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Last week, as I drove along Oak Street, a beautiful white dog ran across the road and then north on Oak between traffic. I pulled over, jumped out of my car, stopped traffic, and tried to coax the dog toward me. He ran into a side street. I drove to the side street. I had dog treats in the car. I grabbed these. Thankfully, two people also helped. One of them got hold of the dog’s harness. I attached a leash to the dog and put him in the back of the car.

I drove to where I first saw the dog. There was no sign of an owner. So, I brought the dog home. We gave the dog more treats and water to drink. My wife posted the picture of the dog on a “Lost Dog” website.

If you’ve ever owned a dog, you’ll know how desperate and stressful you become if your pet is lost. Nothing else matters – you frantically search for your pet.

One of Jesus’ most famous stories is in Luke 15:3-7:

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

It’s a picture of God’s longing for you and me. We are like the lost sheep. Our sin separates us from God’s love. But God will do anything to find us. So, Jesus dies on the cross to take our sin and open the way for us to know him. That’s how much God cares about us and how much he will do to find us.

And when he finds us and we welcome him as Lord and Saviour, there is great rejoicing.
There was no name tag on the dog. But there was a digital tracker. So, about 15 minutes later, someone came to our gate. He was frantic, panicking. He cried out, “I’ve lost my dog!” My son said, “We’ve got him!” Instantly, the dog owner relaxed and rejoiced. He called his spouse and said their pet had been found. It was wonderful to reunite the dog with the owners; it was wonderful to see the joy on the owner’s face.

I don’t have video footage of the rescue. But saving the dog and reuniting him with his owner was amazing! And it’s amazing how far Jesus will go to bring you and me back to him! Be blessed today.

視頻大意翻譯 (video Chinese translation):

上周，當我開車沿著Oak街行駛時，一隻漂亮的白狗在車流間跑過馬路，然後在Oak街向北跑。我靠邊停車，跳下車，阻止交通，並試圖將狗哄向我。牠跑進了一條小路，我也開進了那條小路。我車裡有狗零食，我抓了些。值得慶幸的是，有兩個人來幫忙。其中一人抓住了狗的背帶，我給狗繫上了繩子，然後把牠放到車後座。

我開車回到第一次看到那隻狗的地方。沒有主人的跡象。所以，我就把狗帶回家了。我們給了那隻狗更多的零食和水喝。我妻子在一個 「Lost Dog」遺失狗狗 網站上刊登了這隻狗的照片。

如果你曾養過狗，你就會知道如果你的寵物走失，你會多絕望和倍感壓力。所有其他事情都不重要 - 你只瘋狂地要尋找你的寵物。

耶穌最著名的故事之一是在路加福音 15：3-7 中。請聽：

耶穌就用比喻、說、你們中間誰有一百隻羊、失去一隻、不把這九十九隻撇在曠野、去找那失去的羊直到找着呢。       找着了、就歡歡喜喜的扛在肩上、回到家裏。就請朋友鄰舍來、對他們說、我失去的羊已經找着了、你們和我一同歡喜罷。我告訴你們、一個罪人悔改、在天上也要這樣為他歡喜、較比為九十九個不用悔改的義人、歡喜更大。

這是一幅描繪了神對你我渴望的畫面。我們就像迷失的羊。我們的罪使我們與神的愛隔絕。但上帝會不惜一切代價來找到我們。因此，耶穌死在十字架上，為的是承擔我們的罪，為我們打開認識他的道路。這就是上帝對我們的關愛程度，以及他會做多少來找回我們。

當祂找到我們，我們歡迎當祂成為我們的主和救贖主時，我們會無比高興。

狗身上沒有名牌，但有一個數位追蹤器。所以，大約 15 分鐘後，有人來到我們家籬笆外。他瘋狂，驚慌失措。他大喊：”我丟了我的狗！”我兒子說: ”我們抓到牠了！”瞬間，狗主人放鬆了下來，歡喜起來。他打電話給他的配偶，說他們的寵物已經找到。讓狗與主人團聚真是太好了; 看到那主人臉上的喜悅真是太好了。

我沒有救援的錄影片段。但是拯救這隻狗並讓它與他的主人團聚真是太棒了！令人驚訝的是，耶穌會走多遠，把你我帶回他身邊！今天就蒙福。

讓我們禱告。

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum