As we enter this Weekend with Christ, we see a God who, far from being distant or detached, is intimately involved in the lives of His creation. A God who, when faced with a straying people, is moved not to immediate wrath but to a desire for reconciliation. A God who seeks out the lost, celebrates their return, and asks us to join in the party. This is a story of a heaven that rejoices, and a God who invites us to share in that joy.
In Exodus, the people of Israel, newly delivered from slavery, have already turned away from God, creating a golden calf to worship. God, in His just anger, tells Moses that He will destroy them. But Moses, a true intercessor, pleads with God. He reminds God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and asks Him to “turn from your fierce wrath and change your mind.” And the scripture tells us, remarkably, that “the LORD changed his mind.” This is a profound image of a God who is not locked into an unchangeable plan of destruction, but a God who is open to a change of heart, a God who listens to the pleas of His faithful servants and desires mercy over judgment. This mercy is the very foundation of the gospel.
In 1 Timothy, the Apostle Paul describes his own incredible journey. He calls himself “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man,” but declares that he “received mercy.” He wasn’t saved because he was good; he was saved because of God’s abundant grace. He writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.” Paul’s life is a living testament to the fact that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. His transformation—from a man bent on persecuting Christians to the greatest evangelist in history—serves as a powerful beacon of hope for us all. It reminds us that our past does not define our future. No matter how lost we may feel, no matter what mistakes we have made, God’s mercy is greater than our sin.
In our Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus tells two parables that beautifully illustrate this point: the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. In both stories, something precious goes missing. And in both stories, the owner goes to great lengths to find what was lost. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the one. The woman searches her whole house for a single coin. When they find what was lost, there is no punishment or scolding, there is a party! “Rejoice with me!” they say, “for I have found my lost sheep…my lost coin.” And Jesus concludes by telling us, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
This is the central message. It is the core of our faith. Our God is a God of rescue, not condemnation. He is not a God who sits in heaven waiting to punish us when we stray. He is a God who actively seeks us out, who rejoices in our return, and who throws a party for us when we are found. He asks us to be like the shepherd and the woman, to share in His joy and to help bring the lost back into the fold. So, let us not only seek to be found, but let us also become agents of that divine search, so that we can join in the rejoicing of heaven.