Week 2 November 2025, Devotion Part 2

Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant.  Luke 15:25

Our passionate young, raised in the church, do mature to the point where critical thinking replaces compliant acceptance of our doings and sayings. They spot the incongruities and balk at stale traditions. They wrestle with the Jesus of their Sunday school innocence. As the Superman of Bible heroes, He was easy to ask into their heart as Savior. Now the Spirit is pressing for His Lordship. They are scared to run to Him and scared to run from Him. We fear the pull of the “far country” at college or a study year abroad.  We feel reassured when their chosen field of endeavor turns out to be a familial affair, whether it is the military, the law firm or the Napa vineyard.

Would the devil chalk it up as his field day if those very different brothers had agreed to run the family firm, but the shingle advertising it would betray their troubled past by reading: HEARTBREAKER & HEARTBREAKER? The Gospel hangs out the “only begotten” Son’s signboard: HOPEMAKER. Let Jesus go after our scared and scary kids, while we plan festive parties and swap recipes that will make whole neighborhoods fragrant with our unimaginable joy.  Part 2 of 2

Comment: The images of the Prodigal son’s homecoming are vivid, and poignantly enough, even more so by the snide remarks made to the sweet father by his sour son.  Oddly, after the penitent lost son’s conversation with the parent who had seen him from afar and ran in haste to embrace him, he seems to be a no-show also at the feast given in his honor.  In a conventional setting, the honoree is expected to give a public speech, or privately say nice things to attending friends and strangers.  How would we picture a gabfest over plates of roast fatted-calf?  “Oh, my husband and I once toured the city where you lived and loved the museums.” Or, “I loved playing with your boys and take it that Asher outgrew his stutter.”  The emphasis of the parable, of course, is on the Prodigal Father who wastes no time gazing with satisfaction on the 99 sheep grazing safely in his green pastures, but braves the hazards of going after the one still lost.  Once penned and walled in by His grace, it gets no orders to go on the lecture circuit. Lazarus, freshly raised from the grave, booked no agent for such a career move, but prized his chance to grew even closer to His Savior.  The Apostle Paul who was taken up to the third heaven, was forbidden to speak about it  To keep his sense of special election in check, he was given a thorn in the flesh.  John Newton, the callous former slave trader, wrote “Amazing Grace” in 1772.  Holding hands across aisles, we sing the hymn after communion, raising our arms high for the last stanza.  Enslaved to sin and dead in our trespasses, we probably don’t talk about those over the champagne brunch afterward.  God does notice if we now live differently!  Humbly, for starters?   Luke 15