Have you ever been really lost? In this world of cellphones and GPS, it’s hard to do. But I did. I managed to get really lost. Last summer, I was driving home from Muncie, IN. I set my GPS to show me the way home; it seemed pretty simple. Head north, catch the interstate that skirts Chicago, and I knew the rest of the way home by heart. 

But I missed the first exit. My GPS started recalculating a new route. By the time I reached the next exit, my GPS was still re-calculating. I followed a county highway that I thought was going in the right direction. That highway became a two-lane road. By this time the GPS had quit re-calculating because I had lost cell service altogether. I was now officially lost! 

Finally, I doubled back until I found a highway heading north with a sign for Chicago. Yes, I was back on the path home. My GPS calculated my new route. I was no longer lost. And there was much rejoicing with the angels!

Being lost is not a comfortable experience. And being lost is not just about not knowing which direction to go when your GPS isn’t working. Lost-ness can be the experience of finding yourself in a place you don’t want to be — where you don’t belong — and not knowing how to find your way out. 

One of the most radical aspects of Jesus’ ministry is his association with those that are lost. The poor, marginalized, and the ostracized. They were labeled as prostitutes, tax collectors or just a generic label of sinner. 

On more than one occasion, Jesus is found socializing with this sort of crowd. When the religious elite saw this motley crew that had gathered around Jesus, they grumbled, muttering to themselves, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 

Perceiving the tension among the elites in the crowd, Jesus tells a parable.

“Which one of you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine, and goes out searching for the one that is lost?” For the elite, that’s easy. They realize they still have significant assets in the remaining flock that shouldn’t be left unprotected and say, “Who would do such a silly thing as leave the 99 to search for just one that is lost?” 

But imagine if one poor shepherd is in that crowd. Hearing Jesus ask, “Which one of you,” he certainly would raise his hand. “I would.” When one is lost, a good shepherd would go and search. They know which sheep is missing; probably know it by name. They couldn’t bear the thought of it being out there alone and lost. “And I would be overjoyed to find that lost one too.”

“Of course you would,” Jesus would say to that shepherd. “Just so, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” There is a celebration among the ones who were once lost and are now found. 

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, delights in countering social and religious norms, especially when judgement and exclusion reign supreme. He teaches us that God’s realm has a place for each one, no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey. So, when our GPS loses connection, our sense of direction betrays us, when we find ourselves straying from God’s intended path, or encounter another who is lost, the search goes on, and the lost will be found. And there is great joy in the presence of the angels of God. Amen.

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group.  Todd Hackman is senior pastor at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Monroe.