I wonder if you’ve ever had the unpleasant experience of misplacing something very valuable to you, like, I don’t know… one of your children? Unfortunately, I have. Twice. With two different kids. And I only have three of them, so I guess my track record isn’t so great!
The first time was at Sea World when we endured a full 5 minutes not knowing where our 5-year-old Cole was. Turns out he was exactly where we thought he should be, just somehow completely out of our sight in the vast, weblike play area.
The second time was at a waterpark when a very young Max was abruptly separated from our rather large group as an unfortunately timed fork in the path intersected with another rather large group and inadvertently forced my sweet Max onto the opposite walkway.
Thankfully, it was only about 30 seconds before I realized he was missing, and I found him quickly by retracing my steps. The poor little guy was so perplexed as to where all his people had suddenly gone that a lifeguard was taking notice and was about to help just as I walked up. Phew! What relief for both of us! Celebration ensued as we were reunited, even after so brief a separation.
Of course, there are much more dire circumstances in which people find themselves lost; physically and even more importantly, spiritually, with much more rejoicing when they are found!
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables, each of them about something lost: a sheep, a coin, and a prodigal son. All of them represent the people He came to save, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
His is a proactive searching, and one much more involved than my 5-minute Sea World search or 30-second walk down the path. Jesus came all the way from heaven, took on human flesh, and walked the path of the cross to save His lost children.
That’s quite a journey. And one we celebrate all year, but especially now, as we remember at Christmas, the tiny baby who came when the angels burst into praise for God’s goodness in sending Jesus.
And those same angels, Luke 15 tells us, burst into praise over one single sinner who repents. Now that’s a reunion worth celebrating!
And do you know what that means? They have rejoiced over me, and you, too, if you have trusted Jesus! Oh how I pray the celebrations continue as many more come to faith—this Christmas and always, until our Lord returns.
“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10