A little more than a year ago one of our grandsons got a mini-drone for his birthday. It was without question his favorite gift, and he had to try it out at once— never mind the snow. It soared into the sky, flew over a clump of tall trees, and disappeared from view. He ran to find it, but it was gone!

Of course, he was upset! Six of us bundled up, traipsed through the snow, and searched without much hope of finding it. Amaz-ingly his mom found the drone half-buried in the snow. We were all elated!

That minor incident made me think of the woman who lost one of her ten silver coins. Even though she had nine coins left, she turned her house upside down to find the one she had lost, and when she found it, she called her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her. Finding something important to you is a reason to rejoice.

Of course, today's parables are not only about a lost sheep or a lost coin but are meant to show how much it hurts our Lord when even one of his children wanders away and gets lost. The religious leaders were upset because Jesus ate with "sinners." But the reason he came was to call everyone to repentance and salvation, for we are all sinners in need of grace and new life.

Two questions: Have we repented, and do we go out of our way to help bring others to Jesus?