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. Sometimes I try to see myself as the younger son in Jesus's parable of the Loving Father. He had decided that he was going to leave home and chart his own course. His way had been exciting at first filled with good times and easy days, but those days were over. Instead of the happy, easy existence he had imagined he found himself at a dead end. He took a good hard look at himself and decided that he must make the long journey home. It wouldn’t be an easy journey.
I wonder if the roads he followed were like this one, with dark clouds and few people. We were a long way from home as we drove this highway at the end of our road trip with still a hard week of driving before us. Repentance is never an easy journey filled with dark clouds and mountains of sin like the mountains and clouds we found on our road back home. The younger son rehearsed the words he would say to his father never expecting to see his Father running toward him. As we walk the lonely mountain road through our sin we move forward knowing that the Loving Father waits expectantly for us. He has been looking for us everyday. It is only with the Father that we will find ourselves at home. Prayer Loving Father “God of homecoming, be with us as we journey through Lent. May we learn to relinquish our old ways so that we are ready to receive your newness. Amen” (Prayer from A Way Other Than Our Own, by Walter Brueggemann)
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan