I once was lost but now I am found,
Was blind but now I see
Amazing grace.[1]

There was once a small-town farmer named Joe who had a flock of 100 sheep. Now, Joe wasn’t what you’d call “high-tech”, he still used a flip phone and thought TikTok was the sound his old tractor made. One evening, as he was counting his sheep (literally, not to fall asleep), he noticed something off. “97… 98… 99…” He counted again. Still 99. With that, he grabbed his flashlight, his boots, and a half-eaten granola bar, and set off into the hills to find the one that wandered off. After hours of searching through bushes, brambles, and a rather aggressive raccoon (which he briefly mistook for the sheep), he finally heard a faint “baaa” from inside an old tire swing hanging from a tree. Somehow, the sheep had managed to climb into it, and was now just swinging in circles, looking very pleased with itself. Joe pulled the sheep out, looked it in the eye, and said, “You know, if you wanted attention, you could’ve just posted on Facebook like everyone else.”

I once was lost but now I am found,
Was blind but now I see
Amazing grace.

That’s how grace works. Sometimes we don’t even know we’re lost. We think we’re fine, swinging through life, chasing new things, drifting a little from the path, but it takes someone who cares to come looking and call us back. That is exactly what Jesus does for us.

The hymn "Amazing Grace" is probably the most well-known hymn of all time, especially at funerals, with good reason. Its simple truth hits home for all of us: We were all once lost. We were all once blind. John Newton wrote those words in 1762 during a time of upheaval, both in his personal life and in the world. America was on the brink of revolution. Tensions between England and the colonies were rising. People were convinced they were doing the right thing on both sides, taxation, colonization, rebellion, empire. Everyone thought they were on the right side of history. But history has a way of showing us how lost we were, even when we didn’t realize it.

It wasn’t until 1833, over 60 years later, that William Walker set those lyrics to the tune we know today. He titled it "New Britain." Interesting name, considering the moment in history. Even more interesting is how long it took, how much time passed, before people could fully hear and feel the weight of those words. Sometimes grace takes time to reach people. Sometimes it takes years before we realize how far we’ve wandered. Here is the honest truth: the lost don’t always know they’re lost. That sheep in the tree swing? It didn’t leave to be rebellious. It just went looking for better grass. Something new. Something exciting. Something that felt a little more alive than the same pasture, the same crowd, the same water. It left thinking it was doing the right thing. People today are no different. We chase what seems better. We convince ourselves we’re doing the right thing, and maybe we are, until we look up and realize we’ve ended up somewhere we don’t belong.

Even the Apostle Paul didn’t know he was lost. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul confesses it himself. “I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor. I was a violent man.” Those are his words. He wasn’t ashamed to name them. He used to hunt down Christians in the name of God, thinking he was right, until Jesus opened his eyes. Paul was that sheep, and if someone like Paul can be found, can be redeemed, can be used by God to build the church and write most of the New Testament, then there is no one beyond the reach of God’s grace. Which brings me to something difficult but necessary to talk about. We’ve seen violence in the world recently, horrific, divisive acts that shake us to the core. The horrific murder of Charlie Kirk, a devout believer in God, courageous to share his faith in Jesus, yet another example when we see how dangerous it becomes when light penetrates the darkness. His death was related to the battle between good and evil and once more, we are left asking: who’s lost, and who’s found? Who’s right, and who’s wrong? In our anger and fear, we can start drawing hard lines, labeling people, condemning people, but remember this: even Paul, who approved of stoning Stephen to death, was found. Redeemed. Forgiven. Used by God.

I’m not saying we excuse evil. I’m saying we pray for redemption even in the darkest places, because if we truly believe in grace, then we must believe it is for everyone. Not just the 99 who stayed, but also for the one who wandered. It’s easy to feel safe in the flock. It’s easy to say, “I’m in. I’m good. I’m not like them.” But Jesus doesn’t let us stay there. He calls us out. Not just to be found, but to help find. To go. To search. To pray. To speak truth. To shine light. To bring others back to the Shepherd, especially in the midst of our pain and anger is our calling, and that’s hard.

It’s easier to swing in our own tire, safe in our own bubble, thinking we’ve arrived. But Christ didn’t call us to safety. He called us to faithfulness, and faithfulness means walking where the lost are, reaching out, and risking love. Charlie Kirk did this. He went into hostile environments, to promote earnest debate for the application of reason, and he was struck down, targeted by those filled with anger. Those who are lost will find plenty of shame for their transgressions, when the Shepherd shines light in their dark world.

Let me leave you with this.
When you feel like the world is too far gone…
When you feel like people are too far lost…
When you feel like grace has been forgotten…
Remember this: it took 60 years for the tune to catch up to the lyrics of “Amazing Grace.” Grace takes time but it will be heard, because God is still counting. Ninety-seven… ninety-eight… ninety-nine…and he’s still looking for that one.

Don’t be quick to condemn. Don’t be afraid to hope. Don’t be ashamed to admit where you’ve been blind, because we’ve all been lost. We’ve all needed grace, and we’ve all been found by a Shepherd who never gives up.
Amazing Grace.

[1] Amazing Grace, John Newton and William Walker, 1982 Hymnal, #671
[2] 1 Timothy 1:12-17
[3] Luke 15:1-10