When I was thinking about this parable I thought of something that God allowed to happen to me that really drove this parable home. I was teaching PE and we were playing a game called buffalo hunter that day. And in that game I pick some buffalo hunters and the rest are buffalo, and you send the buffalo out. And the buffalo hunters, 5 or so, they all have a dodge ball. The goal is to simply run around and peg kids with balls, and as long as you don't hit them in the head they have to fly away to the buffalo graveyard. But I remember at the beginning of class this little girl came up to me, I think a 4th grade class, beginning of the day, and said "Coach Graham will you hold my glasses for me"? . Everything in me told me, Gabe don't do it. You're going to lose those things, they're expensive, you won't remember what happened to them. Don't do it. But I don't know something took over my voice box and I just said okay and I took them and I put them right here. I hung them on my shirt and I said to her, hey they're right here - you need to remember they're here - because I won't. So come to me and get them at the end of class.
So we're playing the game and suddenly I feel like I've got some pent up frustration with these kids and I think it would be nice to be the buffalo hunter. So I get in the game, I'm the buffalo hunter, things are great, I'm pegging kids, they're flying to the buffalo graveyard all over the place. We get to the end of class and the girl comes over to me and says "Coach Graham where's my glasses?" I go oh . . . where are they? Oh man they must have fallen off. I must have dropped them on the field. And so I'm like, okay whole class, let's look for them real quick... We'll find them, real fast. We go out we look for them but can't find them anywhere. I line the kids up military formation, side by side. We scan the whole field, couldn't find them. That class had to go. I said don't worry about it I'll find them next period and I'll send them to your class. Next class comes out, military formation we scour the whole field, I think three times. We don't find them. I'm frantic, I skip my break, I skip my lunch I'm searching everywhere in the hot sun; can't find them anywhere.
Finally I had just about given up and I thought, well I'll just have to find a way to pay for these things. And so, we brought these little first graders down and explain them the game. At this point I'm already over it, I'm not going to find these things. But my assistant she said "hey we're going to play this game buffalo hunter but I want to let you know that there's a pair of glasses out there and if one of you finds them we'll give you a dollar." The kids are like whooo. I kid you not, 30 seconds later this kid Brandon picks up the glasses and starts running to me.. . . "Coach Graham Coach Graham I've found the glasses". I'm like what, and I came running towards him and I looked at the glasses, and they're not bent, they're in perfect shape. And I'm like Brandon you're a hero. And I just spontaneously put him on my shoulders and I started dancing around. And all the other little first graders 6 years old 7 years old maybe, knew what was going on and just instinctively everybody started chanting Brandon, Brandon, Brandon. Oh we were so happy, we were having a celebration, we were having a party on that field because what was lost was found!
That's exactly how God The Father feels when one sinner repents and turns to Jesus Christ for salvation. That last verse we read says in the same way I tell you "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents". It doesn't say the angels are rejoicing it says there's rejoicing in the presence of the angels. God the father, God, is throwing a party, is rejoicing. He is elated, he is joyful in heaven, when a sinner repents and puts their faith in Jesus Christ. And that's the heart he wants us to have. One soul is of infinite value to God!