December 16, 2015

God is in the lost and found business.
A Table in the Desert: Making Space Holy, W. Paul Jones, p. 92

That is not new to us.  After all, Jesus told the parable of the one lost sheep.  He also told the parable of the son who was lost and then found, and the rejoicing that ensued upon that son being found.  We know that God seeks to bring all people back within that original loving embrace that was present at the beginning of creation.

But this is also difficult for us.  It's difficult because, short of some Paul-like miracle of a blinding encounter of Christ out on the open road, God tends to work through us.  That means that we are the ones doing the seeking.  We are, in essence, an Ecclesiastical Search and Rescue Team; and anyone who has gone on a search and rescue mission knows that it's hard work.

But it is also difficult because, besides being on the S&R team, we are also manning the hospital in which those who have been found can recover.  It's difficult because we are the ones who have to deal with those struggling through various issues and complications, doubts and fears, and all sorts of other conditions we may or may not have any experience of.

This has been a difficult week for me as I have dealt with a steady stream of lost people – a homeless woman requesting shelter that I couldn't provide, a transgender woman for whom I've been able to give minimal support, a man trying to hold it together while commuting to Winston and needing his car repaired, a woman living from one shut off notice to the next trying to come up with enough funds to keep things left on.  Some weeks are better than others.

Sometimes I can help.  Sometimes the help I offer isn't what the person is willing to take.  Sometimes I can't help.  Sometimes I don't want to help.

But in every instance I need to remember that God is in the lost and found business, and I am part of the Search and Rescue Team.  In every instance, I need to remember to not be annoyed because those people aren't using the same map I am (if they're using a map at all).  And in every instance, I need to remember that a search and rescue is often a long process.

God is in the lost and found business.  We are the Search and Rescue Team.  This may take awhile.

Amen.