And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:20-24 ESV
It’s Father’s Day. It’s not really a Christian holiday, like Christmas or Easter, or even last Sunday’s Pentecost. But if there are any people in the world who should be grateful for having a good father, it’s us. People have all kinds of reactions to the idea of “father” based on their own experience. My dad was a nice guy, worked hard, etc. I can’t really gripe. But when I found out how good my Heavenly Father is, it blew me away!
My dad’s approach to child-rearing was pretty straightforward: if you got in trouble, you had to get yourself out of it. You made your bed, now you’re going to lie in it. I grew up with the feeling that any bad stuff that happened to me was probably my fault, and that I shouldn’t expect anyone to help me. I remember years ago, sitting in a 12-step meeting for drunks, and hearing a guy recount the story of the prodigal son. I totally lost it when I realized that my Heavenly Father was running towards me, ready to welcome me home.
Luke 15 is all about God’s love for the lost, the wayward child, and the failure. Jesus is responding to the religious folks who were wondering why he was hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. He told them about the lost sheep and the searching shepherd. He told them about a woman’s search for her lost coin. Then he finished with the story of a dad who loved his son, but he left anyway. Jesus knew that we all need to understand the love of the Father for us, no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. Come on home!
This Sunday, as we get together to worship, keep in mind that each of these stories ends with a party! The sheep and the coin ended with a heavenly party, with angels rejoicing before the throne. In the last one, the father was so happy that he commanded, “let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” If you’re like me, if you were a sinner before you were saved, if you despaired of ever being forgiven, then join me today as we celebrate. You’re not just forgiven, you’re loved! The Father has welcomed us home!
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