The Community Celebration
“And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'” (Luke 15:9)
Main Point: Finding what was lost calls for community celebration, not private satisfaction.
Martha doesn’t just slip the found coin back into her purse and go about her day. No! She calls her neighbors: “Come over! I found it! Let’s celebrate!” The whole community rejoices with her. This is what our Lord is calling for – a community that rejoices over every sinner who repents.
Here in our small Kansas communities, we know everyone’s story. We know who’s struggling, who’s wandered away, who’s made mistakes. When Sarah Miller finds her way back to worship, when Jake Peterson discovers that earthly success is empty without Christ, when anyone who was lost is found – what should our response be?
Too often, we respond with whispers: “Well, it’s about time,” or “I wonder how long this will last.” But Jesus calls us to celebrate like the woman with her coin, like the shepherd with his sheep. Every person who returns deserves a community celebration because that’s what happens in heaven.
Reflection: The found should celebrate with joy when others are found, not stand in judgment. Questions for Meditation: When someone returns to faith, is my first response joy or skepticism? How can I help create a celebrating community?
Prayer: Lord, fill my heart with the joy of heaven when others come home to You. Help me be quick to celebrate and slow to judge, remembering how You celebrated when You found me. In Christ’s name, Amen.
Responses