One of the most precious chapters in all the Gospels is Luke 15, the chapter of the lost and found. All the sinners and tax collectors were flocking to Jesus, which angered the religious leaders. So, Jesus reminded them of how it is to be lost. He gave three stories, the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, which we know as the “Prodigal Son.”
I do not know if you have ever been a prodigal, lost, alone, desperate, hungry. I do not know if you have stood outside the Presence of God and wondered if you would be welcomed in the Father’s House. Would He accept you as you come to Him in sorrow and repentance? Would He welcome you with open arms as the Prodigal Son’s Father did in the story Jesus told? Would there be a feast in your honor?
Or would He reject you, spurn you, disregard you as the Prodigal’s older brother did to Him?
We know that God so loved us that He sent His very own Son to save us. When we come to the door of the Father’s House through Christ Jesus in sorrow and repentance, we are welcomed and treasured by Him. God Himself, in human flesh, paid the ultimate price for us, He will not reject us when we come to Him.
Unfortunately, too often, the church behaves more like the Prodigal’s older brother than she does the Father. Too often we reject our wounded, drive them from our presence with our attitudes and arrogance. But God expects the church to be as loving, compassionate, and welcoming to prodigals as He is. We would do well to remember our own acceptance despite our sinful pasts.
One of my favorite videos is the one of Michael English (read his story in “The Prodigal Comes Home: My Story of Failure and God’s Story of Redemption”) returning to sing with Christians who could have rejected him but did not. He was welcomed back.
What a great time this Christmas to reach out to prodigals and remind them they are missed and loved.
(773) Michael English - Lord, Feed Your Children [Live] - YouTube
