FOUND
Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Luke 15:4-6
As I thought about today’s word, the song that came to mind was the Phillip Phillips hit, Home.
Listen to it, and imagine that God is the one singing these words to you:
Settle down, it’ll all be clear. Don’t pay no mind to the demons; they fill you with fear. The trouble, it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone, ‘cause I’m gonna make this place your home.
Do you ever feel far from home in your relationships, in your job, in your body? Far from comfort and stability? Far from peace and contentment?
Do you ever feel lost, even on what seems like it should be a familiar path? Has fear made you lose your way? Have unexpected detours left you disoriented and confused? Do you no longer know the way home?
You’re not alone.
This morning, there were two moments in worship that felt like God singing in my ear: If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone, ’cause I’m gonna make this place your home.
The first moment came in the pulpit at Canoe Ridge. As I stood there, I was suddenly aware of the stained glass window to my left positively glowing. Light was streaming through the red glass at the top of the window, creating a bold, powerful, shimmering invitation to notice God’s presence there. Where moments before I had felt harried, lost in weariness and worry, in that moment I knew God’s peace deep in my bones. I was found.
The second moment came as I watched the Sunday School Christmas Program at Glenwood. Mary and Joseph, played by preschoolers, were delightful to observe. They whispered to one another, they adjusted their costumes, they smiled, they slouched down in their chairs…and then, with great solemnity, Joseph bent down into the manger and carefully lifted the blanket in which the baby Jesus was wrapped, as though he just needed a closer look at that baby.
I wondered what it would look like in my own life to want to see Jesus that clearly. I gave thanks for the faith of children. I marveled at the beauty of the Christmas story being portrayed by our youngest members. I felt joy filling my heart. I was found.
We belong to a God who has promised we will never be alone. We belong to a God who seeks us out when we’re lost and carries us home rejoicing.
If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone.
Thanks be to God! Amen.