1. Lost and Found - the embrace of the Father

The story of the prodigal son or the lost son is one of the most moving stories in the New Testament. We find this story in Luke's Gospel only in Chapter 15:11-32. There is however more to the story than just a lost son and in this series we will explore a few different angles of looking at this story as we also explore it as a congregation together.

I want to briefly consider one of the changes in the lost sons' attitdue which can be observed from before and after the embrace with his father on his return home. This change is in his plan and motive for returning - revealing what he thought about his father. In Malawi this motive is clearly a problem and is often unspoken about or not dealt with in many churches. There are many "pastors" and church attendees who have made the Fathers' house a business venture, and many attend churches with the hope they will become the hired help. For as much as many people have the need for work and employment and may be part of the initial reason for some church attendance, an experience like that of the son who returned home and had his father run to greet him, breaking the cultural expectations of his day. A compassionate embrace and kiss put an end to such primary aspirations and expectations that were based in his heart, mind and stomach (See Luke 15:18-22), the phrase 'make me like one of your hired help' has been removed by a real experience of God's confirming love, we are His children. We might not be expecting the embrace of love by God, but He will give it as we return /repent and move towards Him, even if our full intentions are not at first 100% for God. God's perfect love drives away our fears and allows us to be His Children, forgiving us and fully embracing us.

The loving embrace of the Father is by grace...it is about the restoration of relationship and not the approval of a business plan. Such a real experience of God is what we should be concerned with; it should be a God like this that we declare to others, a confirming love based on our sonship in Christ, rather than our performance and ability to serve. The returning son probably smelt bad, he had worked in the pig pens and had travelled along way without money to buy new clothes or to polish his appearance - he came as he was. We need to come to God as we are, without pretending to be better, the Almighty Father accepts those who come to Him through Christ despite our faults and sins, but as we experience His embrace - all is changed...our hearts are stirred with having recieved compassion when we did not deserve it. We are given the wonderful right to be children of God.

Matthew Armstrong
Blantyre.
Issue 16: 10th Jan 2010