“His Father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20
We didn’t quite get to the parable of the Prodigal Son last Sunday. Our text from the Gospel of Luke included the story of a shepherd who had lost one of the ninety-nine sheep that he was responsible for. The sheep would not have belonged to the shepherd. They were not his pets or his assets. He was hired to look out for them, to lead them to still waters and green pastures. When one became lost, he searched until he found it, and he carried that sheep back to the safety of the sheepfold.
We didn’t quite get to the parable of the Prodigal Son last Sunday. Our text from the Gospel of Luke included the story of a woman who lost a coin. She had ten silver coins. When she counted her coins, she came up with nine. So she counted again, and again there were only nine. One was missing. She turned the house upside down looking for that lost coin. Finally, she found it and she called her friends and she had a party to celebrate. The text is silent on this account but I am guessing that the party—shrimp, bacon wrapped figs and wine—probably cost at least two coins.
Other people’s livestock and coins cannot compare with our loved ones. There can be no rest when our child is lost. Unlike coins and sheep, our children cannot be replaced. We have seen and felt the pain of parents and grandparents who have lost their children. Some are permanently lost. Others have simply wandered away. They dwell in far off lands. They do not communicate and they do not come home.
There is precious little rest for the parents. They pray and they long for a homecoming.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the heartsick father runs with open arms to embrace his lost son. We have never been so lost that God cannot find us. We have never been so sinful that God cannot forgive us. No matter how much water has passed under the bridge, still God waits for us with open arms.
May we have a renewed sense of compassion for prodigal daughters and sons and heartsick parents. May the children come home and may we be gracious and loving at the moment of reunion.
See you in Church this Sunday!
Pastor Jim
Men of TLC—Breakfast this Saturday September 17 at 8 am. Come and eat the food that a loving wife would never give you.
SAVE THE DATE: November 11-12 Men’s Retreat at Camp Casey.
