God is the comic shepherd who gets more of a kick out of…
““God is the comic shepherd who gets more of a kick out of that one lost sheep once he finds it again than out of the ninety and nine who had the good sense not to get lost in the first place. God is the eccentric host who, when the country-club crowd all turned out to have other things more important to do than come live it up with him, goes out into the skid rows and soup kitchens and charity wards and brings home a freak show. The man with no legs who sells shoelaces at the corner. The old woman in the moth-eaten fur coat who makes her daily rounds of the garbage cans. The old wino with his pint in a brown paper bag. The pusher, the whore, the village idiot who stands at the blinker light waving his hand as the cars go by. They are seated at the damask-laid table in the great hall. The candles are all lit and the champagne glasses filled. At a sign from the host, the musicians in their gallery strike up "Amazing Grace.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
God values the lost and marginalized more than the comfortable, inviting all to a divine feast.
In simple terms: God loves the outcasts more than the safe.
Key Takeaway
Seek compassion for the overlooked.
Themes
compassion
inclusion
divine hospitality
humility
Mood
reflective
hopeful
spiritual
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- charity work
- community outreach
- personal reflection
- interfaith dialogue
Key Concepts
theology
social justice
empathy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you honor the 'lost sheep' in your life?
- What biases prevent you from seeing value in the marginalized?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overlook systemic causes of suffering.