I often find
myself getting emotional when I watch news reports of miners being rescued from
a collapsed mine or a child rescued from a well. My emotional level begins to rise, not when I
see the rescued persons emerge from their captivity, but when the rescuers and
onlookers begin to applaud. I’ve always marveled
at their rejoicing in the return of someone who was lost, but is now found and
returned to their families, friends and the life of the community.
I am sure we all
can identify with the feeling of loss.
The loss of a loved one is a sharp pain that cuts us to the heart. It turns our world upside down; leaving us on
an emotional rollercoaster. If we have
ever had someone in our family who was gravely ill or injured – hovering
between life and death, we know the joy we feel as they recover and are
returned back to good health; to be among us in the family or the sadness we
feel if they fail to recover.
I vividly remember
that terrible feeling of loss when my family thought we had lost my sister in
the World Trade Towers. For many
agonizing hours we watched and worried, not knowing if she was among the living
or the dead. We waited and prayed, never
wanting to give up hope, but were plunged into despair every time we saw those endless
videos of the ruins of the towers.
Finally, late in
the evening of the terrible day - there was that glorious phone call that
brought overwhelming relief and rejoicing – my sister Martha was alive!
Jesus speaks to
us about loss in his parables – the loss of a sheep, the loss of a coin and today,
the loss of a son. But instead of
dwelling on the loss he tells us about the joy and rejoicing over that which
was lost being found and returned to its rightful place: The sheep to the flock:
the coin to the purse, the son to the father.
God so loves us
that there is rejoicing in heaven when we are reconciled to him and returned to
our heavenly family. The saints and
angels leap with joy when one of God’s strayed children responds to his call
and turns his face toward heaven and cries “Abba!”
No matter how
far we have strayed or how deeply we have sinned, the Father is always ready to
welcome us into his embrace; showering us with the finest he has to offer and
holding us close to his heart.
His forgiveness
and mercy is endless. We only have to
ask and he forgives; welcoming us back into his kingdom. The only unforgivable sin is Blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit – which is our turning away from God’s forgiveness. It is our pride or shame that keeps us from
accepting God’s love and mercy – wrongfully thinking that we are unforgivable,
unlovable and unwanted. This is so
wrong, - so unnecessary – God loves us completely, we are his creation, - his
children: made in his image - to joyfully be with him forever.
He wants us to
return to him, for we are his own and He seeks us constantly – calling to us in
the quiet of the night or in the roar of the day –
-
at those times when we are most vulnerable and
in need of his love and consolation
-
or when we are full of ourselves and in need of
his grace and humility.
God seeks us
always, -- he is with us always - at the darkest moments of our lives, in
tragedy, in suffering, in pain or on the brightest occasions – in triumph, in
joy, in success – He is always there watching over us, loving us and calling us
to rest in his embrace. For we are – now
– always and forever – His beloved children
~ Amen
Peace,
Deacon Don Ron
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