Its not about being lost...

"You leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and go looking for the one that got lost until you find it...She lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and looks carefully everywhere until she finds it...He was still a long way from home when his father saw him." (Luke 15)

It's easy when you read these parables to think about what is lost. Sheep. Coin. Son. All are valuable. But it struck me that there is a stronger emphasis on the diligence of the search. The aspect of never giving up "until you find it". It is a reminder that this is how God relates to you and me. God is continually searching for you...looking for you...finding you. Never giving up on you or despairing, but always ready...waiting...watching...and willing to welcome you home with loving arms of grace and a place of honour in the family of faith...the people of God.

It is also a reminder that we should not look in judgment on people. All of us are in our own way both 'lost and found' or as Paul puts it in his letters 'sinner and saint'. So let us greet one another with compassion, mercy, acceptance, love and grace, welcoming the fellowship and community this brings. This is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.(NOTE: He was criticized by the 'religious' people of his day for eating with 'sinners') This is what he invites us to do for all people.