The Lost and the Found
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash.
What does it mean to lose something and then to find it? What does it mean to be lost and then to be found? Have you ever been lost? Have you been found?
In his parables of lost things in Luke chapter fifteen, Jesus speaks of the joy of a man seeking and finding a lost sheep, a woman who finds her lost coin and rejoices, and a man who had two lost sons and who rejoiced and celebrated when one of his sons was found.
In these three parables, we see that what is lost can be found, and there is great joy in finding lost possessions and people.
Jesus tells these parables in response to the grumbling of the Pharisees and the scribes at the tax collectors and sinners who were all drawing near to hear him. Luke’s gospel tells us, “And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’” (Luke 15:1-2, ESV).
Those who do not think they are lost can not be found or be given direction. The lost can be found. It is for the sinner that Jesus has come. As Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
May we receive Jesus and be found by him, who seeks to receive sinners and to eat with them, and who has come “to seek and to save the lost.”
A Collect the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity (Proper 19): “O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Begin the month with a #dailydevotional. I have created a #devotional book for each month, a devotional for every day of the year, and offering them for #free by subscribing. Get a link to #Grow365: #September2022—A #Daily Devotional here: www.robbiepruitt.com.
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash.
