A Rebellious Son

Jesus tells a story in Luke 15 about a father and his two sons. It’s a very typical family with its own set of drama and family upsets which climax when the younger son asks for his half of the family inheritance to run away and party.

By saying this to the father, the younger son was basically saying he wished his dad was dead and that he hated everything about his life and his family. That’s a pretty rough thing to hear, especially as a parent!

So the son heads out and has an amazing time living it up, partying, and spending all his not so hard-earned-cash. But he can’t sustain this life for long and quickly ends up losing it all. So, he gets a gig feeding pigs, and when he starts to think about eating the pig food to survive he realizes he’s hit rock bottom. He remembers how those who worked for his father were treated better than he was at the moment, and decides to go back, not feeling worthy to be part of the family, but hoping to just work as a hired hand.

BUT – when the father saw his long-lost son coming down the road, he welcomed him back into the family with open arms, even throwing a huge party to celebrate his return!

This is grace.
Undeserving, unnecessary, and unexpected, grace can change everything in an instant.

This story reminds us of God’s mercy towards us. When the world knocks us down, He picks us up. When society pushes us into a corner, He reminds us of our value and worth.

It can be difficult to resonate with the father here, to feel like we could show the same amount of grace to our families, co-workers or those accessing our services. By remembering the grace that has been shown to us, we can consciously choose to share that grace daily, instead of responding in ways that are more natural such as frustration, anger or resentment.

By remembering the example of this father, and the grace God extends to us, we can better live out grace with others as we continue to be ‘The Hand of God, in the Heart of the City.’

Grace & Peace,