Lost

December 27, 2025

It was Christmas morning and the kids were eager to open the presents that were carefully displayed under the Christmas tree. We had our nephew and niece over with us and as soon as they got up early in the morning, they kept asking, “When can we open them?” With some negotiations we managed to have the kids wait until we had morning worship and breakfast was over, as we were expecting my brother and his wife to join us in the morning. The kids couldn’t wait (I couldn’t wait, too).

Finally it was time, and everyone rushed in front of the tree. One by one, we got to open the gifts and there was much laughter and joy in the house. What a beautiful scene it was. My nephew, Paul, was ecstatic. One of the gifts was a lego set he always wanted. He was ready to start building it. It wasn’t going to be a short project, and we knew it would take him a few hours to finish. Paul was right on to it. He occupied my desk and nothing could distract him, he was focused. When it was lunchtime, he decided to bring the legos down to the dining table. Since he was so happy, we let him continue building while eating. This is when the problem occurred, a tiny but essential piece was missing. We all started to look for it, and we couldn’t find it. It wasn’t there. No one knows how it disappeared. Maybe Paul dropped it somewhere, or the piece was never in there. We couldn’t find it. Eventually, his mother had to message the manufacturer to get the missing piece.

Jesus told of the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15. Thankfully, in this parable, the shepherd finds the lost sheep. The parable is short, but we can imagine the effort the shepherd took to find that one lost sheep. It could have taken him hours in the dark. It could have been a risky, dangerous search and rescue effort. But he didn’t give up. He searched until the sheep was found. And the Bible writes, “‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15:6, 7. This is our last Sabbath of the year. We should think and pray for those around us that still do not know Jesus. We should reach out to them and share the love of Jesus. Let’s make sure to do that in 2026.