Lost

 Matthew 9:35-10:23

Has there been a time in your life where you have felt lost? Times when nothing made sense and you didn't know where to turn? So you remember how you came back to yourself? How did you recognize finding your way home?

Many dad had a camp in the Haynesville woods. There were simple rules in the woods when were were kids in case were got lost. Look your landmarks, find the place which is familiar. This was one way you would recognize if you were walking in circles. Mark the trail, another rule for seeing if you were walking in circles. Stay put! If you were walking in circles stay put and someone will find you. Follow the river downstream. Downstream is where you will eventually find people.

Jesus today is sending out the twelve to the lost. How do we find the lost? We have to look for the signs. When someone is walking in circles you can usually tell. They talk about the same thing all the time. Lost job, lost a person in their lives and they we stuck in the past and can't seem to move beyond it. For healing to begin we may have to join their circle and patiently listen and when the time is right share our own story of being lost.

The lost stay put. They can't seem to put one foot in front of another. They seem mired in the spot they are in. Join them, so you can look at it and recognize if it is sand, mud, or clay. Knowing what they are stuck in helps you know what tools are needed to help dig them out. You can't just start pulling or you will hurt them. It may require someone different than you to dig them out and this is the reason Jesus sends them two by two.

Following the river downstream. They may seem totally caught up in the river of life. Things are going by too fast. They are overwhelming and every so often their heads go underwater. They were trying to follow the river but they fell in along the way. We are the people who can help them slow down and realize they are safe and not alone.

So go and find the lost. Be the disciples we were meant to be. Follow Jesus and listen for the still small voice go lead and guide you along the way. Realize the resources you have within the community of faith because we are never alone in this work. Seek and maybe you will find your own answers.