In the parables of Jesus when the shepherd finds the lost sheep and the woman finds the lost coin they call together friends and neighbors and said to them ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep, my lost coin.’ Is it odd to imagine the rejoicing feast will consist of lamb stew and that the found coin will fund the party? That tells us that it is not the having that matters but the searching. We should certainly “go after” family members and friends who have “fallen away” from the faith. But we should not imagine that it is up to us to “find” them. That is God’s business. God depends on us to do the searching but God does the finding.
