Matthew 18:12-14 - Jesus tells the Parable of the Lost Sheep, in which a shepherd has 100 sheep and loses one of them. The shepherd then leaves behind the 99 sheep to look for the one, and when he finds it, he rejoices about it more than the 99 that did not go missing. God is like this shepherd who cares about each one of us and does not want anyone to be lost.

Luke 18:9-14 - Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and a Tax Collector. The Pharisee prays to God thanking God that he is a good person, while the tax collector prays for forgiveness for the wrong things he’s done. Jesus says that it’s the tax collector who is justified before God, and that everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled while those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Matthew 13:31-33 - Jesus tells the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. Both represent the way that the kingdom of heaven (on earth) has small and humble beginnings, but grows and brings about blessing to all, spreads and permeates its influence wherever it goes. It goes to show that even our smallest actions can have a big impact.

Luke 18:1-8 - Jesus tells a story about a widow who pleads for justice from an unjust judge; he listens to her only because she keeps bothering him. Unlike this judge, God is just and listens to us, but God also wants us to pray persistently for what we need. This helps us build trust and dependence on God.

Luke 15:8-10 - Jesus tells a story of a woman who lost one of her 10 silver coins and searches everywhere for it, rejoicing when she finally finds it. Likewise, there is rejoicing in heaven when one lost person comes back to God, because each of us is special and precious to God.