On June 19, 1991, Jaycee Dugard walked to her bus stop in South Lake Tahoe, California. Her father saw a car speed toward her and someone pull her inside the vehicle. It was the last time Dugard was seen for 18 years. Her parents never gave up hope that their daughter would be found alive. Jaycee was precious and important to them because she was their child. When she was found, her mother flew quickly to southern California to embrace the daughter she had not held in a long time. And there was great rejoicing in their home, because their daughter had been found.

Jesus does not tell us how long the woman in his story searched for her lost coin. Was it a few hours, a week, a month? Maybe the length of time isn't as important as the concern she had for a coin that was important to her. Scholars explain that Jesus' listeners probably would have understood this coin as part of an important collection, or perhaps a special heirloom. And once the woman's eyes caught a glimpse of the small coin in a corner of a room, her face would have shone with joy and relief. And in her joy, she asked others to rejoice with her.

A person who has been lost is worth every effort to find for the sake of receiving full life in the kingdom of God—and that prompts a celebration in heaven. "I tell you," said Jesus, "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."