Circuit Thoughts

“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” (Luke 15:20). This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. Some of you may realize that this comes from the story of the prodigal son. This verse describes the father’s reaction to the return of that son.

I’ve been a minister for only 23 years or so. In that time, I have tried to help people realize the love God has for them. What is unfortunate is that many people both in and out of the church think of God as a disciplinarian task master. Nothing could be further from the truth, and we of the church need to correct that right now.

When Jesus was telling this parable, he was describing not just the relationship between the lost and the saved, but also the love of God for ALL his children. In the story, the father waits at the end of the road for any news or sign of the wayward child. He doesn’t go after him because the son did not want him. But the father was ready for the time when the son would want to come home.

The son was so distraught and humbled that as you read the story, he was not going to go home, but to his father’s house. The feeling of separation was so great that he could not acknowledge that his father’s house was his home. This whole parable got me to thinking about all those lost souls who feel so separated from God that they don’t realize that God’s house is supposed to be their home also.

Part of the reason for this can be laid at the church’s doorstep. I have heard many a sermon of God’s retribution and anger. I have seen signs by so-called “Christians” that say “GOD HATES _ (you fill in the name of any particular group). My friends, this is not how God’s kingdom works.

God will not force himself into anyone’s life. It is up to the church to encourage people to turn around and let God embrace them. We can’t do that by scaring people into submission. We must encourage by showing them the very love that God is giving to us.

No one who reads this article is perfect. Everyone of us has been through separation from God at some point in our lives. The reason you are going to church, and even reading this section of the paper, is because you were at some point embraced by God. At some point you stopped running and turned to him. (I know, I could be wrong, but I doubt it.)

The fact of the matter is, if we are followers of Christ, then we are called to bring in more followers of Christ. If God created humanity, then all of humanity is God’s children. Thus, all the world needs to know what love is. This is what it means to “Go and make Disciples” (Matthew 28:19)

See you in church.