Today our associate pastor preached on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). This is an interesting passage because you can find yourself relating to a different character in the story each time you hear it. I once heard this story described from the point of view of the older brother (in reality it was a young woman describing the trials and tribulations of a certain prodigal - her older sister).
Today's perspective was also rather unique, and required some extra interpretation. The pastor played the part of the father, an elderly man who climbed a hill on his property every day to look and see if his lost son was coming home. He followed this routine every day for over five years, rain or shine, healthy or not - until his son returned home.
In the Bible account, we really don't know what inspired the prodigal son to up and leave like he did. In today's interpretation, he and his older brother had had some sort of heated dispute, and he feared that one of them would end up dead if he didn't get away. The father reluctantly agreed.
What made the biggest impression on me was how the father kept vigil all of those years. It reminds me that our Father in Heaven keeps watch over us - even when we stray from him.
It also reminds me that it must break God's heart to see his children act like the two brothers in the parable. Our feeble minds cannot fathom the depth of God's love; yet he loves all people - even the ones who stray, regardless of how far they have strayed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment