Why Heaven Rejoices Over Just One Person|01.11.26|Each One Reach One pt.2
Have you ever lost something that was really valuable to you? Like your wallet, or a wedding ring?
My wedding ring is almost impossible to get off, so I’m not too worried about losing it, but I remember when Megan was post-partum with one of our kids. Her fingers had swelled during the pregnancy, but then as her body was regulating, and she was feeding the baby, she was standing in our living talking to me at one point, and her ring just slipped right off her finger and clinked on the floor.
Thankfully, I saw where it bounced, and retrieved it immediately.
Because if you lose something that is important to you, it’s not like you just calmly move on with your day. No, your attention hones in on what was lost. Your brain feels a heightened sense of urgency. You can’t really think of anything else, because you NEED to search for what was lost.
Can you get in touch with that feeling? Has that happened to you?
Now, imagine that the missing thing isn’t a THING at all, it’s a person.
Because if a person in your family went missing…everything would stop. You’d be searching everywhere. You’d be enlisting your friends and the authorities. There would be posters put up, phone calls, social media posts, driving around town in search.
Because you love them. And love wouldn’t let you ignore the fact that they are missing. Love would cause you to search for them, find them, and bring them home.
Losing a thing creates urgency, but losing a person changes your life.
This whole month, we’re talking about how this reflects the heart of Jesus, who seeks out those who are lost because of his love for them.
Every time we see Jesus interacting with people in the Scriptures, we see that he doesn’t talk about “loving people” like it’s an abstract concept, or a theory, or that he just “loves” having a crowd follow him around.
No, Jesus loves individual people. He focuses on names, stories, family members.
And that’s important for us, because we’re taking all of 2026 to learn how to be a church family that embodies Each One Reach One. It’s not just a slogan, it’s a way of life… Jesus’ way of life.
Because the Sauk Valley, OUR community, is full of people who are far from God and need to be shown the love and grace that Jesus offers. But these people aren’t “projects” for us to “work on.”
No, they are sons and daughters who feel unseen, overwhelmed, and disconnected. And Jesus’ solution to reach them and bring them back into his fold? Us. The church. He says, “go and make disciples”... help people far from me learn how to follow me each and every day, one small step at a time, just like YOU are learning and growing, one small step at a time.
And this mission of Jesus is actually OUR mission. It’s MY mission, to help people connect with Jesus and learn to follow him. It’s YOUR mission, to point to Jesus and connect with the people that are close to you but far from God.
And like we talked about last week, mission becomes powerful when it becomes personal. And it becomes personal for me when I connect it with a name.
That’s why this year, we’re encouraging everyone who is a part of New Life to name their One. Who’s your One? The One that is close to you, but far from God, that God keeps putting on your heart to pray for and connect with and show love to?
We’re not expected to reach hundreds or dozens. Just one. Because God notices the One who is missing, and he loves to work through us one at a time to reach one at a time, because his love is personal and specific that way.
[Scripture Ref]
And when Jesus explained his heart for people who were far from God, he didn’t tell a story about crowds… he told a story about One lost sheep. So open your Bibles with me to Luke 15 (p59).
And as you’re finding it, this joins Jesus in a point of his ministry when he has been travelling around, teaching publicly. And he’s gotten a bit of a reputation for being a wise teacher, understanding the Scriptures deeply, and being able to help and heal people in a way that makes many believe “he’s definitely been sent from God.”
And in this interaction, there are two groups of people who are present. There’s the tax collectors and sinners (and we’ll discuss what the text means by that description), but these are LEANING IN.
And the second group is the Pharisees and the scribes, and they are GRUMBLING, saying “this man WELCOMES sinners and eats with them.”
And then we’re going to see Jesus respond because he overhears them. So as we read this parable, understand that it’s not some abstract metaphor. This is Jesus’ direct response to criticism about who he loves.
[Luke 15:1-7]
[Luke 15:1-2]
Like we mentioned already, our passage shows us the two groups of people that are listening to Jesus, and we get to see who’s leaning in to be near to him, and who’s just standing around to be angry.
And we see that the “tax collectors and sinners” were coming near. And I don’t know what pops into your mind when you think of “tax collectors and sinners.” When I was growing up, I thought of folks who worked for the IRS and a bunch of “bad guys” that probably drank too much and robbed people at knife point.
I don’t know where I got that image of “sinners”, but it made me feel like I was definitely NOT like them!
And actually, that’s mostly what the original Greek word is trying to communicate. In the original language, the word for sinners has this definition: “pertaining to behavior or activity that does not measure up to a standard moral or cultic expectations.”
It usually refers to people who are considered an OUTSIDER because of failure to conform to certain standards. It can also be used to describe people who have certain occupations, like herding animals or tanning animal hides, that put those people often in the “unclean” or “impure” category. And sometimes, the word was just used to describe non-Israelites, because they were definitely OUTSIDERS.
So when I was imagining whatever “bad guy” I could think up in order to imagine someone who was “other” than me, and OUTSIDER to my group, that’s exactly what this word is trying to describe.
The types of people that are leaning IN to learn from Jesus are the outsiders, the “unclean” ones, the ones with the wrong types of job, the ones with the wrong type of upbringing, the ones with the wrong type of behavior or morals.
These are the people that the religious leaders would have said, “they don’t belong.” But here, Jesus WELCOMES them. Eats with them. Jesus isn’t just TOLERATING these outsiders who don’t belong, he’s fellowshiping with them, extending his favor and love.
[Luke 15:4]
And since Jesus can hear the grumbling of the religious leaders, he responds with this famous parable, but notice how he starts: “Which one of YOU…”
Jesus is making this PERSONAL. He’s not talking about some abstract shepherd. He’s talking about YOU. And he’s inviting you to imagine with him a scenario where something that is very precious to you goes missing.
Clearly, this is a common enough story that people can connect with, because he’s not telling this like it’s a crazy idea to go searching for a lost sheep. No, sheep are pretty dumb and go wandering off all the time. And the original hearers would have absolutely agreed that if they had a missing animal, they would definitely go looking.
And all of us know what it feels like when we care about something that was ours, but now it’s MISSING. It was right here! But now it’s gone! I turned around for one second, and now it’s lost!
You don’t feel that way when something random goes missing. If I was to tell you that I heard about a pair of glasses that went missing, you might feel sympathetic, but it’s not connected to YOU. It’s not YOUR glasses.
If I was to talk about someone who just moved here from out of state, and they got lost when they took a wrong turn on one of the back country roads… You might even laugh and say, “They’ll learn their way around eventually.”
When it doesn’t belong to you, you don’t feel the same urgency. And the religious leaders started our passage by grumbling about how Jesus was spending so much time and attention on these OUTSIDERS, these sinners.
But Jesus tells a story that makes it personal. The missing sheep isn’t a stranger, it’s not an outsider… it’s MINE. “Suppose one of YOU had a sheep that went missing…how natural it is to go searching for YOUR precious sheep?”
[Luke 15:5]
And then when you find your missing precious lost one, there’s no scolding. There’s no lecture. No punishment. The shepherd in our parable didn’t yell or kick or use a whip to hurry up the sheep back home.
No, he tenderly picks it up, lays it on his shoulders, and CARRIES it back home. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul talks about in Romans ch 2 when he says “it’s God’s KINDNESS that leads us to repentance.”
If my kid goes missing, or runs into the street, when I get them back, I might feel like scolding them or telling them never to run off again because of how scared I was, but the biggest feeling I’m experiencing is relief and joy because the one I LOVE is safe again in my arms.
[Luke 15:6]
And I’m probably going to make sure that everyone around me can rejoice with me. Just like the shepherd in this story (which, remember, is about YOU)... Jesus is saying “isn’t it the most natural thing to feel joy when you find something that was precious to you that was lost?”
And isn’t it the most natural thing, when you’re feeling joy and gratitude that your lost loved one has been found, isn’t it normal and GOOD to want to share that joy with others! “Rejoice with me! …for I have found MY lost one.”
It’s personal to me. It’s important to me. It was lost, and now it’s found, and I’m so grateful!
[Luke 15:7]
And Jesus tells us that this isn’t just a fun little story about a wandering sheep. This is what happens in Heaven. Heaven ERUPTS with rejoicing when One lost person is found and returned home.
When a sinner — an outsider, a moral failure, an impure person who doesn’t belong — when one sinner repents (turns back to God, returns home, reunites with the family of God)... when one sinner repents, it results in more rejoicing in heaven than over the 99 “upright/righteous” ones who don’t need repentance, who don’t need to turn back.
And “more” rejoicing doesn’t mean that there ISN’T rejoicing over the 99. Jesus isn’t saying the 99 don’t matter. He’s just showing the extravagance of love and joy that is poured out when a “lost” becomes “found.”
We know what this feels like. We know that reunification with something or someone that has been missing always brings extra joy. And Jesus even tells two more stories in this chapter about a lost coin and a lost son to illustrate this more.
Because we know that there’s nothing quite as lonely as being lost. There’s nothing quite as scary or sad and losing someone.
And there’s nothing quite as joyful as being found. There’s nothing quite as joy-filled as finding someone who once was lost.
[Jesus’ mission]
And Jesus wants us to connect with his mission on a personal level. The people who are far from him aren’t just random faces in a crowd. They’re not just random “groups” out in the Sauk Valley.
That’s why we need to remember that Jesus’ mission becomes personal when I give it a name. Because Jesus isn’t asking us to reach strangers, or crowds, or unknown generic “people out there.”
He’s asking us to reach our One. The one that is close to you but far from God.
Because it’s personal. It’s connected to our love. And when someone we love, someone we have love for, is missing… love won’t let us stay apathetic.
Love creates urgency. Love moves toward immediately. Love searches. Love ACTS.
And Jesus’ mission to reach those who are far from him becomes personal when I give it a name. When I name MY ONE. When I realize that God wants to reach someone I care about. When I realize that he loves them too and he’s been pursuing them this whole time, and he actually is inviting ME to be a part of his search team.
Because that’s always been the character of God. He’s always been the searching God. The one who is pursuing those far from him. The one who reaches out to us in LOVE before we ever reach out to him.
And do you know what I know about you? You were once the lost One. I know that because it’s true of me, too.
I was once someone’s One. And they prayed for me. They invited me. They listened to me and pointed me back to Scripture and the love of God. They didn’t give up on me. Because I was their One.
Someone was once praying for YOU because you were their One. And they didn’t give up on you, because they were prompted by God who never stops pursuing us. Because of his great LOVE for us.
Because you are HIS. And he knows you might still wander, because you’re kind of like a dumb sheep. Me too. But he’s constantly calling us, restoring us, teaching us, feeding us, caring for us, and inviting us to be a part of his mission of reaching those who are still far from him and need to be brought home.
Jesus’ mission is MY mission, because it’s personal. But I don’t save anyone. You don’t save anyone. We seek. We invite. We point to Jesus, because Jesus saves.
We’re not responsible for changing people. God’s the one that does the transforming. We’re just responsible for loving them and constantly pointing to Jesus every chance we get.
[This week]
So how can we join Jesus in his work this week? What are we supposed to DO? Here’s what I suggest: this week, name your One and take an intentional step toward them.
Jesus’ mission becomes personal when we give it a name, so name your One. Write their name down. Maybe you’ve had the same One for the last 6 months that we’ve been talking about this. Maybe this is the first time you’re hearing God prompt your heart with the name of someone you know that is close to you, but far from him.
Write down their name, and commit to praying for them by name every day this week. Ask Jesus to soften your heart towards them. Ask him to open doors that you can’t open on your own, and to give you opportunities to simply show them love.
And take an intentional step toward them this week. One simple action. Maybe you send them a text. Maybe you have a kind conversation with them. Maybe you meet for coffee. Maybe you invite them to sit with you at church.
We’re not trying to fix them or pressure them. We’re just obeying God and taking a step toward them in love this week. And we trust that God will help us know what the NEXT step is after that. Because HE’S the one pursuing them and calling them home. We just get to be his partners in that mission.
[END]
This isn’t a HAVE-TO. This is a GET-TO. We GET to join Jesus in his work, because he never gives up on the people he loves. We GET to share his love, because he’s chosen to work through us!
And can you just imagine what would happen if every person listening to me right now obeyed God’s prompting this week and reached out to their One in love this week?
Can you imagine the ripple effect it would have across the Sauk Valley? Can you imagine the healing and connection that people would experience because of God’s love working through us?
Can you imagine the reconciliation that God could initiate when his people move towards others in love?
Can you imagine what it would mean for Your One to realize that God hasn’t forgotten them? …and neither have you.
We GET to be a part of God’s mission because it all rests on him. God loved us first. God moved toward us first. God picked us up, carried us home, reunited us with his family.
And now… he invites us to join him in what he’s already doing!
Isn’t that good news?