“It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”
Luke 15:32

You know the feeling. That pit at the bottom of your stomach when you go to find it and it’s not there. You search frantically through each cushion and pocket. One of the many casualties to the moving process is misplacing things. This time I was the guilty party. The missing item was my wife’s car key’s. We had another set, but the particular set that I had lost had a special keychain on it. It was a beautiful hand made cross, given to her by a dear sister in Christ. The cross was precious to her. After days of searching everywhere imaginable we feared the worst. My wife is a professional at discarding the clutter. We were resigned to the fact that it may have been put in the wrong place and thrown away. The key could be replaced, the cross could not.
Last week I grabbed a light jacket as I was running out of the house to head to the office. As I was reaching into the pocket I felt something. Imagine my joy when I pulled it out and found it to be the missing key and cross. I felt like I had found a hundred dollars in my pocket! I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I called my wife to share the good news of the cross!
As a minister, I’ve watched many who have lost their cross along the way. I know at times I am guilty of having let some slip through cracks as they struggle and are no longer faithful. In Luke 15, Jesus tells a powerful parable of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In each story, Jesus reveals the heart of God longing for those who are lost. He also invites us to share in the ministry to seek and save the lost. Each of us is a living witness to how God is able to take the lost sinner and help them find their way back home. The message of the Cross has changed who we are. The gospel reminds us that anyone can be saved! God sees that potential within each and everyone. Don’t stop praying, searching, and seeking. Salvation is NOW.