Lost and found

Anyone who says Christians are boring has clearly never read Luke 15. A man loses a sheep then finds it. He throws a party. A girl loses a coin but finds it so, she throws a party. A dad loses his son, then he returns so they throw a party.

SIDE NOTE: I think this party business needs to be brought back as a cultural norm. So please look forward to a cordial invite to my future "Erin found her lost fleece-lined leggings" party. We'll have to substitute the fattened calves for pumpkin spice lattes, but the idea will be the same I promise.

I don't know about you but sometimes I get lost. I get lost in stress, or bitterness, or insecurity, or doubt and I need to read the parables in this chapter to remind my soul that my God is very much so in the business of finding lost things. But even more so than showing us God is all about finding lost things, it shows us he's all about relationship.

Check it out. 

"I will arise and go to my father, I will say to him "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants" And he arose and came to his father but while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran to embrace him. And the son said to the father "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son'. But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him. Place a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate"

Okay, wait. Who randomly has a fattened calf just because? I think our Father does. Maybe I'm reading way too far into it, and I actually don't know much about the culture back then, maybe having a fattened calf is like having a golden retriever now a days. But I like to think that the Father had it ready just in case his son returned. In the same way, I think God the Father has blessings stored up for your just in case you return to him.

The son had his apology speech all ready to go and then the father cut him off and immediately started restoring to him that which was lost. What a perfect picture of true repentance. Repentance isn't when you come up with the right words and say sorry to God and tell him what you expect your punishment should be, repentance is when you turn and go towards the Father. See because to the father it was never about the riches that were squandered it was always about the relationship that was severed. 

But, Jesus never calls this the story of the prodigal son. No he calls this the story of two sons. I think he does that on purpose cause he wants us to remember that the grace the father has for the prodigal, is also enough for the Pharisee.

I've been the prodigal and the Pharisee, but I still somehow get invited to the party.