Twice in One Day...Continued from page 1

The tokens of grace shower unexpectedly on the wayward son come home. Some have inventively named the father “the prodigal father” because he was so reckless and extravagant with his gifts of grace. With a remarkable sensitivity the father seems to have taken in the immediate needs of his son. He surveyed his clothing and his shoes. He factored in the long walk and the lost weight. Don’t you think the father sensed something of the bad times the boy had endured that had ripped away his confidence and left him stripped of self esteem?

Do you suppose that the father saw a gardenia in a garbage can, saw what his son could look like and feel like restored through gifts of grace? He saw compassionately what the boy needed. He could see him dressed in a clean robe. A shining new robe could give him dignity instead of indignity. He could see his son wearing fresh shoes, replacing those beaten up, worn from the long journey. He could give him a regal ring, a sure sign of sonship, to restore his self confidence.

“We will get him on his feet again. I will kill the fattened calf and throw a party. We will have music and dancing that will cheer him.” The son applied to be a hired servant, but the father intended him to be a son again. This father wanted to liberate his son, forgive his boy, allow him to stand tall again. He gave his son far more than he asked. This picture of grace gets to us, makes us feel as warm as a cup of hot cider on a frosty morning.

A few years ago in this very sanctuary a man was baptized after a long journey. Later he wrote a letter to his Sunday School class with these words: “When I was baptized Sunday, I really felt Christian love and support when you all stood up for me. It seemed as if the entire congregation rose when Dr. Jones asked for relatives and friends to stand.” He felt the warm embrace.

You know how the rest of the story goes. Of course, as his older brother well knew, the prodigal didn’t deserve any of these extravagant gifts. But then, that is what grace does. Grace is an unmerited gift, something we do not deserve. Why don’t we lift up God today from our parable, point to the amazing grace of God, and unleash our joyful praise, adoration, amazement. After all, Christian faith perceives at the center of the universe a God of grace.

On a local radio station I recently listened to a song about God’s grace. You may have heard it. It must be named “Jesus is passing by.” Part of the emotional song pictures God walking down on death row. “Jesus is passing by,” the singer sang. It brought a catch to my throat. It can blow you away.

Philip Yancey tells about the young woman who grew up on a cherry orchard farm just above Traverse, Michigan. Her parents were a bit old fashioned and gave her a hard time about her nose ring and her music and the length of her skirts. They grounded her a few times. In the middle of one argument she screams at them, “I hate you!” That night she runs away from home. She had visited Detroit only once before on a bus trip with her youth group to watch the Tigers play baseball. She decides to hide there because it would be the last place her parents would look for her.