Lost and Found: The Prodigal Son's Relentless Welcome

The text says that he came to his senses. Let's read what the text says here. When he came to his senses, I love this, one of the first journeys back to doing the right thing is having a good chat to yourself. Some people say it's the first sign of insanity. It's actually the first sign of sanity is to chat to yourself, talk to yourself, have this inner conversation. [00:41:22] (29 seconds)  #InnerConversation

Scripture says, while he was a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. How shocking. An old man running. Once you reached 30 and were male in that society, you would never run. You only walked around with either dignity or arrogance. Here is an old man running to kiss his son, filled with compassion. [00:46:35] (32 seconds)  #CompassionateFather

He doesn't finish it, does he? He doesn't say, let me work for you. Let me have. Let me be a servant. He doesn't even say that. He's caught up in the compassion. He's caught up in the love, in the grace, in the redemption, in the welcome back. Here is the relentless seeking and searching love of a father. This is grace. This is mercy, forgiveness, and a welcome home. Home coming to the father, a returning by the son who needed a place, and in returned, he gained a welcome home. Isn't that beautiful? He gained a welcome home. This is our father god in action. This is love. This is love. [00:47:20] (62 seconds)  #RelentlessGrace

The son is given an identity. You're a son. The son is given status, the best robe, a ring, a welcome home into the family circle. Can you hear our father, our god say to you, I love you. You are my beloved. I love you. Never stop loving you. Never will stop loving you. Welcome home. I am your home. [00:51:08] (31 seconds)  #BelovedAndKnown

So being lost and not knowing you're lost is scary. Although, it can just be a phase. Most people don't know they're lost. But being lost and knowing you're lost is very scary. [00:23:19] (21 seconds)  #KnowingYoureLost

What a beautiful reputation. Has it ever sunk in that Jesus had a reputation of welcoming, accepting, having compassion, caring for the people who were outside, the outsiders? This is our Jesus, a person of compassion. [00:26:17] (26 seconds)  #JesusWelcomesAll

This, my friends, is not a repentance speech. It sounds like it. He says I've sinned against heaven, against God, against you, but I'm willing to work it out. Repentance is turning completely around and being at the mercy of the other. He still wants to be a hired helper. He's returning as a servant, not as a son. I'm not sure though if he would have had the courage to go back if he didn't have a plan. And that was important. He went back expecting little. He went back hoping for the best. He went back not even considering the compassion, the mercy, or the grace of a father. So this conversation, this rehearsing of his speech helped him go back. [00:44:58] (64 seconds)  #HumbleReturn

A shepherd was poor. A shepherd was despised. And if a sheep was lost, a shepherd had to bear the cost of that sheep. He had to pay for it. He was already poor. He was indebted. And in the older part of the bible, we read in some of the prophets especially how the shepherd had to bring if a sheep was destroyed by a lion or a wild animal, had to bring part of the sheep back to show the owner that the sheep had been destroyed. So it was devastating for a poor shepherd. So he would put the 99 sheep there safely, and he would go after the one that was lost. And, of course, if he found that sheep, he would come home rejoicing. Why? Because he didn't have to bear the cost. So this is a story about relief and the rejoicing and the joy when one finds what was lost and he would have had to have borne or bear the cost of that loss. [00:27:24] (83 seconds)  #OneSheepMatters