Joanie came in to work Monday glowing and proudly
extending her right hand out for all to see.
“Mark did it! He finally asked
me!” Her excitement was contagious and congratulations
were flooding the office! The pride and
excitement of becoming Mrs. Mark Benson was as brilliant as the sparkle in her
ring. “It needs sized but I couldn't bear to come in and just tell you what happened over the weekend without
showing you!” Joanie said.
We all wondered how she was ever going to keep her head
below the clouds to get her job done that day!
Somehow she managed and the time came to go home.
Unbeknownst to Joanie she went home that night but her
ring didn’t. While washing her hands at
the end of the day the ring slipped off and went into the trash can with the
paper towel. Joanie, however, did not
realize it until she was home. Her shriek
probably could have awoken the dead when she discovered it was missing. She and Mark, who I might add took the announcement
of the missing ring very well, rented a metal detector and went back to the
workplace hoping the trash had not been dumped for the evening.
Worst case was realized when they saw the trash cans had
been emptied in the building. They spent the entire evening scavenging through
the dumpster in the back lot. I can only
imagine the sense of joy and relief when the ring was found…at the bottom of
the dumpster!
Luke 15 is a chapter about precious items/people lost and
then found in the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son
(being the most familiar). What we so
often miss is they were not only found but were also restored.
Don’t know about you but I don’t think I’ve ever heard
any sermons about the lost coin. It must
have had some significance or why would it be there?
In biblical times and in some areas today when a woman
marries the bridegroom gives her a wedding gift of 10 silver coins on a string. These are usually worn as a headdress or even
around her neck.
To lose or misplace any of these coins is considered carelessness
in her lack of affection and respect for him. Worse case it might even be thought that she
purchased the affections of someone else which could result in divorce. These coins were held to be very sacred[i] .
So what does that have to do with us today? Simply put as followers/believers in Jesus
Christ we are his bride awaiting his return.
He has given us not coins as a display of his affection and love for us
but rather his life and the gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a
deposit (coin) promising his return.
As the bride in old days would probably touch the coins
and cherish what they represent, do we today treasure what the Holy Spirit
wants to do in our lives to prepare us for not only life here but our future
life with Jesus Christ? Do we actively
seek him out as the woman searching for her lost coin? Do we share with others our story of how we
were lost, found then restored? Do we
celebrate with those around us what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us
or perhaps in and through them?
The parable of the lost coin is one of the shortest
parables yet hidden in its meaning is immeasurable treasure if we take the time
to find them.
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