October 31, 2007

“Lost and Found, and More”

Have you ever lost something, looked for it, and found it? There is a feeling when we find something which was “lost” or “misplaced” which is best described as “joy” – not just “relief” but pure “joy.”

I recently had such an experience. I was preparing to lead one of my District Days, and as I set up my computer and projector to show my Power Point update on Imagine Indiana, I could not find my remote control for my computer. I like electronic gadgets and that new remote control is one of my favorite gadgets (what guy doesn’t like a remote control?). That gadget allows me to share my Power Point without being tied to my computer and it even has a red laser light to emphasize things on the screen. It is a great gadget, but I could not find it!

I looked for my gadget in the projector case where I “always” put it, and it was not there. Then I looked through my computer bag, in all of the various pockets where I might have put it, and it was not there. I looked at my calendar to try and remember the last time I had used it, and I even e-mailed my wife at home and Ed in my office to ask them to look for my remote control in case I left it either place. No luck! I even searched the trunk of my car to see if it might have fallen out there. I did not find my remote, but I did find a travel raincoat that I had “lost” for nearly two years – it was in a hidden luggage compartment that I forgot about.

Finally, I looked in the pocket of my computer bag where I “never” would put my remote control gadget – and there it was! I was really relieved and joyful to find my gadget, and as a bonus I was also amazed to have found my long-lost raincoat in the hidden luggage compartment in my car.

Do you know the joy of finding something which has been lost? Do you know the joy of finding other things which you forgot were lost? With such a discovery comes a true feeling of joy.

Jesus reminds us many times in his parables that there is similar joy in the kingdom of God when anyone who has been lost is found. I wonder … do we share that joy in our churches? Are we relieved and rejoicing when newcomers walk in the doors of our churches? Are we delighted to learn that someone has come to faith, given their life to Christ, or even begun the “search” to know God? Or … are we more focused upon our current church members, our own personal preferences (like having worship at our most convenient time and in a style which is most comfortable for us), and our own concerns?

Perhaps if we focus more upon the joy of helping others to find God and to be found by God, we will discover other, nearly-forgotten benefits and joys along the way. Perhaps we will even discover that we, inside the church, are the ones who have been most truly “lost” in our own world rather than sharing in the joy of the Reign of God.

from Bishop Michael J. Coyner

Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church
"Making a Difference ... in Indiana
and around the world"

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