“Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep… Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin… his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:1-32).

At the end of each of our camps there are usually some items left behind: skates, shoes, clothing, glasses, books, etc. Then, a few hours or days later, we get phone calls asking whether we have found them! Eventually lost items and their worried owners are reunited, but this sometimes takes a while…

At our recent Family Winter Getaway Camp, we studied some of the Parables the Lord Jesus told. He used simple but profound stories to cast light on eternal spiritual truths. Three of these parables are collected together in one chapter and are quoted above. In each of them, something precious was lost, and after a while, was found back again. Each story tells us something about God’s love for each one of us: The lost sheep reminds us that each of us is lost and desperately needs Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to rescue us. The lost coin story emphasizes that Jesus values us highly, and took the initiative to come and search for us until he found us. The lost son parable clarifies that each of us needs to decide for ourselves to repent and turn to the Heavenly Father for forgiveness; and if and when we do so, we are welcomed unconditionally into His loving arms!

Thank the Lord! He is our Good Shepherd and our Heavenly Father, who loves us and did everything possible to rescue and save us. May each one of us experience the joy of being found by the Lord Jesus! And may we be involved in helping other lost sheep / coins / children to return to God also. This is the main reason Beacon Bible Camp exists: to bring folk to Jesus, and to provide training in leadership and evangelism, so that more lost sheep may know the joy of the Good Shepherd. Perhaps God is calling you this year, to be a part of His Rescue Operation. Take courage and step up in faith!

With all our best wishes from us both and from all of us at Beacon,

Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn