Lost Coins

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one

would not light a lamp and sweep the house,

searching carefully until she finds it?

And when she does find it,

she calls together her friends and neighbors

and says to them,

‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 

In just the same way, I tell you,

there will be rejoicing among the angels of God

over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:1-10

To the tune NETTLETON.

Come, you steward of the lost coins
and the pennies in the street,
cast away for all their alloys,
left unheeded at our feet.
Come and claim these worthless tokens;
let not one of them be lost!
They will eat the bread you've broken;
they will shine with all your host.

Search the house and sweep the corners
'til the last of them is found.
Go and seek beyond our borders,
where they lie just out of bounds.
Gather all that we have scattered
in our quest for pow'r and might,
all who never seem to matter:
They are precious in your sight.

Gather all the Father gave you,
each a treasure past all price.
All your dimes and pennies praise you:
On the last day, they shall rise.
In the time of vindication,
they shall dart about like sparks,
when the light of your salvation
fin'lly drives away the dark!
Brooklyn Museum – The Lost Drachma (La drachme perdue) – By James Tissot – Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2008, 00.159.93_PS2.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10195929