In every congregation there are people who come to church but who have never become Christians. There may be some people here this morning who are lost spiritually. They’ve not had their sins forgiven and are cut off from the salvation that is found in Jesus. They don’t know God’s love and abiding presence. They’ve never accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. There are a variety of ways that a person can be lost. Lost is a metaphor that describes many of our lives. When she found it she was so excited that she celebrated. It’s possible that this woman lost one of the 10 coins and was looking for it like someone today might look for a wedding ring. These 10 coins could never be taken from her, even if she owed someone money. It was almost the equivalent of a wedding ring. The mark of a married woman was a head-dress of 10 silver coins linked together by a silver chain. There was probably another reason she worked so hard. Part of the reason she worked so hard was probably because the coin was worth one day’s wages, at least an equivalent of $100 - $150. Yet the woman searched until she found the coin.
They had dirt floors covered with reeds and grass. Houses were dark, with at most one small window. In the homes that people lived in back then it would be easy to lose a coin. The second story is about a woman who has lost a coin. He left the other 99 sheep and went to look for the one that was lost. In this story one of the sheep had wandered far enough that the shepherd didn’t know where it was. They will wander and eat their way till they have no idea where they are. Sheep are not the most brilliant animals. In the Middle East, during the summer, shepherds lead their sheep up into the mountains where they could find good pastures. The first story is about a sheep that has been separated from the rest of the herd. Jesus tells two stories about being lost. To be lost means being in danger of being destroyed. Sometimes it is translated as lost, not knowing where you are. Sometimes apolumi is translated as to perish or to be destroyed. The Greek word for lost in our passage is apolumi. Nothing is familiar – the streets make no sense, you don’t know anyone and can’t even speak the language. I’m talking about being so lost that you have no idea where you are or where you should go in Baghdad, or Mexico City, or rural Egypt. I’m not talking about driving in downtown Pittsburgh or somewhere in western Pennsylvania and not being sure about where you are going. I can picture a little girl standing next to a light pole, clutching her teddy bear, tears streaming down her face, her heart bursting with fear and loneliness.īeing lost is a horrible feeling. Imagine also, what Wendy might have felt when she realized that she was lost. It is that sheer terror of wondering what has happened to your child. I expect every parent has had moments like that. Imagine the agony that Wendy's parents must have felt when they realized that she was lost. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Wendy, please report to the Music Pier. She is wearing a yellow dress and carrying a teddy bear. “A little girl about 5 years old, answering to the name of Wendy, has been lost. An announcement came over the loudspeaker that changed everything for Lloyd. Some enjoyed the amusement parks that are there. This particular night it was beautiful outside and Lloyd was watching all the people walking up and down the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is right along the beach and on a typical summer night there are huge crowds. He tells the story of the time he was in Ocean City, New Jersey. He was staying at a hotel right along the Boardwalk. At one point he was the chaplain of the U.S. Let me read them to you, along with the introduction, or the setting. Immediately before that parable are two other parables about being lost. The third parable is probably the best known of all Jesus’ parables, the Prodigal Son, or the Prodigal Sons as it ought to be called. In the 15th chapter of Luke there are three parables about being lost. We are in our fourth week of looking at some of the parables Jesus told as he traveled through Samaria toward Jerusalem, toward the cross.