From the Pulpit: A Brandon lost and found lesson

By: 
Pastor Dan Deardoff, Blessed Redeemer Lutheran Church
I was surprised to read about Brandon, S.D., in my old hometown newspaper about a year ago. While checking online for sports news about my old high school in Omaha, a story about a young man from Brandon caught my eye. It called this young man “the luckiest person to ever lose a wallet.” He was called lucky because the man who returned the wallet added something to it instead of taking something from it. When the 20-year-old Brandon resident lost his billfold, it had his identification, his debit card, a signed paycheck, and $60 of cash inside. It came back with all of that intact and with an extra $40 and a note. The note said, “I rounded your cash up to an even $100 so you could celebrate getting your wallet back. Have fun!” 
The young man’s mother was also quoted in the article. She said, “I try to teach my kids every day to be good to people and give when you can, it doesn’t matter the outcome. It’s what you’re giving. Kindness comes back, and it did.” 
I agree with her that kindness to others is something we should all teach our children, along with honesty and integrity, but I saw another lesson in addition to being kind to others in this story. It reminded me of the story of the prodigal son, and the joy of the lost being found. 
Have you ever lost a wallet or purse? These days that is a truly frightening thing. Your first fear isn’t just that you will lose any money in it, but that you will lose your identity. You can cancel credit and debit cards, but the damage that is done can take years to correct. In fact, that is what happened also to the prodigal son in the parable that Jesus told that is recorded in Luke chapter 15. He lost his ID and forgot whose son he was when he went on a party binge. It took a famine, poverty, and hitting rock bottom before he remembered who he was and headed home, broke and smelling like the hogs he fed while denied even hog food. 
But then the story takes a happy turn. The father in the story rushes out to greet him, and won’t even listen to his apology that he doesn’t deserve to be his son. He restores him to son status, and puts a new robe on him and holds a party celebrating his return. 
That story is really about us and what happens when we forget our identity as God’s children. Sin takes us far from God, to a far country, like that wallet that was lost on a plane and wouldn’t have been returned without an act of kindness. But when we tell God that we are sincerely sorry, he forgives and as Jesus said in Luke 15:10, “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 
Do you think the young man from our town was happy over getting extra money back? I’m sure he was! Let this local story remind you of the kindness of your Father in heaven who is happy and celebrates with you when the lost is found. 

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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Brandon, SD 57005
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