Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-24
UNITED LENTEN SERVICE
 AT TRINITY CHURCH.
Rev. R. R. Graham Preached or
 Thought of Mission Week.

At the united Lenten services. held at Trinity Episcopal church on Thurs day evening Rev. R. R. Graham. rector of Christ Episcopal church delivered the sermon which was taken from the parable of the lost coin.
 Rev. F. Johns Bohanan and Arch deacon J. Eldred Brown assisted in the service.
 Rev. Mir. Graham took his text from the 18th chapter, Sth verse of the gos- pei of St. Luke: What woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house. and seek diligently until she find it?
 In the mission service of last week Bishop Acheson's theme was on the said Rev. MT. Graham. The father l is yearning, reaching for his son who | has gone to the far country. He is | always seeking his son who is wan | dering from home, The parable of | the lost coin is also a parable of joy of recovery of a lost.
 Bishop Acheson in his sermon dwelt upon the parable of the prodigal son, of how the son demanded his portion | and left to go into the far country. The son had to find himself before he re- | turned to his father. He could not | in any way blame his father. He was | not driven from home nor was his | home ioveless, indifferent or lacked anything of being n happy one. The | son himself was responsible for his | departure from home.
 | The coin in the parable did not lose | itself. The coin did not find itself. | The woman was responsible for the | loss of the coin and was responsible for Che finding.
 In the parable of the prodigal son we can identify the father as God and in the parable of the shepherd | finding the lost lamb we can readily ] identify Jesus Christ, but in the par able of the lost coin we cannot iden- tify the woman with either. She is like the church. responsible for the loss as well as the finding of the coin | entrusted in her care. Like the church l with Its imDerfections and qualities | giving her distinction. So in the par able of the lost coin there is anoth- CT truth different from the parable oi the prOdigal son. Gods love is the only thing that can bring back ones who have wandered in the far coun- try. He needs the work of the church to recover His lost sons. What dc we mean by church? Not the clergy is not a personification. but an az. gregate of actual persons. There arc certain doubtful ones in the church and there are faithful ones who arC effective workers.
 The purpose of the mission was tC try to make the church more effective We all need to feel that we were ir
 the far country and we need to rel
 the inspiration of the love of God.
 What are we doing to prevent the loss in the church2 On last Sunday ( large class was confirmed and or next Sunday they take their first com
 muniCn and I wonder how many vii
 be lest to the church in the flu
 ture. What are we doing to prevent . this loss? They will come next Sun, day and what encourage cement wil they receive at their first communion
 We clergy will, of course. be there
 but how many of the communicant! will welcome the strangers.
 People come to communion reguiayly
 for Q. while and then they cease. Wha
 can we do? w can broaden by per.
 sonal effort the work of the mission field. The mission ought to make tn, | church more effective.