Jesus is the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to save the one. That’s one percent, right? We sometimes grumble about the attention paid to those at the fringe. Yet that’s where the Pentecost God may be found.
The “one percent” gained notoriety in recent years as part of the backlash against growing economic disparity in the country and, really, around the globe. The one percent are the ones who hold a disproportionate amount of the global money and power. The 99% are the rest. Yet the “one percent” are also the fringe, the wanderers, those who tread the edge of safety. Whether it’s because you’re blessed with piles of money or because you’re differently-abled or caught up in opioid addiction or a sexual minority you might be near the edge. The good news is that, apparently, Jesus is there, too. So that’s where the church needs to be. One of the marks of a vital congregation is an intentional incarnational focus, the gifts of God’s word made flesh in the world. How are we doing that? How could we be doing that?