The Bible uses a bunch of stories to tell us why Jesus came.

There's the one about the lowlife woman Jesus met at a well (John 4). Everyone said he shouldn't bother with obvious sinners like her. But he offered her living water-a new way of life, really, a new reason for life.

Then there were those tax collectors everyone hated. No one wanted to hang out with them. But Jesus told Zacchaeus, "We're going to your house today" (Luke 19).
There's the prodigal son he loved, the contagious leper he touched, the dead man he told to come out of the grave, even the thief being crucified next to him. He should have left them alone. It would seem that he would have no reason to waste his time on any of them. But he did. In Luke 19 he explains that He, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

That means he came for you. If you've ever been lost in the hectic pace of your life...if you've ever felt lost in the guilt of your broken relationships and failed promises... if you've ever felt lost in the depression of your loneliness... He came for you. He came to seek and to save you, to pay your price by taking your guilt, to give you life and a purpose. He came to call you with His love revealed in His Word.

And right now, he's using this article to do that. In Luke 19:10, Jesus says "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." He came for you, wherever you are.
We all need to be reminded of that, don't we? And here's the coolest part: Jesus uses us to help remind others about that. Jesus came for them, too. They need to know that. Think of how important it is that we teach that to our kids as they grow up in this world where it can be so easy to feel like no one cares.

That's why next week at Abiding Grace's soccer camp, while the kids are having fun learning soccer, they'll also be learning that truth. Each day we'll focus on one of Jesus' "Great Saves." All are welcome to come and remember why Jesus came. He came for you.

If you want to learn more about the One who came for you, come join us, because that's what all of God's word is about - the one the Father promised, the one who kept the promise, the one who came for you.

Jonathan Scharf is pastor of Abiding Grace Lutheran Church in Covington. Full sermons and more information can be found at www.abidinggrace.com.