“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” -Luke 19:10
Wayne Corprew took his family to Joe’s Trees and Christmas Tree Farm in 2010. They were preparing for the Christmas season. Wayne wanted his family to have the experience of driving out into the beautiful country of West Virginia and selecting a tree for their living room. The tree farm was true beauty. The Corprew family selected the perfect tree, loaded it onto the truck, and prepared to drive home. It was a lovely day for the family, until Wayne realized something was missing.
The family had been so busy having a good time at the tree farm that Wayne did not realize that his wedding ring had fallen off, somewhere in the vast acres of grass and trees. They quickly returned, accompanied by the tree farm staff, to where they had selected their tree. They looked and looked, but no luck. James would return the next day with a metal detector. Wayne would hunt for his ring the entire day. He eventually gave up the search, but he left a note for the staff.
Fifteen years later, the new owners of Joe’s Trees and Christmas Tree Farm were plowing the ground to plant corn for the fall season and a pumpkin patch. That is when the long-lost ring was found. Darren and Samantha Gilreath had purchased the farm from Darren’s Aunt Sue. Sue had kept the note all those years, and when Darren and Samantha took over, they also kept the note. They called Wayne, who was shocked that his ring had been found after all that time. Wayne would tell the local news, “It just goes to show that there are good people out there.”
This is the good news. There is good in our world. There are good people performing wonderful acts of kindness. Beyond that, there is a good God who loves and cares for His people. God does not discard us or forget about us. We are cherished by the Creator who sent His Son into the world to “seek and save the lost.” We may feel lost among the chaos of this world, but God is with us. To God, we are a far greater treasure than one wedding band. We are God’s treasured children.
-Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
