Lost coin

Sunday Reflection – September 11, 2022

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Lost Sheep & Lost Coin

Luke 15  Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. 2 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this story:

4 If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.”

7 Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over 99 good people who don’t need to.”

8 Jesus told the people another story:

What will a woman do if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them? Won’t she light a lamp, sweep the floor, and look carefully until she finds it? 9 Then she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin I lost.”

10 Jesus said, “In the same way God’s angels are happy when even one person turns to him.”

Performed by Margaret Whisselle

Kids Korner: Lost and found (September 11th)

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Read Luke 15:1-10 with your family.

This entire chapter in Luke could be called “finding lost things” because there are three parables about something or someone being lost and the rejoicing when they are found. We are only looking at the first two parables: the lost sheep and the lost coin. One of the cool things about the Gospel of Luke is often stories are told one from a male perspective and one from a female perspective so everyone can see themselves in the story.

In the lost sheep, the owner of the sheep leaves the sheep behind and goes looking for the one sheep that is missing. When he finds that missing sheep he brings it back and they celebrate. (I know the Bible says the sheep were alone, but anyone with 100 sheep would have lots of paid help and they were watching the 99 sheep.) In Greek, the language of this story originally, the sheep was actually lead away from the others, or lead astray, and the owner was able to get it back. Jesus tells us that God is like that owner, when we get lead away from God, God comes looking for us to bring us back to the world God created.

In the lost coin, a woman loses one of her 10 silver coins, all the money she had in the world because there weren’t banks like we have so she couldn’t leave her money there. She searches everywhere, even in dark corners, then celebrates with her friends when it is found. Jesus tells us God is like the woman, and will look in every dark corner until God finds us again and brings us back to the world God created.

God loves us so much that God won’t stop at anything to find us and bring us home where we belong.