Finding the Lost Sheep: A Story About How Much Every One Matters

A Story Called "Finding the Lost Sheep"

One, two, three, four, five. The shepherd was counting the sheep. Clea, the sheepdog, stood quietly by, watching — but a little worried.

It was very cold at night, so Clea used to bring all the sheep inside to their resting place overnight, which had three big gates. When the shepherd got to 50, Owl called out, "That's only halfway. Do you remember how many there are supposed to be?"

Owl remembered. The shepherd knew, and so did Clea — but she was worried. The counting went on until it reached 91, 92, 93, 94… and Clea became really worried, and so did the shepherd. There were supposed to be 100 sheep. But there were only 99. One was missing out in the cold, dark night.

"Every Sheep Matters"

"Don't worry," grunted one of the goats. "Sheep don't matter. They're just goats who have forgotten how to climb, and they're good for nothing." "Forget about number 100. Sheep are stupid," said Dummy the donkey.

Clea and the shepherd frowned. "No, every sheep matters," said the shepherd.

Then one of the sheep spoke up. "I know who's missing. It's that silly old ewe. Old sheep don't matter." "Yes, they do," barked Clea in reply. Another sheep said, "That old sheep's not like the rest of us. She says baa in a strange way, and she didn't come from our farm."

But Clea and the shepherd didn't wait. They jumped onto the horses, and soon they were on their way to the far-off hills.

Into the Dark Night

When they got down from the horses, the shepherd said, "It's very dark tonight." "Don't worry," barked Clea. "My nose will find the way. I can smell things a long way off."

They passed by Molly the moo cow, who mumbled, "You should both be at home. Why are you wandering around in the dark?" "Be careful, you two," said Kylie the kangaroo. "There are lots of dangers out here."

Nothing stopped Clea and the shepherd — not even Owl, who flew along for the ride because owls like to fly around at night. "Have you thought about this?" she said. "You have three rooms in the shelter and 99 sheep. That's perfect. Each room will have…" But they were in too much of a hurry and didn't hear the rest.

"I hope that old sheep is not injured and in pain," said the shepherd. "And it's very scary to be lost and all alone," said Clea. "Woof!"

Found!

Suddenly, Clea smelt the old ewe. "She must be over there," she said. "That's where the scent is coming from." And sure enough, the old sheep must have heard the woof and let out a very weak, "Baa, please come and help me."

Soon, they found her stuck in a thorn bush. The shepherd pulled away the branches, and Clea pushed her free with her nose. Clea wagged her tail in happiness. The shepherd had a big smile, and the old sheep shed lots of tears of joy, which mixed with the tears of sadness, so that her wool all around her face was soaking wet.

"You cared about me so much, and you came and found me. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

The Ride Home

"Now for the ride back home," said the shepherd as he lifted the old ewe onto the back of the horse, while Clea sat in between, trying not to fall off. They were so happy.

As they were riding along, suddenly there was a bright light in the clouds, and they heard music. Molly the moo cow growled, "They're singing Jingle Bells. They should be using real bells — cowbells." "No, they're not," said Clea. "They're singing The Lord's My Shepherd." "I think it sounds like Amazing Grace," said the shepherd. They were just imagining things, as you do sometimes in the night.

Room at the Inn

Back at the shelter, the shepherd unloaded the old ewe. But Dummy the donkey said, "I'm afraid it's too late. We've shut up the three rooms, and all the sheep are asleep."

"Then we'll just have to settle for the stable where the bigger animals are," said the shepherd. "No, that's not possible," said Dummy. "There's a baby in there, and they don't have a cot, so they put him to sleep in one of the animal feeder boxes."

"I'm sure there's a place for an old ewe, too," said the shepherd. And for sure there was.

For there was the baby Jesus, and Mary, and Joseph, and they said, "Please come in. We don't want anyone to be left out in the cold. Everyone matters — even an old sheep."

The True Part of the Story

Many years later, when the real Jesus told stories, he told one about a shepherd who had 100 sheep and had lost one and cared so much that he went out to find it.

That's how much God cares for us, and that's how much we need to care for each other.

That's the true part of the story. The other was just something that Clea made up and told me once when we were playing together.