Baccalaureate Sunday - May 17, 2026

Or maybe you've looked at someone across the road from you and thought, what are they doing here? But in reality, the church is not a place for saints. It's a hospital for sinners. And we're all sick with the sin problem. We need to come and be embraced by the father and be forgiven. The truth is that God loves his children, and our identity as his child was never up to us and it never will be. [00:47:09] (26 seconds)  #HospitalForSinners

But the father, without even really acknowledging the apology, shows his forgiveness through his actions. He says, 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. The father shows the son that his worthiness was never based on his actions. [00:46:17] (27 seconds)  #GraceNotEarned

We bring a timid confession to God because we think that he might be a reluctant forgiver. The reality is that this is what God does. He takes broken people like you and me, and he makes them new. And he does it with a smile. He runs up to us and embraces us. He hears our confession, and he gladly puts a new robe on our back, new shoes on our feet, and a shiny ring on our finger. [00:48:01] (26 seconds)  #GodRunsToYou

Through the cross, our heavenly father meets sin in the most extreme of ways so that he can welcome us in, put a robe of righteousness on our backs, and a crown of life on our head. Now, just like the father says to the older brother in the parable, our heavenly father says to us, child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. Thanks be to God. Let's pray. [00:55:10] (27 seconds)  #RobeOfRighteousness

The father hugs and kisses his son who is probably as dirty as can be. His son was skin and bones. He was just working in the pig fields and had traveled for days to get home. He was probably just about unrecognizable. But none of this dirtiness or uncleanliness slows down the father who takes the first action and embraces his son. The father, unlike the pharisees in Jesus' time, was unconcerned with his own cleanliness and dignity. [00:44:05] (30 seconds)  #EmbraceTheDirty

Whether you are broken like the older brother or broken like the younger brother, god has more than enough grace for you, and he wants to make you new. He wants to celebrate you with you when you come home. When Jesus was telling this parable, his travels to Jerusalem would soon be complete. He would be welcomed into the city with shouts of praise, but they would soon turn to shouts for him to be crucified. [00:54:22] (24 seconds)  #GraceForEveryHeart

His son was his son no matter what. And how often is this the case with us? How often do we try to earn God's love through our own efforts? Or how often do we tell ourselves that we're not worthy of God's love because of our failures? We sometimes even let these thoughts affect our involvement at church. We think, don't feel worthy to be at church this week. I really messed up in a lot of ways. [00:46:44] (25 seconds)  #IdentityNotPerformance

That is an identity that God puts on us. He claims us as his children, not because we're worthy to be his children, but because he wants us to be with him. God loves us in our broken brokenness and is happy to restore us after our repentance. And I think we can sometimes fall into the trap of seeing God as a a strict father who has love, but only for those who earn it. [00:47:35] (26 seconds)  #ChildOfGodIdentity

The truth is that God loves his children, and our identity as his child was never up to us and it never will be. That is an identity that God puts on us. He claims us as his children, not because we're worthy to be his children, but because he wants us to be with him. God loves us in our broken brokenness and is happy to restore us after our repentance. And I think we can sometimes fall into the trap of seeing God as a a strict father who has love, but only for those who earn it. We bring a timid confession to God because we think that he might be a reluctant forgiver. The reality is that this is what God does. He takes broken people like you and me, and he makes them new. And he does it with a smile. He runs up to us and embraces us. He hears our confession, and he gladly puts a new robe on our back, new shoes on our feet, and a shiny ring on our finger. [00:47:27] (61 seconds)

If you needed any proof that our god is willing to get dirty for us, you need not look any further than the cross. Through the cross, our heavenly father meets sin in the most extreme of ways so that he can welcome us in, put a robe of righteousness on our backs, and a crown of life on our head. Now, just like the father says to the older brother in the parable, our heavenly father says to us, child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. Thanks be to God. [00:55:01] (33 seconds)