We have begun the new year affirming the mission of Ginghamsburg Church and the purpose of God in the world. There is no single chapter in the Bible that better demonstrates the heart of God and the focus of God's mission than Luke 15. To understand this mission you only need to look at the folks Jesus spent significant time with. Luke 15:1 & 2. "Now all of the tax collectors and sinners (that includes me right there) were coming near to listen to Him, and the Pharisees and Scribes were grumbling and saying he welcomes sinners and eats with them." So we're told right here in the beginning of this chapter that it's the religious folks who aren't understanding the heart of God. It's the religious folks that are missing the mission.

I. A Lost Sheep
Emotional Attachment
Jesus tells three stories. The first is about a lost sheep. I know in this room there are a lot of animal lovers. Anyone who has owned an animal knows how you develop an emotional attachment. My wife and I have two dogs. We have a giant Schnauzer and a miniature Schnauzer named Toby. Toby is eleven years old. Several years ago on a Friday night, the whole family went to one of my son's baseball games. We got home late. I was the last person entering the house and so the family left the door open for me. But I didn't go right in. I went out to check the mailbox then I went in and shut the door. We were all sitting around in the family room and about 45 minutes later someone said, "Where's Toby?" Toby was gone! Went out the door when they left it open for me. Anyone who's ever lost a pet knows what it feels like. All of a sudden the one on the outside becomes the top priority. It's not even connected to their behavior. You forget that they peed on the floor. The priority is in verse 4. You leave the ninety-nine that are where they are supposed to be and you go after the one that's lost. All four of us - 10:30 at night - took off. Carolyn and I in different cars, the kids on the sidewalks. We didn't care what people were thinking. My head was out the window shouting, "TOBY!" I mean all sense was gone. When do you quit looking? We were panicked. The dog is blind in one eye, surely he was going to get hit. We were all over Tipp City. We finally reached a point of resignation and came home. We just sat there in the family room, beside ourselves. But notice in this passage, the Good Shepherd, the Good God, doesn't quit until he finds what is lost. What a God!

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