I always get a chuckle when I read the gospel lesson for this coming Sunday:  "The Prodigal Son."  I find it interesting because I have been in the shoes of most of the major characters in that parable.  I went through high school as the "responsible, elder sibling,"  had a "rebellious streak" in college and now wait anxiously for my children to "grow and mature."  None of those shoes are particularly comfortable to be in at the time, all the time.  There are good and bad memories from all the "stages of my life."  There are times I was satisfied with who I was and what I was doing and other times that I was dissatisfied and longed for something different.

  

Guess that's part of being human; we are really never satisfied.  And yet, God loves us.  God wants very much to nurture and guide us and help grow into people who love Him and serve Him by loving and serving others.  Because we are all human, we all fall short, we all sin whether it be by thinking too little or too highly of ourselves.  

 

I wish I had the patience and wisdom of the father in the parable, but even there I come up short, although I can relate to and empathize with both of the boys.  We so badly don't want our children to make the same mistakes we did.  And yet, they are human too. 

 

Thank God that Jesus was both human and divine.  He knows our struggles and yet was not overwhelmed by them.  God has far more patience as parent than I will ever have.  He is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."  And He's waiting to love us, whether we're rebellious kids or "self-righteous" twits.  Come home!!

 

Peace, 

Pastor Carol