One of the distinguishing traits of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition is: Jews and Christians need not seek God, it is God who seeks them. The opposite seems to be true in other religions. The efforts made to find God by devotees of non-Judeo-Christian religions, give the impression that they must make almost superhuman efforts to find him.
In the first reading Isaiah paints the marvelously joyful picture of Yahweh seeking out his people in exile and leading them back to their homeland.
In the Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd who leaves the rest of his flock to search for the lone stray-and the joy when he finds it! In the parable the shepherd is a God-figure, a metaphor for God, the Father. Furthermore Jesus in his own life on earth reflects his Father’s vision. The apostle John experienced the Father’s compassionate vision in his dealings with Jesus. This prompted John to write: “In this is love, not that we love God, but that he has first loved us.” In Advent we prepare our-selves to celebrate the feast of God’s love for us, which was so great that he sent his own Son to be God-with-us, to be God-in-pursuit of us.