Jesus talks a lot about being lost and found and for good reason! Imagine the terror of losing a child in a big store, then the overwhelming joy of finding them.  Most of us can remember the last time we were lost and the sigh of relief when we found our destination. I for one have been lost in the woods, lost in my schoolwork, lost in my job, and felt lost in life.  I’ve lost money, lost friendships, lost track of time and I’ve been lost in my own brooding thoughts.  There is no doubt that we’ve all been lost – more times than we can even count.

One of Jesus’ famous “lost and found” stories went like this. . . “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:9).

When I was in Israel, a group of 30 of us stood in the ruins near the city of Capernaum – perhaps near the place where Jesus told his story.  Most of the buildings had crumbled from an earthquake which had happened in 363 AD, but the brick pavers were in remarkably good condition.  While the speaker explained the history of the region, one of the leaders purposely dropped a dime on those pavers behind our group. It took all 30 of us nearly 20 minutes before we found the coin and wow – did we scream and holler when we did!   The coin that had been lost was found!  No wonder the woman rejoiced when she found her coin.

Next time you go to church, look at the people around you.  Some of these folks are wealthy and some poor.  Some are democrats, others republicans.  There will be baritones and soprano’s.  In fact, church people have only one – just one – universal commonality: We all continue to get lost and need God’s help to get found.  

The really good news is when we realize just how lost we are, we get a chance to pull out our GPS – you know – our “God Positioning System.” God gently holds our hands and says “re-routing” as he shows us once again, the best way to our ultimate destination, of being with him.  Remember how Jesus said that the angels rejoice when we get found?  I can only imagine how God must smile too!