Hello all and I hope you are all keeping well and safe during this very strange and scary time.
It seems like some time now since we were all together at Church, this coming Sunday I was supposed to be leading worship with yourselves, being Fathers Day, I had been looking for a theme for the service which related to this Day, not a day we would normally celebrate in Church and some may say its just another excuse for shops to sell cards and gifts, but maybe there is more meaning to this day.
As I was pondering as to a theme for the service my mind was drawn to the parable of the Prodigal Son and now might be a good time for you to turn to this passage in your Bibles, Luke 15 verses 11 – 32 and I will give you five minutes to read the passage.
Welcome back, firstly, maybe it should never have been called the parable of the Prodigal Son, for the son is not the hero, perhaps it should have been called the parable of the Loving Father, for it tells us rather about a Fathers love than a sons sin.
So, let us look again at this passage,
A man has two sons. One day the younger son demands his share of his fathers property, and the young man leaves home with his fortune.
Before long all the money has gone, the country is in the grip of a famine and the young man is forced to take a job feeding pigs. Pigs are unclean animals for Jews and pork is a forbidden food. This job is the pits!.
The young man comes to his senses and sets out for home. He resolves to beg his Father to let him be a servant on the family estate. But the Father sees him the moment he comes over the horizon and runs to forgive him and welcome him home, calling his servants to bring the best robe and put it on him, a ring for his finger and shoes for his feet. Then to celebrate with a feast, for his son was dead, but now he is alive, was lost but now he has been found.
One can only imagine how the Son felt as he approached his Fathers house, would his Father send him away, telling him he was worthless, that he had squandered all the money he had given him, maybe he was just hoping that his Father would give him a humble job, at least he would eat.
So how would we react if we were that young mans Father, would we forgive with no recriminations, forgive with love in our hearts?.
There is a way of forgiving, when forgiveness is conferred as a favour. It is even worse when someone is forgiven, but always by hint, by word and by threat of their wrong doing held over that person.
We come to the Elder brother who had remained at home and was busy working in the field and is not at all pleased that his brother has returned home. He feels taken for granted and shabbily treated and is full if bitterness towards his brother.
His attitude shows that his years of obedience to his Father had been years of grim duty and not of loving service. His attitude is one of utter lack of sympathy and a nasty mind, no doubt suspecting his brother of the sins he himself would have liked to commit.
When the Father went to find his elder son still working in the field and invite him in to join in the celebration, the son was angry and bitter and didn’t want to see his brother, let alone celebrate his return. My son, the Father answered, you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours. But we have to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive, he was lost, but now he has been found.
Once again we have the amazing truth that it is easier to confess to God, our Father than it is to many a man, our Father is merciful in his judgements, his love is far broader than the love of man, in the face of a love like that we cannot be other than lost in wonder, love and praise.
God bless,
Bill