Holy Trinity Sunday (G)

Luke 15:1-10

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

⁸ “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? ⁹ 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.’ ¹⁰ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

I like the fact that the Woman has “ten silver coins!” In other passages she is missing a penny. Who picks up pennies on the street? But a silver coin, now that is something people will search the house for. But maybe that is not the point. I think the point is that the one is of insignificance with relation to the ninety-nine. Likewise, the one coin is of little importance to the nine others.

I know that it is not about numbers in the church. I know that it does not matter whether you have 5, 10, or 50 in Bible Study. I know that it does not make any difference whether there are 10 people or 500 people in church on a Sunday morning (or any service for that matter). But we cheer a little more when we see a confirmation class of ten verses one. We make take a little more time to hold a new members’ class if we know there are 5 to 10 interested rather than one or two.

It is not about numbers, but numbers make it feel a little better. “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” I thought about this. Next time you have a confirmation class of twenty have twenty different Confirmation Sundays. We do not wait for five people in order to have a baptism. We rejoice over the confession of every sinner. We rejoice of welcoming every new member. We rejoice over every Baptism. God rejoices over you today, confessing your sins, and receiving forgiveness. I am rejoicing as well.