep, but to the “99 righteous persons”, who have neglected to search for the missing one and are incomplete without it.

The story of God’s people wandering in the wilderness in Exodus 32:7-14 reverses the situation: here it is not one sheep who has wandered off but the whole people of God who have “turned aside” and followed their own path. 

Moses is the one remaining.  He is offered the chance to become a great nation but he refuses the blessing unless it is shared with all God’s people. He reminds God that, for better and for worse, they all belong to God, all heirs to God’s promise. 

Would it have been easier for Moses to abandon his people to their fate? hell yes!  God’s people are not always easy to live with.  But faith is not given to us as individuals, it is given to us as a community.  A relationship with God is always also a relationship with all God’s people. The one cannot be saved without the many, the many cannot be saved without the one.  Just as we all need God, we all need each other.  God’s promises can only be enjoyed when all share in them. 

Some major roof maintenance started this week. The old roof is being re-covered but with new upstands and skylights ( to replace the existing, many of which are broken). The new ones are triple glazed, improving heat performance.

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