Persistence

Read-- Luke 15: 1-3, 8-10

I'm going to take for granted that all of us know the cliche "persistence pays off". We use it to extol the merits of sticking with something to acheive a desired result, whether it is negotiating over the price of something, practicing a skill until it is mastered, and so on. I wonder, though, do we ever view God as persistent? Do we ever stop and think of God as relentlessly searching for something? Jesus uses this parable to illustrate just how persistent God is.

On the surface, the persistence of God seems to be illustrated most clearly by the woman searching for her lost coin. After all, the Gospels make frequent reference to God searching for that which is lost and not resting until what is lost is found and subsequently celebrated. For this woman, that one coin was of great value; it was equivalent of one day's wage. Imagine losing your entire wages for a single day or losing 1/30 of your monthly retirement benefits! We can understand why she would search so long and hard for the coin. Just think, each of us are of more value to God than the coin to that woman, and God will stop at nothing to find us when we lose our way. God is persistent in restoring each of us back to God, no matter how long it takes or how much work might be involved!

However, this is not the only illustration of God's persistence in the parable. In the beginning verses we see Jesus dining with "sinners" while the religious leaders are grumbling against his fellowship with the unrighteous. Notice that in v. 3 we are told that "Jesus told them this parable". We aren't too sure who is meant by "them"; whether it was intended for the "sinners" or the religious leaders, or both. The "sinners" likely would have indentified with the lost coin being found and God's subsequent celebration of their finding. The religious leaders were likely being characterized as the friends and neighbors of the woman; just as she wanted to share her joy with them, so God wants to share God's joy over finding what was lost with the onlookers. God's desire is for EVERYONE to be joyful when what is lost is found! God's joy is not complete unless that joy is shared and experienced by everyone! The reality of it is this...those who do not share in God's joy are themselves also lost. And so God will aggressively pursue their restoration as well, until all people and all creation are restored back to God!
O God, you search us and search for us until we are restored to you and we experience your joy. Teach us to seek your joy and share in it with you. In and through Christ, AMEN.