Lost and Found

Lost and Found
Luke 15:1-10
A few years ago I was at King’s Dominion in Virginia by the Log Flume ride. While I was standing there, I noticed a young couple. They caught my attention because they looked very worried and were looking around, walking in different directions, gesturing, and then began talking with a security guard. It became obvious that there was a serious problem. Within a few minutes I noticed the mother again and saw a little girl, 8 or 9 years old, clinging to her mom and sobbing. It was obvious that she was lost and had been found. Both she and her parents appeared to be relieved and happy. Something like that can be a parent’s worst nightmare, and it is something that a parent and a child don’t forget.

Jesus said that God is like a shepherd who searches for lost sheep, like a woman who searches for a lost coin, and like a parent who searches for a lost child. This is good news for us, because sometimes we get lost. Sometimes we get distracted, go in other directions, and wander away from God. There are life crises that may test our faith- a divorce, a lost job, or a death. We make mistakes, poor choices (the Bible calls those sins), and we are reminded that we have wandered away. We may just be too busy for God, and our lives out of balance. None of us is perfect and we all need to be found. Our faith needs to be renewed.

We live with tensions and contradictions. We wrestle with being self-centered and God-centered. We are both judgmental and gracious. There are times when we are at our best, with the best motives and good deeds. And at times we are short-sighted and fail to do the good that we could do. The good news is that God is always searching for us, and calling us to have faith. There is nothing that we may do that is so bad that will keep God from loving us and calling us.

Jesus told the stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin for those who are away from God. They are stories for those who need to be forgiven, for those who need a new start and a clean slate. They are also stories for those who need to forgive, who need to find a way to be gracious to those who have done them wrong. Sometimes we divide people into saints and sinners. That was true with the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. They thought they were better than most other people. They made the religious rules, and if anyone broke them, it meant that they were not holy. The religious leaders thought they were saints, but they were ungracious and judgmental.

One of the themes of the teachings of Jesus is that God is more gracious with us than we are with each other. God doesn’t hate sinners. He doesn’t discriminate, or write anybody off. There is hope for everyone. There is always a chance that each person with respond to God’s grace, God’s undeserved, unconditional love. That is the way that God sees people, and it is the way we can see them too.

God is like a shepherd, who searches for one lost sheep. God is like a woman who searches for a lost coin. God is like a parent, who searches for a lost child. God is a gracious and loving God. Like the words of a famous hymns say: “I once was lost, but now am found…”, those can be the words for each one of us. God is gracious and loving with all of us, and calls us to be gracious with one another. God doesn’t give up on anyone, and neither should we. God is always searching for those who are lost.