“(Jesus) threw his loving arms around me, drew me back into his way.”

Philippe de Champaigne (1650's)

Hymn: “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story” – Francis H. Rowley (1854-1952)
Tunes: WONDROUS STORY, HYFRYDOL

This hymnline picks up on the Good Shepherd image:
    “I was lost, but Jesus found me,
    Found the sheep that went astray,
    Threw his loving arms around me,
    Drew me back into his way.”

A stray lamb: that would describe most of us at one time or another… maybe now. We’ve wandered off from the fold and find ourselves lost and alone – maybe wet and cold – for sure, miserable. We may have moseyed off accidentally, made a wrong turn, suddenly realized we were detached from the flock. Others may find ourselves in this condition because we made an attempt to escape; we are like the prodigal. Perhaps we felt forced out because we didn’t fit in anymore. Whatever the reason, we are aware that we are strays. 

The beauty of the Good Shepherd analogy is this: we are find-able.

The Ever-searching One cleans us up, dries us off, throws a blanket around us to be sure we are warm, feeds our hunger, makes sure we are well again and that we find our way “back into his way.”

Even as a young child, this stanza of the hymn caught my attention and seared into my brain the beauty of the picture it painted… long before I knew the John 10 passage or appreciated the great artworks based on the metaphor.

The next time we are estranged, let’s try this hymn/prayer:
    “I am lost. Jesus, find me.
    Find this sheep who’s gone astray.
    Throw your loving arms around me,
    Draw me back into your way.”