Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
(Luke 15.10
NRSV)
After a careful search and diligent cleaning, the woman finds her lost coin. She is so happy. Again a huge celebration is planned for her friends and neighbors. "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost," she says. It took some effort on her part but the joy of discovery was well worth the effort. She wants to share her good fortune with her friends.
It reminds me of a young husband I heard about. Kevin stopped at the bank on his way home from work on Friday afternoon. He cashed his paycheck and went home. Like any good newlywed husband, Kevin turned his money over to his wife. His wife discovered that there was money missing--one hundred dollars. She asked him, "What did you spend a hundred dollars on?" Kevin was dumbfounded. After some discussion Kevin realized that he did not count the money when he was at the bank. It must have been the teller's fault. She did not give him all his money.
All Kevin had to do was go to the bank on Monday morning and explain that the teller hadn't given him the right amount of money. He stopped to think. Who would believe such a story? He wasn't sure he would believe such a story. Was the teller dishonest? Did she keep his money on purpose? Kevin had no proof. The more Kevin and his wife thought about it the more it seemed like their money was lost forever.
On Monday morning Kevin returned to the bank and explained what had happened. To his great surprise the teller had an extra hundred dollars in her drawer. She could not explain where the money came from and hoped she did not cheat any of her customers. Kevin was so happy, he called his wife at work and said, "I have my lost money." He was delighted in much the same way as the woman in the parable when she found her lost coin. "From now on," Kevin says, "I'm going to count my money before I leave the bank."
There is joy in finding what is lost. Jesus suggests that there are people, maybe even neighbors or co-workers, who have strayed but are ready to be found and come back to God.
Dear God, help me in showing the way home. Amen.
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