Chapter Fifteen Sunday, December 12, 2010 The Third Sunday of Advent
“But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15:32
Have you ever misplaced your keys? Lost your checkbook? Left your credit card at some unknown location? Or maybe you have been lost yourself.
It is an uncomfortable feeling to lose something important. First there is the anxiety of not knowing. Then a state of confusion begins to set in as you wonder what in the world might have happened. Before long (depending on the value of the object) some level of panic might even set in.
I was leading a team of American preachers who had been traveling through Eastern Europe on a preaching mission. We had been traveling for about two weeks but now it was finally time to head home. We were packing and getting ready to travel to the airport when one of our team members could not find his passport. At first, he shuffled through all the reasonable places where it might have been misplaced. Then he started retracing his steps. It didn’t take long for the severity of the situation to set in. He began to panic. He dug through everything, his voice became stressed, his face was flushed, and his heart was pounding fast. Everyone pitched in to help. We found it fifteen minutes later after a lot of anxiety. Guess where it was. It was in his back pocket all the time!
We celebrated, took a deep breath, and loaded the car for our trip home. Isn’t it good when the lost is found!
Jesus shares three parables in this chapter of the lost and found. There is a lamb, a coin, and a member of the family. All are lost, and all are found. Every situation calls for a time of celebration that engages the joy of heaven.
Let me simply ask this question: Where are you in these parables? Do you see yourself in the reflection? Take a moment to re-read and reflect on your desire to be ‘found’ by God.
I celebrate the opportunity to share worship with you on this third Sunday of Advent!
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