The Rev. Dr. Joan Murray on having one's favorite place known by Another

The Lost Sheep

I was a student at a southern seminary while preparing for the ministry of chaplaincy. During a clinical pastoral education unit in the associated hospital complex, an unexpected event became an epiphany. The on-call chaplain responsible for Sunday School at the children’s hospital was inexperienced so I offered some assistance for which she was appreciative. Both of us planned to be present.

The multipurpose room was ready for the children, family, and friends. Several young children came with their mothers. They wore pajamas and carried toys. Just as we began, a boy of about ten came in alone slowly pushing his IV pole. He found a seat toward the rear of the room. He had a non-anxious presence.

I drew upon my knowledge and experience with storytelling and using what was at hand to bring the children and their families into the moment. I decided to use the blackboard and tell the story of the lost sheep by drawing with colored chalk a pasture with trees, a corral, and a few rocks. The gate was left open so they could visualize the shepherd waiting for the flock to return for the night. Trees were placed inside the corral as well as in the surrounding pasture. The children were given a cotton ball dipped in water so they could come, at the appropriate time, and place themselves in the scene on the blackboard.

The story of the lost sheep was read from Matthew 18:12-14 to the four small children, their parents and the lone ten-year-old sitting at the back of the room. After reading the story, comments were made about the shepherd looking for the lost sheep and how important each sheep was to the shepherd. Each child was invited to come to the board to place themselves as sheep wherever they wanted to be. The smaller children, when brought one by one by their mothers, placed themselves in the corral or on the board wherever they could reach.

The ten-year-old boy slowly pushed his IV pole to the board and placed himself under a nearby tree outside the corral. He then returned to his seat. We talked about where they had placed themselves. Finally, it was time to speak about the sheep outside the corral under the tree. The storyteller asked, “How will the shepherd know where to find you?” Quietly he said, “Oh, the shepherd will know that is my favorite place.” There was silence.

The story of the boy is not known. His spoken word is remembered. His story is a favorite place of mine, and I find God there. What had happened in this brief life that gave him the assurance that he would be found? To have one’s favorite place known by another is an intimacy lacking in many relationships today. God will find you, and you will find God.

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