I love to travel. Today I’m sitting with my morning tea and waking up to a beautiful Manhattan skyline. Gazing out the window I find the sun reflecting off the buildings and the sky is clear and sparkling blue. A sight this Midwesterner has been longing for for months. Then my gaze turns to each building, each window. Thousands of lives are represented in such a small area. You can get lost in a big city.
I’m visiting my son and daughter in law and marvel at the way they navigate this city. In just 7 short months they know what subway line to take and the best times to get off at certain stops. They walk around more Which leads to seeing people more and say hello to a familiar face every time we go out which again is impressive.
It got me thinking about how everyone wants to be known. It reminds me of the old Cheers TV show theme song;

‘Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.’
Being known is important and this is sometimes easier to accomplish for some people. Recently, I’ve moved to a new little city and have realized you can’t be known by sitting in the house. So I meet my new cleaners and grocery store clerks and moms in the park and barista at the corner shop. It was the way life was intended to be. My grandfather in Scotland would walk to the nearby butcher every day. He was known and expected so much so that when he got sick before his death everyone at the store was asking for him immediately. Something was wrong if Mr. Forbes wasn’t showing up for his meat.
I’m in NYC this weekend to take my daughter in law to a Bible conference. It was a Hillsong conference that is famed by their music and founding couple. The theme was Found and as I woke this morning i couldn’t help but think how appropriate that word is in this big city. Everyone has been lost at some point or another. It’s not the best feeling, is it? Feeling helpless and not knowing where to turn is the terrible gut feeling of being lost. On the other side of the spectrum is that beautiful word, found. It’s awesome! Someone who knows you calls out your name and takes you back to familiar territory. The Bible is full of analogies that portray this word perfectly. Jesus used many parables or stories to relay the biggest and best story of the world. Yes, the world!  You were once lost but now you are found. Easter is the epitome of this message. Jesus was not known but made himself known and many rejected him. His presence conjured up so many feelings as does this blog right now. I just took it from a fun story of being lost in a big city to Jesus and what His life represents. It’s not past tense. His life and love lives on in His believers and I can truly say I will never be lost again! I’ve been found and as daunting as this city may seem to me because it’s unfamiliar territory, the Bible can be just as daunting to the sceptic. Maybe you want to be found but have no clue how to begin. Jesus said in John 14:6 ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’  Huge claims. Huge comfort.
Again I’m staring out the window to a highway across the river. Cars are whizzing by. So many people on their journey for the day. Some are relying on a gps or map app on their mobile device or some have a driver to get them to their destination. Regardless of how they get from point A to point B they had to get in the vehicle.
This Easter will you be challenged to just get in?  Whether it’s to go to church or crack open a Bible yourself your invitation to be Found will never expire. I just wouldn’t want to walk around with that lost feeling anymore than I had to. It’s Gods intent for you to be found.