Reflection for Monday 8 March 2021

LOST AND FOUND COINS

Reading Luke 15;8-10

"What woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?"

I wonder what your reaction is if you see a coin lying in the street as you are walking along?

Do you stoop to pick it up? Or do you leave it lying there?

That may, of course, depend on the value of the coin................if it’s a penny or two-pence, it may not feel like it’s worth lifting, however if it’s a £1 or£2 coin we may pick it up and put it in our pocket glad to have found it, not giving any or much thought to who has lost it in the first place.

I wonder how you feel when you have lost some money?

I would imagine most of us have had the experience of losing a purse or wallet, and the sinking, often panicky feeling it produces.

We begin our search, retracing steps, pulling the house apart, hoping and praying we will find it soon, and if and when we do, oh........... the feeling of rejoicing can be overwhelming.

We can find such an account of finding a lost coin and the rejoicing it brings in Luke’s gospel chapter 15: 8-10

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“What woman having ten silver coins, if she loses the, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”

The whole chapter focuses on things lost and found, sheep, coin, and children.

And, as each lost thing was found we see the most extravagant rejoicing. Each finding leads to rejoicing in homes and communities.

Of course Jesus is using these stories to mirror the rejoicing and mercy and grace available to every person whoever they are, who has in some way or other wandered away from the Father’s love.

A reminder that each one of us is precious to our heavenly Father, and he will never stop looking for us in order to bring us back home.