Lost and Found

Introduction

Back in high school during a Christmas break, I was given permission to go with 2 of my best friends to a church families house located on a golf course in Branson and collect some golf balls in their back yard. My friends and I were excited to do this because we had our golf season about to kick off in a few months, and we had a competition to see who collected the most golf balls. We entered the code to get into the neighborhood, parked in their driveway, and made our way towards the course in their backyard. One thing led to another, and since it was near freezing temperatures outside and no one was on the course, we quickly expanded our search… fast forward several hours later and we collected nearly 1300 golf balls between the 3 of us! Needless to say, we didn’t need to buy any golf balls for a few years. This made me realize something about wealth at a young age - there are some people in life who don’t care to look for a golf ball because they can afford a new golf ball… then there are people like me, who will willingly walk through bushes and thistles just to find a single ball.

In the grand scheme of things, a golf ball doesn’t matter all that much. It’s just a few bucks. You probably have dozens more in your golf bag. But there’s something that happens whenever you lose something that says that you need to find it. We all know what it’s like to lose something - and we know what it’s like to lose something more important than a golf ball. Some of us have lost our car keys (maybe this morning?), our phones (thank the Lord for “find my iPhone”!), our wallet, and other valuable things too… and whenever we lose something like this, we don’t just shrug our shoulders and continue on with our day. We stop what we’re doing. We “walk into the tall grass” and start searching! We turn over seat cushions. We retrace our steps. We ping our phone. We search for things that are valuable to us.

Scripture tells us that we all know what it’s like to be lost. Not to have lost a phone or some money, but that we ourselves at one point in our life were lost! In fact Isaiah tells us that we all are like sheep who have gone astray. That’s not a good position to be in - because we don’t like it when things get lost, and if you’ve ever been lost yourself, you know just how scary that can feel. The good news that we celebrate this morning in Luke 15 is that Jesus Christ seeks and saves those who are lost. Today we’ll see Jesus share the reality of sin and the heart of God in 3 pictures: A lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. We’ll see how something is lost, it is searched for, it is found, and then there is a celebration - and I pray that this has been your story! That you know what it’s like to be lost and to be found. Let’s read from God’s Word this morning!

God seeks lost sinners, receives those who repent, and rejoices when they come home!

Luke 15:1–24 CSB

1 All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, 6 and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ 7 I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance. 8 “Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’ 10 I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” 11 He also said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. 14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. 15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.” ’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

This morning we see how God seeks sinners, receives those who repent, and rejoices when they come home. Today, have you come home to the Father?

The Search for the Lost (1-10)

Remember where Jesus has been in Luke 14, at a dinner banquet with pharisees and other religious leaders. The people who thought they deserved a spot at the table. The people who lived by the letter of the law instead of the heart of the law. The people who thought they would earn their way to Glory. Jesus has been talking to these people who believed themselves to be saved… and Jesus didn’t always see eye to eye with these folks. They often butted heads. But throughout the Gospels, we see that it is instead the sinners who flock to Jesus. Who often respond positively to Jesus’ message. Who are quick to obey Jesus. Doesn’t that sound backward? You would imagine that it would be the people who know their Bible and who are worshiping God that would be quick to listen to and obey Jesus… but it’s the opposite. Our text tells us this morning that the tax collectors and sinners came to Jesus. Not only did they come to Jesus, but verse 2 tells us that Jesus ate with them. He spent time with these people. He didn’t water down the truth - He spoke the truth in love, and often times love is best spelled with 4 different letters T-I-M-E! Jesus spent a lot of time with sinners and tax collectors - and they are drawing near to Jesus - they are being changed by Jesus - and look at the response of the religious leaders? They complain!

I distinctly remember a season of ministry several years ago when we had dozens of salvations in a short span of time, and everyone was fine with the baptisms, but when it came time for some of those newly saved people to start serving in the body and using their spiritual gifts, I heard complaining - not from a large number, but from a couple people. “I’m glad this person is coming… but they’re taking _____ spot.” Our body was growing healthier, but there were growing pains. Friends, there can be such a temptation to throw water on the work of the Lord and complain instead of celebrate! We have to guard against this same thing that the Pharisees practiced here in our text. They complain because of what Jesus is doing. A pastor many years ago said that an unthankful and complaining spirit is an abiding sin against God and a cause of almost continual unhappiness, and yet how common such a spirit is. I double dog dare you, the next time you’re tempted to complain in public or to gossip to a friend in private, ask yourself, “Do these words glorify Christ and maintain the unity of the Spirit in the body?” It’s easy to say I’m just asking questions… but if you’re the one who *always* asks questions, that’s often an indicator of a deeper problem centered on a lack of trust. These Pharisees didn’t trust Jesus, and that’s a recipe for disaster.

These people who are flocking to Jesus aren’t exactly the people that we’d expect. It’s the tax collectors - everyone hated tax collectors (not much has changed!) because they could sell their souls to Rome and profit from their fellow Jewish neighbors.

In fact synagogues would not accept their giving. Their testimony wasn’t received in Jewish courts. To be a tax collector was seen as worse than being a godless pagan. So you have tax collectors and sinners flocking to Jesus… and the Pharisees wanted to avoid these people at all costs. In fact, one commentator said this about the Pharisee perspective on tax collectors and sinners, “The strict Jews didn’t say, ‘There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents,’ they said, ‘There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who is obliterated before God.”

The Pharisee’s hated these people. They do not care about these people. And here is Jesus, this so called Messiah, not only teaching sinners and tax collectors, but welcoming them and eating with them. Jesus said this a few chapters before in Luke’s Gospel. Luke 5:31-32

Luke 5:31–32 CSB

31 Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

This is why Jesus spent so much time with sinners and tax collectors. Not to affirm them, but to transform them! To heal them. To save them. This was what Ezekiel promised would happen nearly 600 years before

Ezekiel 34:11–12 CSB

11 “ ‘For this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them. 12 As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and total darkness.

This is Jesus’ mission - and He reveals this to these cold hearted Pharisee’s in the parable that follows - starting with a lost sheep and a lost coin.

Jesus asks a simple question that these people would have been familiar with - a shepherd has 100 sheep and loses 1. Will he leave the 99 to find the 1? What would you do? See, I’m a perfectionist about some things… but if my math checks out, 99/100 is a 99% and that’s a pretty good A! I only missed one question. But a shepherd doesn’t think in those terms… because that “one” matters more than a percentage point. Say you have 4 kids and go to Silver Dollar City for the day, and whenever it’s time to go, you only have 3. 75% is a passing grade. You’re only missing one. Right? NO! Everything stops. You don’t care about the funnel cakes. The roller coasters. The tram ride to the car. You’re thinking, “My child is missing” and you’re not going to rest until you find your kid… because what is lost has value. This is Jesus’ point with this story. The shepherd isn’t content with a 99% because the 1 has value. He pursues the sheep that is lost. Did you know that the Bible tells us that we are sheep?

Isaiah 53:6 CSB

6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.

In my office, I have these 3 images - and the first one demonstrates what a shepherd does. He chases down the one sheep that is lost. And did you know that sheep aren’t the most intelligent of animals? Yet, the Bible calls us sheep. We need guidance. Protection. Help. And lots of it! And sometimes, God rescues us only for us to get ourselves in trouble once again. We fall in one hole only to fall into another! So the shepherd goes out and pursues the sheep. Church family, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who pursues lost sheep. This is literally what John’s Gospel tells us in John 10:11 - I am the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Today, hear this as loud as possible: Jesus cares about you. People matter to Jesus just as sheep matter to a shepherd.

The next example Jesus uses is that of a woman who lost a coin. She doesn’t have 100 coins, she has 10 coins. But like the shepherd, loses one. Again, not a math major here, but this is 10% of what she had. This is 10 sheep… and just like the shepherd went searching after 1 sheep, the woman goes searching after 1 coin. She lights a lamp. She sweeps her house. She searches carefully until she finds the coin.

These 2 stories are nearly identical. Something is lost. Something is searched for. Something is found. And then there is a celebration! The shepherd lifts the sheep onto his shoulders and carries him home.

1 Peter 2:25 CSB

25 For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

This is what Jesus does. He sought us and bought us. He carries us home. The woman finds her coin and calls her friends and neighbors and they celebrate. And this is the point Jesus makes in verses 7 and 10. This isn’t just an earthly party… this is a heavenly celebration. God rejoices in the presence of His angels whenever a lost person is found. The Pharisees saw the lost as an obstacle to avoid, Jesus saw the lost as an opportunity to minister. God cares about lost people. He searches for the lost. But something must happen in order for this to take place… and that crucial word is repent. There is joy whenever a sinner repents. And this is where Jesus drives the point home with one of the most impactful people in Luke’s Gospel. It’s not a story about a sheep or a coin because those things can’t demonstrate genuine repentance… so Jesus tells us about a man who doesn’t lose a sheep or a coin, but instead he loses a son in order to show us the heart of God towards lost sinners.

The Rebellion of the Lost (11-16)

We know this story as the parable of the Prodigal Son, but Prodigal actually describes someone who spends extravagantly. And we do see the younger son spend extravagantly, but we will also see the Father display extravagant grace… which is why some have called this parable the Prodigal God (great book by Tim Keller).

Some of you in this room were providentially saved at a young age - this was my story as I was saved whenever I was in Kindergarten… if you have a story like this, you might read a story like this in the Bible and feel as though you have a “boring” testimony. You don’t have a Damascus Road experience like the Apostle Paul. You don’t have the Prodigal Son story like we see here. But, as we think about our story of being lost and now being found, we have to realize that just like Paul and just like this younger son, we were once rebels before God. And this means that there is no such thing as a boring testimony because every testimony is the story of a rebel who has been redeemed!

Ephesians 2:1–3 CSB

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.

Romans 3:23 CSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:10 CSB

10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.

Friends, this is our story! We all fall short and we all have sinned, which means we all are separated from our Father. And this morning we clearly see this in the example of the younger son. Look at the text in verse 12 - the younger son asks his father for his share of the inheritance that will be coming to him. This is like going to your father whenever he is still alive and kicking and telling him that you want the things that he will give you once he is dead and you want them today. In other words, the younger son wants to start relating to his father as if his father were dead. I want what you can give me, but I no longer want you. I want your property. I want your wealth. I want your money. I want the blessings, but I no longer want a relationship. Basically: I wish you were dead, but since you aren’t, I’m going to treat you like you are. Isn’t this a powerful picture of sin? Sin often wants the Father’s provision without the Father’s presence!

The irony is that this young man wants independence from his father - but he needs his father's money to achieve it! He wants to say, “I don't need you anymore. I'm going to build my own life.” But he's going to build that life with everything his father gave him. And isn't that exactly what we do with God?

We take the lungs He gave us and use them to say we don't need Him. We take the mind He gave us and use it to reason Him away. We take the body He created and use it however we please. We take the money, abilities, relationships, opportunities, and years He gives us and say, “This is my life.” We want God to finance our independence from God.

The son asks this of his father… and verse 12 shows us that the father does what he wants. He distributes the assets to the younger son. Now, today in order to do this, you’d have to go to a bank or speak with your financial advisor. You’d have to get a check or liquidate some stocks or get the deed to a property put in the son’s name instead… but there’s something fascinating in the Greek in verse 12. The word for assets is the word “bios” - the root for the word “biology” which is the study of ______? LIFE! So here we have a son who wants to treat his father as if he were dead yet, we see the father willingly give the son what he wants before he goes and squanders it all in a distant country. He not only wastes the money, but he literally wastes his father’s life. He has everything that he thinks he wanted. He wanted his father out of his life, so he went to a far away country. He wanted money, and he had a lot of it. He wanted to be free from the rules of home… and he finally thinks that he’s free. But sin makes for a terrible friend and an even worse master because it always overpromises and it always underdelivers. As it has been said before, “Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” This is the condition not only for this younger son, but for each of us today. There is a temptation to prioritize riches over relationships and fame over faith! And look at where it leaves him - verse 14, a famine struck and he had nothing. Sin will make you look silly.

This man made himself fatherless, then homeless, then penniless, then friendless, and finally foodless - he worked for a citizen of this country in the fields feeding pigs and he longed to eat the food that the pigs were eating. The world promised him satisfaction and freedom… but it left him starving and enslaved.

And let's be clear: sin can be fun. If sin were miserable every time you committed it, nobody would do it! Hebrews speaks of the fleeting pleasures of sin. The problem isn't that sin offers no pleasure. The problem is that the pleasure never delivers what it promises. You need another drink. Another purchase. Another relationship. Another accomplishment. Another click. Another compliment. Sin keeps saying, ‘Just a little more and you'll finally be satisfied.’ But the far country can never satisfy a heart that was created for the Father for another world. Some pigpens smell like pigs… but other ones are dressed up with fancy houses, nice cars, successful careers, powerful platforms. But you can have everything the world says should satisfy and still end up starving.

Application - Satan often attacks God’s design by promising you freedom and saying that God’s design is restricting you from joy… when in reality, God’s design is protecting you from certain destruction. You’ve probably never wasted an inheritance and ran away to another country… Maybe you grew up in church, knew the songs, smiled at the right times, and even had some Bible verses memorized - but each one of us has fought God’s design. Each one of us either in the present or in the past were rebels before God.

And this is significant as we read this story because lostness doesn’t simply mean having some problems. At the end of this parable, the father says that his son was “dead.” We have to understand today that sin leads to death. We have a significant problem… but we also have a seriously good Father.

The Return of the Lost (17-24)

This man hit rock bottom, but thankfully he wasn’t alone at rock bottom because, verse 17 says that he came to his senses. Now that can be a little confusing for some. Does this mean that the younger son had a wake up call and pulled up his bootstraps, mustered up all his strength, and saved himself? No. He remembered what he knew. Deep down, as Romans 1 tells us, we know that there is a God. He has made Himself known to us. The most important thing for us to realize today is that we are made by God and that we are made for God. This son came to his senses and realized the path that he was on. The hopelessness around him. How his trajectory was leading him to an early grave, all because he left the home of his father and all that he had. Friends, living apart from God’s grace leads to insanity. Sin convinces us that life away from the Father will be better than life with the Father… and until we see the insanity of sin, we will not repent. This son finally realized that what he had done was insane. He had left the comforts of home and the love of his father for cold and cruel world that promised gratification, but failed to give him satisfaction. This son realized that he had sinned… today, have you come to this realization?

I’m not asking if you believe that we live in a sinful world - we all see that! I’m not asking if other people are sinful. I’m asking: Have you ever come before God and honestly said, “Father, I have sinned against you.” Today, have you repented or turned away from that sin? This is God’s command for His people. God calls on us to humble ourselves and see where our sinful actions have led us… the pig troughs that we’ve been surrounded by because of our own poor choices… and to come to our senses and repent.

Notice what the son didn’t do when he came to his senses… he didn’t say, “I need to become the best pig feeder in the country!” He didn’t try to put in a bunch of overtime. He didn’t try to save up enough to make up for what he lost. He didn’t say that he was going to clean up his act so his father would be impressed when he returned. See, working harder in the pigpen wouldn’t get him home. Some of us need to hear that. The answer to our sin problem is not to become a more moral lost person. It is not to become a better sinner. The answer is not to add Jesus to a life where we are seated at the center. Our response must be like the text: We must get up and go to our father because repentance isn’t living it up in the pigpen, it’s leaving it to come home!

Repentance isn’t playing a game with God where we say that we’re sorry when we plan to go right back to the same sin over and over. Genuine repentance acknowledges that what we’ve done is wrong, not only wrong against another person, but most of all, against a holy God. Repentance doesn’t mean perfection. It doesn’t mean that you won’t be tempted. It doesn’t mean you won’t struggle. It doesn’t mean that you’ll never stumble and sin. It means that you’re no longer at peace with your sin. It means that you’re actively turning away from it and turning towards your Christ.

Notice, the younger son doesn’t pull an Adam. Do you remember what Adam did whenever he was caught in sin? He played the blame game! We’re experts in playing the blame game in 2026 - it’s not my fault… it’s that person’s fault. They hurt me. They weren’t fair to me. It’s their fault… it’s societies fault. It’s the government’s fault. Some even go as far as to say that it is God’s fault. We will do whatever it takes to avoid saying the words “MY FAULT.” And some will stand before God on the day of judgment, eyes wide, and realize that the person responsible for their eternal destination is not their boss, their parent, the government, their spouse, or anyone else… it’s them. I love you enough to level with you this morning - whatever problems other people have caused in your life, the greatest problem between you and a holy God is YOUR sin, and no one can repent of that sin for you. We must repent. We must realize that we are not righteous. We must leave rebellion in the past and we must run home!

The son settles it in his mind to come home… but then he has to actually walk home. Have you ever played a conversation out in your head before you have it? I hope I’m not the only one that has done this before. You’re thinking about what you’ll say and then expecting them to say something else and you plan how to respond, and before you know it, you’ve cooked up a pile of worry in your head and it marinates into a serving of anxiety. We all do this, don’t we?

Imagine that walk. Every step closer to home, he’s rehearsing the speech again. “Father, I’ve sinned… I’m no longer worthy… just make me a servant.” He’s probably imagining all the possible responses. Will his father slam the door? Will the servants laugh at him? Will the people who knew what he did whisper as he walks through town? Will his father even let him onto the property?

But of all the scenarios that this son had played through in his mind, I don’t think he ever imagined his father running toward him. That’s grace. Grace is discovering that the Father is better than you imagined Him to be. And don’t read past that word ran. A dignified Father in Jesus’ world didn’t run down the road toward the son who had publicly disgraced him. But this father does. The son is prepared to bear the shame of coming home, and instead he discovers a father willing to bear shame to receive him. Jesus didn’t just bear our shame, He bore our cross!

Romans 5:8 CSB

8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And this would be understandable after all he did to disrespect his father… but look at this incredible truth in verse 20 - His father saw him on the way home.

We don’t want to press the details too much, but Jesus tells this story for a reason and this particular story reveals the heart of God in saving rebellious sinners. The son got up to come home, but who was looking for him? The Father. Get this: He isn’t absent. He is patient. He isn’t reluctant. He is ready. The Father runs to greet his son and the son apologizes, just as he rehearsed… but the son couldn’t have imagined the response of the Father. The Father, just like the shepherd and the woman above, celebrates whenever what is lost is found. And this isn’t a little celebration. The best robe. A ring on his finger. Sandals on his feet. The fattened calf. He isn’t coming back as a servant - he’s coming back as a son. God’s grace doesn’t just bring people back home, He restores us into the family. And that is why some have said this story could just as easily be called the story of the Prodigal God, because prodigal means extravagant. The God who is infinite, holy, just, righteous, perfect, and all-powerful is also extravagant in His mercy. Ephesians 2:4-5 says that He is RICH in mercy. When sinners repent and come to Him in faith, He does not reluctantly tolerate them. He lavishes them with love and grace.

Today, there are 2 people in this room: Those who have come home, and those who need to! Today, recognize your lostness.

If you haven’t come home yet, maybe you think that there is something restricting you. Maybe something in your past. Maybe a struggle in your present. Maybe another person has told you that you’re not wanted and not valuable. Maybe there’s a problem that you think makes you unable to come before God. Luke 15 exists in part to demonstrate that no sinner is beyond the love of God. He forgives to the uttermost. There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. He is better at saving than we are at sinning. But before you can experience the joy of being found, you must first recognize that you’re lost. Don’t excuse that. Don’t blame someone else for it. Don’t compare your sin to someone else. Like the younger son, you must honestly tell the Father, “Father, I have sinned.”

Whenever you do this, Run Home to the Father! See, the younger son realized his situation, but he didn’t stay there. He got up and came home. Maybe today you know that you need Jesus. You’ve been convicted before, but you’ve never responded with repentance and faith. Friend, don’t fall 18 inches short of heaven. Don’t think you’re too far gone and also don’t use God’s grace as a license to continue living in sin. Jesus says that we must be born again. And this is the wonderful news of this passage. The Father receives repentance sinners who come home. Today, repent of your sin, place your faith in Christ, and run home. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus made that way possible.

We don’t work our way from the pig-pen into the Penthouse. We come empty handed. We come broken. We come humbled. We come repentant. And God receives repentant sinners into His family because of what Jesus did. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks and saves lost sheep. He sought us and He bought us when He took our place on the cross of Calvary. And through His victory, those who repent of their sins and place their faith in Christ can come home and enjoy the feast of the Father!

Church, this brings us back to what Jesus has shown throughout Luke 15. It’s not so much about a lost sheep, or a lost coin, or even a lost son. It’s ultimately about the character of our God. We are lost, fallen, rebels who go astray and chase things that cannot satisfy our souls… Yet, our good God seeks and saves. He receives and restores. And whenever a sinner is saved, He celebrates!

So, if you need to come home this morning - if you’re tired of running and feeling hungry and hopeless - come home. Repent of your sin and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Follow Him in baptism. Live for Him with your life.

Some of you have already come home… and if this is your story, don’t get over God’s grace! Grace is a miracle. We once were lost but now are found… and whenever we see someone else experience this, we must rejoice when the lost are found. If lost people matter enough to God for Him to seek and to save them, then they ought to matter enough for us to go out of our way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them too. Today, who do you know that needs Jesus? Keep praying. Keep inviting. Keep sharing the Gospel.

And whenever they come home, may South Gate be a church that joins the heavenly party as we celebrate that someone that was once dead is now alive and what was once lost and has been found. And that is always worth celebrating!

If lost people matter enough to God for Him to seek and to save them, then they ought to matter enough for us to go out of our way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them too. Today, who do you know that needs Jesus? Keep praying. Keep inviting. Keep sharing the Gospel. And whenever they come home, may our church be a place that joins the heavenly party as we celebrate that someone that was once dead is now alive and what was once lost and has been found. Remember that this story is your story - I once was lost, but now am found! I pray that is your story today - if it is not, come home today!

God seeks lost sinners, receives those who repent, and rejoices when they come home.