Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin." In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:8-10).

When I lose my car keys or my wife loses a contact lens, "operation recovery" immediately goes into effect. I have taken apart traps in bathroom sink drains, returned to restaurants, and even dismantled our living room furniture.

On the other hand, when I lose a blue sock deserving retirement anyway, I don't fret until I find it. The value of lost items determines the intensity of my search-and-rescue efforts.

When the religious leaders of Jesus' day criticized him for hanging out with sinners, Jesus told three stories about lost items: a lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), a lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and a lost son ...