Luke 15:8-10 (NIV)

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Jesus’ parables: if it seems too easy, it probably is. Jesus told three parables when responding to the Pharisees and scribes. They’d been grumbling about how Jesus mingled with sinners. In this parable of “The Lost Coin,” we see what lengths the woman goes to trying to find her lost coin. I know I’ve been there. I’ve turned my house upside down trying to find something I’ve misplaced. At some point, I think it becomes a quest.

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In our scripture, the woman is a widow. All she must live on for the rest of her life is the ten silver coins her husband left her. When one of them goes missing she flips out trying to find the missing silver coin. She lights a lamp and sweeps the house trying desperately to find the one missing silver coin. When she finds it, she’s relieved. Then she rejoices and invites her neighbors over to celebrate with her.

This is how God rejoices when a sinner repents. Someone who has lost their way. Someone who hates others or does despicable things. Heaven rejoices when that person is finally found and comes to God in repentance. That person becomes reunited with God.

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When Jesus is before the Pharisees and scribes and they’re grumbling about his social life, Jesus turns the tables on them by asking, “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one?” Jesus is always up to something with His parables. They see a man who claims to teach God’s truth. Now He’s interacting with people whose lifestyle indicates a rejection of those teachings. They think Jesus’ mingling among them is an endorsement of their lifestyle. They don’t recognize He’s on a rescue mission.

When you read the parables, ask yourself who you are supposed to be in that parable.

Are you the seeker—probably not—that’s God’s job.

Are you the coin? But the coin doesn’t know it’s lost.

Do you like it when you’re lost?

Do you like going to a new town and going wandering?

If you get lost, what do you do? GPS?

When we first moved to Texas, I found myself constantly lost. The GPS wasn’t available then. We’d moved here from Georgia. Millions of trees and landmarks. I never had to learn a single street name. I always had landmarks. But here in Texas if you don’t know the street name you’ll get lost. It all looks the same! In the area where I lived, there was a KFC. The building was shaped like a big chicken. It’s now a bit of a historical landmark. In fact, the city tried to tear it down because the big chicken’s beak didn’t work. The people went crazy. They petitioned the city to keep it and to fix the beak and spruce up the building. And, so they did. Anyway, whenever you wanted to tell someone how to get somewhere you’d say, “Just go to the big chicken and then….”

When we moved here there was no big chicken. I got lost a lot. My husband drew me maps so I could get around until I learned all the street names. It felt awful being lost all the time.

Have you ever wandered for hours so lost you thought you’d never find your way back home? But then you find your bearings and you’re no longer lost. Great feeling, right?

How about this life scenario:

Sometimes when you wander do you find your peace or do you just feel lost?

Maybe you negotiate with God? You need to know you can’t force God into anything.

So, you wander more.

Then the storms come.

And suddenly the trail is gone. The mud is thick and your boots are heavy.

Progress is slow.

You’re lost.

Then it starts to hail.

You pick up the pace.

Then a cave appears and there is a place to rest and listen to the rain.

For a while you’re helpless.

The rain stops but the temperature has dropped 40 degrees.

You start to walk again but it’s cold and you’re wet.

The person who comes to pick you up at the designated place is livid because you’re late. They don’t understand what you’ve been through. Nevertheless, you’re happy because now you’re found.

It’s like losing a child in a store or a mall and then finding them. You’re so mad. Why? Why not joy? They were the lost one. Shouldn’t you be rejoicing because you found them? Remember, you’re not the seeker. That’s God’s job.

It takes time for the joy to set in.

In this parable, we are not the coin. We’re called to be the angels. Our job is to celebrate the finding of the lost.

Jesus knows that when we lose important things the joy and celebration aren’t instant because we’re so relieved and then the joy sets in. He then tells us, “It’s found! Celebrate!”

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And that’s what I learned in Church……see ya next time!