Finder's Keepers

From The Pastor’s Pen

“Finder’s Keepers”

After reading Luke 15: 1 – 10, we discover a passage of Scripture about searching and finding. In this passage, Jesus not only illustrates the frantic nature of those doing the searching, He also shows how much rejoicing there is for the one who is found. When we look around our society we soon discover that there are so many that are lost. People are lost in materialism, entertainment, alcohol and drug abuse and the list goes on and on. The good news is that we have a God who doesn’t forget about the lost.

God doesn’t write anyone off as sinners unworthy of love, grace and forgiveness. God’s love and grace are too big for that. No matter how lost we become, God offers us love, grace and forgiveness. We have a Savior who searches for the lost. He is the Shepherd who leaves the 99 and searches for the one lost sheep. He is the woman with 10 silver coins and lost one. He sweeps and cleans high and low until we are found. Then all heaven rejoices because we have been brought home and the lost have been restored.

One of the things the scripture tells us is that there will be rejoicing over the lost that is found. It really is finder’s keepers. When you find that which was lost, you want to tell everyone. Don’t you start yelling and telling everyone when you have found the car keys you misplaced? That is the way God and the angels in heaven react when one comes to Jesus Christ for the very first time. There is rejoicing! God throws a party and we should rejoice with God.

The real problem with the Pharisees is that they wanted to be the keepers instead of the finders. And when we sit like the Pharisees were doing, and look down our nose at people who are different or people who are not living the faith, that is what we are doing, trying to be the keepers instead of the finders. When we sit in judgment of others, in essence, we have moved God out of God’s rightful throne and taken over. That is not our job; we are called to be seekers.

In actuality, there are only two kinds of people in the world. Those who know and have the experienced the love, grace and forgiveness of God and those who have not. We are not called to judge others! Instead, we are called to seek and rejoice because someone else has found the love and grace and forgiveness of God. There are millions of finders but there can only be one keeper, and it is not you and I. God is our one keeper!

As finders, we are called to find the lost and then be part of the party and celebrate when they are found. Jesus looked beyond the outer person and looked beyond ones status in life, and loved and accepted everyone unconditionally. That is what every church should be like, because that is what God’s love is like, and that is what we are called to be like. We are called to look beyond the outer person and see a child of God, loved unconditionally by God. We are called to offer others spontaneous, authentic, and unconditional, grace filled love! Take time this week to pray, study your Bible and attend worship. See you in church!

Rev Jim Robinson
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/mesquite