Lost

 Luke 15:1-10

Being with those who are lost, or being with the losers. This is what we all do, right? Probably not, it's not a place of celebration or rejoicing. It is just like this story, the Pharisees are putting down Jesus sitting and eating with the lost. The throw aways of society, the ones no one chooses to be with. Now this is the challenge, when do we seek out the lost?

It's a good question because we so often have heard this story in relation to us. We were lost, we were found, but once we were how often have we returned to find those who are lost? Never, or maybe we make it our lives work.

Becca Stevens runs a place called Thistle Farms. It started out as a home Magdalene house for women who have been trafficked. Then they couldn't get a job once they graduated the program and Becca turned it into a thriving global partnership which works selling bath and body products made by the women. She is very honest about her own story of being lost. When she was young and her father died a senior warden sexually abused her. Out of this she has sought out other women who have been abused and helped them heal. The slogan for this is Love Heals.

In our town of Poplar Bluff a woman runs a shelter for women who have been addicted to drugs. Why? Because she knows what it is to be addicted. Her own struggle with being clean and sober has directed Sandy's life and ministry to those women lost on the streets. The shelter runs out of the very spot where they are buying their supply. She knows this is her call to find those women who are lost.

Where have you looked for the lost? If the story was only about us being found, which is nice, why would there be a continuing story. We have to find the lost as well. This way heaven rejoices with us when people are found.

In seminary we had to do a reflection on why we were a disciple of Jesus. I struggled with this for days. I even explained this struggle to a friend who does not share the same faith. He replied that it seemed a good question to answer. So I kept engaging with why I was. We all need to struggle with this call to be disciples, because in it we find the answer to who needs to be found. 

One way to engage in this deeply is a theological reflection piece we were taught in seminary. It goes in a circle and was shown in our book by Killen and de Beer. You can start anywhere in the circle, but for today we will start with an issue and stay with your feelings on it. Why are you a disciple of Jesus? What feelings come up for that. Remain with those feelings until an image arises, now the image can connect with a bible story or a thing from our tradition. Find the one that best connects. Who are you in this story or why does that tradition particularly resonate with you? Then ask the question again and I bet you will find an answer.

This is a powerful piece of the Christian walk. Finding those who are lost. Once we connect with why we were lost we might find who we need to look for and rejoice because they are found.