The Parable of the Lost Son

For morning service of April 28, 2024, we discussed Luke 15, and the Parable of the Lost Son, a story about a son that let guilt get to him and kept him from returning home. But when he finally got home, he told his father - I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Please at least me be your servant (because he was starving and desperate) but his father took him in and gave him love and a new robe. Family forgives and loves you, just as God does.

He wouldn't have had to lose all of the things he lost if he just would have had patience and waited on his father to give it to him as it came along. Just as we learned earlier today about patience, trust, and waiting. He had dreams about adventures and big plans and hopes... but that time he spent dreaming, he was wasting when he could have been living and actually putting things into action. (I resonated with this, as I spend a lot of time planning and coming up with things that I dream one day will happen, when I should be actually out there working toward making them happen.)

Then came the trouble for him... Trouble comes at the worst times because the Devil waits until the perfect time to make your trouble worse. So this son, not only did he lose all of his money, wasting it on cheap thrills and stupid choices, but then he ended up having to live with the pigs in order to try and make a living.

God didn't make us to live among the swine and eat like them and be like them. But this is what happens when you go against what God meant for you to do and be. It's during these terrible moments that you come to your senses and wake up and realize that you deserve better than this, and you're wasting your life, time, and talent. You don't get the blessings of God until you return to him and surrender. This son had got it worse than even the hired servants.

The "famine" he dealt with represents the wrong seeds that he had sewn. Just as we're told if we sew the right kind of seeds, we will reap the good rewards of it, if we sew the wrong kind of seeds, we're gonna be hurting. If you're supposed to be out there planting a garden for your family to eat from, and instead you're out partying and wasting your time, then your family is going to starve because you would rather be satisfying your lusts instead of being responsible. You can't abandon responsibility without paying a price.

When you're spiritually hungry and you're just feeding yourself with empty husks, you need to be spiritually full and you can do that with God. The son in the story starts to figure it out and see it, so he finally puts his pride to the side and returns to his father. We don't realize what sin is until we wake up. We can't just go out and tell people what they're doing wrong and that they're sinning, they have to figure it out for themselves.

The biggest sin is to tell yourself - I don't believe God, I don't trust God.

Sometimes you have to go through the literal shit (him living with the pigs and starving) to learn, grow, and finally become worthy. Sometimes he has to make you go through the bad things to get you where you need to be. After all, it is though our mistakes, through suffering and pain that we learn and grow to be better people.

He had an attitude adjustment, going from "give me" to "make me", when he was telling his father to give him his money early so he could go have fun with it, verus when he said to make him one of his servants. Sometimes in life, you need to try and not learn everything the hard way.

Not only does his father accept him, but was looking for him to come home. He ran to him! And despite the stink and appearance, he still kissed his neck and embraced him. It very much reminded me of how many times my Mom forgave my brother, even after she SAID she was DONE with him.

In fact, this very story reminded me of me and my brother, because he was the one who went out and had all the fun and made all of the stupid mistakes. Meanwhile, I was the good child, the one who stayed with the parent and was the ideal person. I was the jealous one who didn't think it was fair that the other sibling could do whatever he wanted and still be welcomed back and celebrated. Meanwhile, here I was the whole time, doing what I was supposed to, but being overlooked. Where was MY celebration?

But I'm glad my brother and I are on equal terms now. Just as he has been brought back to the light, I have been humbled. We both found a connection and a bond through going to church. Who would have known that it would be church that would bring us back together? I certainly never would have imagined it a couple of years ago. A year ago from when this was published, I was thinking of giving church a chance for a sense of community with good people, but now I'm glad I found my true appreciation for God and I can honestly say I believe now. Thank you God for helping me find my way back to you, and this time I truly feel like I belong here.