4th Sunday in Lent – Jos 5:9-12; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
This lowly one called; the Lord heard, and rescued him from all his distress. Ps 34
The parable of the prodigal son is a simply splendid and moving portrayal of God’s never-ending mercy. So, picture this: a son has gone off to squander his inheritance on all sorts of naughtiness, and suddenly realises he’s out on his ear, penniless. Sheepishly, he slinks back to his dad, hoping at least to be hired as a servant. But what’s this? Instead of a telling-off, his father throws a massive party, overjoyed at his son’s return!
Isn’t it just like that with us? Sometimes, our blunders and bloopers make us feel miles away from God, and we’re just too embarrassed to pop our heads round the door. But guess what? The Big Guy upstairs, with His ever-ready love, is all set to forgive and forget, itching to welcome us back into the fold as His cherished kiddos.
Jesus is practically cheering us on to grab this chance, kick off our shoes, and waltz back into God’s open arms. He’s not fussed about where we’ve been; He’s just chuffed to bits that we’re home. All we need to do is accept the invite. Isn’t it heart-warming to know that no matter what sticky wickets we get ourselves into, the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father is always a ‘yes’ away? So, what are you waiting for? Hop to it!
