Lost

 

Boy oh boy! Is it ever so easy to get lost. As a sheep, I can eat those tufts of grass that lead me away from the pasture step by step, bite by bite, into a world of sin, temptation and evil. Bite by bite I go towards, greed, move a little further away towards gluttony, take a couple more bites and I'm off into sexual desires and satisfactions. Bite by bite, tuft of grass by tuft of grass, I wander away from my fellow sheep into a world of my own.

Sometimes I meet up with some other lost sheep and then along comes the Shepherd. The Shepherd comes along to sit with and eat right beside all of us lost sinners. He comes to us in the flesh and blood of Jesus, to sit by my side and the side of the sinners with me.

I didn't ask for Jesus to seek me or to even eat with me, Jesus just takes it upon himself to find me. Jesus is always following me as I nibble my way away from the flock. And once I think that I have found the way myself, the way to that perfect life, I realize that I have nibbled my way into a world of my own, that leads to NOTHING but me! Boy oh boy, am I ever lost now!

But Jesus sees me as precious for some reason. God looks on each one of us and tells us that earth's treasure isn't in the silver, gold or diamonds. Earth's treasure isn't in power or mighty kingdoms. Earth's treasure is each person that God has created.

For God gave it all. God turned it all upside down. God turned the earth, over and over to find one, to find each individual person... yet all people. God came to supper with us, he lived with us, he died for us, he rose again ahead of us and gave it all for us... for me... for you... for all. Each individual is precious to God and at the same time all people are loved by God.

And from God's finding me, finding you; I have joy and you have joy and God has joy. I say rejoice! God has found you and me!

The Law condemns me, It shows me how I deserve hell... yet the Law seen through the love and grace of the Gospel, leads me, guides me, and frees me to forget my sinful self in the knowledge that God has done everything that needs to be done, because God loves me enough to save me, and to find me, and to set me free to love him, and to love my neighbor. 

And to this... Thanks be to God!