CELEBRATING THE FATHER

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Proverbs 29:3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Do you remember the parable of the Lost Son?

Jesus tells the story in the 15th Chapter of Luke. Take a look at it here:

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.”

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.”

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.”

“But while he was still 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.”

 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’”

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’”

 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”  Luke 15:11-32

This is one of my favorite teachings of Jesus because it’s one almost every believer can relate to. We all have gone off to pursue our own desires, leaving our heavenly Father behind, only to find that we cannot live without Him and as we return to Him in humble repentance, seeking His forgiveness, we fully experience grace and mercy and pardon and love of the highest order. Although we deserve condemnation, we instead find ourselves in the midst of rejoicing and celebration as another one who was lost is once again found.

I was reminded of this truth and the associated parable from our Savior as I read today’s proverb, verse 3 of Proverbs, Chapter 29. Look at these words of Solomon which well predated the words of Jesus:

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Think back to Jesus’ teaching. While living the wild life which included hanging with prostitutes (Luke 15:30), the younger son squandered all the wealth he had acquired from his father so much so that he had to hire himself off to a pig farmer who sent the son into the fields to feed the pigs. The son had hit rock bottom and it was there that he began to come to his senses. All he needed to do was to go home and apologize to his father, hoping he would be forgiven.

His decision to confess and repent his transgressions, driven by only a wisdom the Lord could bring, was the very catalyst that brought his father joy, the father who scripture tells us still had compassion and love for his son even before his son showed penitence. Consider how shocked the confessing son must have been when expecting rebuking he received instead these words:

“Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Friends, the father in this illustration is none other than the Father in heaven who made us and saves us, who maintains us and sustains us, who loves us and forgives us, not just once but over and over and over again. We all deserve to perish for the way we sin and yet our Father shows us grace and mercy, rejoicing every time we turn from sin, repent, and return home.

Today and every day, let us rejoice and be glad that we have a God who is not only Lord over His creation but  a loving parent who cares so dearly for each and every one of us.

Let us always celebrate the Father.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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