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Did Someone Say Party?
What do you celebrate? The birth of a new baby, the date you married your spouse, a new job, a new home? I had a great group of friends through out high school and college and we invented reasons to have a party. We celebrated anything and everything, mostly because we just loved being together. There were no small events. If we went out to a restaurant we took 25 people. If we were watching a game, we were ordering pizza for 30. We walked down High Street on the OSU campus in hordes. We met every Wednesday night for good music and a chance to celebrate. What triggers your heart to celebrate? What makes you put out the fancy linens and fine china? What causes you to call all your friends to come over because you MUST share your joy with them?
For this father in Luke, it was the return of his son. The chance to once again be together. The father’s joy at the homecoming of his child, whom he loved, far outweighed the hurt from his departure. I have often heard from loved ones left behind after a family member or friend died unexpectedly, and how they long for just one more moment with that person. What would they choose to do with that moment, with that second chance? The father in Luke 15 described his son as dead and now alive again and chose to celebrate! He chose to lavish his son in love by throwing him a grand party! You can almost see the joy in his eyes as he buries his head in his son’s shoulder and gives thanks for a second chance.
Our Lord does this for every sinner that comes back to Him, for every second chance, for every sheep that is returned to the fold. Just before this parable in Luke 15:10, Jesus says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” I would like to be invited to that angelic party. After the baptisms this past Sunday of two of our youth, and now reading and studying this parable, I feel like throwing a party. I want to rejoice with the angles over the same thing that makes them celebrate!
How cool would it be to catch a glimpse of the parties that take place in heaven when someone returns to the Father? This passage of scripture almost always makes me cry because I am one of those prodigal kids. I am so grateful for the grace and forgiveness that my earthly parents and Daddy in heaven have shown me. But I never want to forget about all the other prodigal sons and daughters that God longs to see come home. Thanks for the reminder to keep my heart soft for them, and to keep praying for more celebrations, Jen!
It is very humbling to think, that in spite of what I have done, there was joy and celebration in the kingdom of God when I returned home. Our culture is more somber in their acceptance of those who repent. We are leary that there is no truth or commitment from the one who has turned from their ways. In this we become the judge. By being unaccepting of others we make it harder on ourselves to accept the grace and forgiveness so freely offered.
God, give me that heavenly perspective. That I might realize the joy that comes from those who come home, and that I could celebrate everyday because you accepted me.
Thanks, Jen. I feel the same way when I am present for a baptism at CCC. I rarely know the person accepting Jesus that day, but I always get teared up and overwhelmed with emotion. And when we start clapping as they rise out of the water, I don’t want to stop….I want to keep celebrating. I hope I never stop feeling that way when I see someone who was lost and then found.
Thanks Jen. I think too many events in our lives go by without celebrating… without giving thanks to God for those wonderful moments and blessings in our lives.
The part of the story that stands out to me is the robe and ring. When the son returned, he didn’t expect to be treated like a son… his actions would have gotten most sons cast out by their fathers. He was just hoping that his father might treat him like one of the workers. But his father treated him with all the honor of an heir. That’s exactly what we are in the eyes of God… royalty in HIs kingdom thanks to the saving grace of Jesus Christ our savior. Now THAT is something to celebrate every day of our lives.
You guys are up early.
Once again, personal reference. If JV reads he’ll know for sure what I am talking about.
A couple years ago, I was going through a rough time with my job at Delta. They were trying to stay afloat and were casting everything overboard: cutting staff, cutting pay, cutting health benefits, cutting vacations, for real. Finally they targeted my retirement funding – then it became personal. I had to cut my losses – I had to leave after 32 years. I ended up at another large company and it was hell on earth. If it had not been for Friday nights at Monterey’s – the last business standing in Belmont Hills Shopping Center – with JV and Bobbi, Jason and Tracy, and some others in our community group and many not in any church at all, and especially my beautiful wife, I am not sure I would have stayed sane. We celebrated. Didn’t matter what, but we celebrated. It got us through a bad year until I found a decent place to work.
Jen and others writing here are so right. In the middle of this financial mess, we ought to be celebrating the God who owns everything and who will carry us through. We ought to be celebrating all the time but especially when we have people coming to Jesus. We had baptisms of teenage boys last week. Wow! If the angels are partying then we need to party. If a Believer quits a bad sin, then those in the know should celebrate, literally. If an estranged family member returns, we need to “cut a rug” as my Mom used to say. (That means dance.) Party down!
Jen thank you for reminding us of the celebration our God has when we come home to Him.
As I read through your devotional insights today, the words of an old song by the group Bread came to my mind:
I would give anything I own,
Give up my life, my heart, my home.
I would give everything I own,
Just to have you back again.
Jesus did exactly this; he gave up everything for us. Jesus became flesh and lived His divine-human life in and through His human body. He suffered on the cross, and in the agony of those last moments before He died, He felt the incredible weight of all the sins of the world, past present, future, taking upon Himself the punishment for all sin. We can not imagine what the loneliness was truly like for Jesus because for the first time in ETERNITY Jesus was separated from the Father!
He did that for us. Think about that. Jesus gave everything He owned, His life, His heart, His home just to have us back again. His love was so great for us that He could not let us live our eternity separated from Him. He took our place. With such an incalculable sacrifice, is it any wonder how much celebrating happens when sinners, and lost children come home?
Friends, maybe some of you need to come home to Him right now? God promises us this, ” But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE us and to CLEANSE us from EVERY WRONG.” 1 John 1:9 NLT
God is racing to meet you. He loves you and is calling for a great celebration right now because YOU have come home!
There is a party going on!
I too was a prodigal daughter. God not only stood by me patiently waiting for me to return to fellowship with Him but protected and loved my while He waited. When I finally did return one of the first things He shared with me was, “and I will restore their days”. He not only accepted me back but He returned what I lost and then continued to bless me. All the doctrine I had before was restored and made even clearer. What an awesome God not only does He forgive and forget but He restores! Shouldn’t we do that for others, forgive, forget, and celebrate that they have been restored.
I confess that I still go on prodigal journeys. And I can totally relate to the words of this prodigal who says “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” It takes a great amount of effort to remind myself that I NEVER WAS WORTHY TO BE CALLED A SON. Sons don’t earn their worth. Worth is determined by the Father. But the Father in the Luke passage, totally blows past the issue of worth and goes straight to the party. That’s pretty great!!
The lesson for me: Repentance is more an opportunity to celebrate then it is a time to rehash my obvious unworthiness. God wants me to lift up my head, grab a roast turkey leg and dance with Him. Thanks Jen.
Ooops. I just remembered something… here is that last statement restated for Jen:
God wants me to lift up my head, grab a glop of tofu and dance with Him.
Nice catch Franz…. You can keep your turkey legs to yourself
Unless your dancing on them!
On the “good” to “great” spectrum—–the arrow points to great for “Feeding One Another”—particularly in today’s reading— because although we may not even know each other very well, for a few moments in time we are all focused on the same thoughts from the Word and an amazing thread emerges from the pain and joy of our lives to weave a beautiful picture of the redeemed celebrating in our redemption! Talk about unity…
Prodigal chorus: I was deeply affected by the unity of thought and heart, especially today, so I put together this patchwork chorus of the redeemed celebrating our redemption!
“It is humbling to think that in spite of what I have done, there was joy and celebration in the kingdom of God when I returned home…The part of the story that stands out to me is the robe and the ring. When the son returned, he didn’t expect to be treated like a son, his actions would have gotten most sons cast out by their fathers. He was just hoping that his father might treat him like one of the workers. But his father treated him with all the honor of an heir. That’s exactly what we are in the eyes of God…His love was so great for us that He could not let us live our eternity separated from Him…When I finally did return, one of the first things He shared with me was, “and I will restore their days”. He not only accepted me back but he returned what I lost and then continued to bless me. All the doctrine I had before was restored and made even clearer…How cool would it be to catch a glimpse of the parties that take place in heaven when someone returns to the Father?…Wow! If the angels are partying, then we need to party!!!… I confess that I still go on Prodigal journeys. And I can totally relate to the words of this prodigal who says “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” It takes a great amount of effort to remind myself that I NEVER WAS WORTHY TO BE CALLED A SON. Son’s don’t earn their worth. Worth is determined by the Father. But the Father in the Luke passage, totally blows past the issue of worth and goes straight to the party. That’s pretty great!!…I hope never stop feeling that way when I see someone who was lost and then found.”
Thanks Jen! What a great thought …that God rejoices over all of us like that when we turn to Him! Your devotion reminded me how awesome that it is to have a God who truly and deeply cares. Just like Caroline, I hope that I never loose excitement over people coming to God or returning back to Him. Neat!
Thanks for feeding us today Jen. It has been an honor getting to know you and your family.
P