Father’s Day
Luke 15:18-24
A passage from the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
I will get up and go to my father, and 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 like one of your hired hands.” ’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘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 slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
I was thinking about Father’s Day coming up at the end of the week and this is the first scripture I thought of. There’s a lot to unpack here, but the part I wanted to focus on was the celebration! Take a minute to think about something in your life you were truly dreading. It could be having to talk to someone you haven’t seen in a long time, or maybe a test you were super worried about. The list could go on and on. I think of all the times I’ve dreaded an event or situation that’s coming up. How many times does the thing you’ve been dreading turn out to be either a) not that big of a deal, or b) pretty great in the end.
The son in this story had plenty to be worried about. He’d made a ton of mistakes with his life and he had deep shame and regret. The thought of going back to his family would have been painful to say the least. That is until he had no other options. There is a thing that he didn’t take into account. Love. This father’s love was the kind of love that was greater than any mistake or wrong turn his son could make. This is such a wonderful example of God’s love for us.
I feel truly blessed to have grown up in a loving family with a wonderful mother and father. For me, it isn’t much of a stretch to think of God as parent. I know for others it can be difficult to think of God as Father since they haven’t known that kind of parental love. To me. this passage isn’t just about thinking of God as a father, it’s about knowing that you are loved by God. Unconditionally and always. No matter what.
My prayer for you is that you will see God in all the people who love you unconditionally. Father, mother, family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and community members. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads grilling, pumping air in bike tires, going to little league games, and sitting through dance recitals. Thank you God for loving us, even when we aren’t the best versions of ourselves.
Amen.